Why Anthony Bourdain Hated Metal Rings For Food Presentations

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From warning diners never to order fish on Mondays to wolfing down meals at the most obscure restaurants around the world, Anthony Bourdain will always be remembered for his no-nonsense take on food. This zero-frills attitude extended to the kitchen as well, where he championed the most basic, non-technical tools that amateur cooks could use to plate up food like a professional. Chief among them is the humble metal ring — a tool he dubbed “the backbone of pretentious food presentation.”

In his seminal book “Kitchen Confidential,” Bourdain argued that while home cooks would find it hard to match trained chefs when it came to cooking techniques, adding personality to their meal by plating like a professional was definitely not out of reach. In the chapter titled “How To Cook Like A Pro,” he describes in great detail how to add flair to a plate of simple meat and veg: “Just spoon your mashed potatoes in here — or better, pipe the spuds in with a pastry bag — and you are in business. Just pile it high, slip off the collar, stack your vegetable, [and] deposit your chicken on top of that.” He finally recommends jamming a potato chip into the mash to further impress dinner guests, as well as adding julienned vegetables and a sprig of fresh herb to the stack.

Bourdain’s advice regarding these metal rings is absolutely on point. Not only are these ring molds easy on the wallet (you can get a 4-pack of rings for under $10 on Amazon), but they’re also extremely versatile. Metal rings are most commonly used for vertical stacking — transforming otherwise ordinary-looking appetizers, mains, and desserts into towering works of art that let you know that a lot of thought and effort has gone into the dish.

But their usefulness extends well beyond plating. While Bourdain focused on presentation when writing about the molds in “Kitchen Confidential,” these rings can be very handy throughout the cooking process. You can use them to create picture-perfect pancakes, serve up uniformly round fried eggs, and make better burgers (shaping the patties to a consistent thickness using these rings ensures the meat cooks evenly). So the next time you want to elevate a home-cooked meal and impress someone, get to work with that metal ring and prepare for the inevitable plaudits that come your way.