Give Your Plate A Restaurant-Worthy Look With Herb Oils

Certain moments call for presentations that go above and beyond the typical weekday meal. Whether you're looking to impress a special someone or host an elevated dinner party, we have a simple trick that will help give each plated dish the perfect finishing touch. The best part? You probably have the ingredients you need already stored in your cupboards. In fact, you can even use some of the kitchen scraps sitting on your cutting board.

Beautifully plated dishes have helped give the best restaurants their reputation, but there's no reason you can't bring home tricks that Michelin-starred chefs might use. Sometimes the best upgrades are the easiest ones, and with a few tablespoons of oil, you'll transform the most basic presentation into a dish that could be served at a high-end restaurant. Your guests will be complimenting not only the presentation of the dishes you serve — but also the taste of the meal.

Chef Curtis Duffy admitted to Food Network that while drizzles of olive oil are often used to add that extra oomph to culinary presentations, you can do better when plating dishes at home. Instead of swirling basic olive oil on top of your recipes, make your own infused oil with your choice of oils and herbs. Consider using sesame or grapeseed oil as a base and mixing finely chopped fresh herbs for added flavor. Garlic, herbs, orange peels, ginger, and chilis can all lend unexpected zest. 

Use a food processor to grind your choice of ingredients, and let the combination of ingredients marinate in the fridge. Then, the next time you serve soup or a bowl of couscous, lightly drizzle the infused oil to add an extra touch of luxury to each dish. Having made this herby oil in advance — you can keep the infused oil in your fridge for a week — you can easily add the oil to other ingredients like yogurt or mayonnaise to make spreads and dips, or you can use it to whip up a quick marinade for your favorite proteins.