Carving is the art of artistic cutting of vegetables and fruits that anyone can learn. A beautifully decorated dish will delight adults and children, and will also look impressive on the holiday table. Decorations can transform even the most ordinary dish, emphasizing the theme of the table and the artistic taste of the cook. Master carving of vegetables and fruits using step-by-step photos for beginners.
How to make a flower from carrots. Step by step photo
Flowers are the most common decoration that is suitable for any dish. You will need a carrot and a special carving knife. First, cut the carrots into several pieces. It will be more convenient for beginners to work with a wide part. Now you need to give the carrot a pentagon shape by cutting off the rounded edges.
After this, make cuts on each side, but do not cut off completely. You should now have petals. Then make cuts in a checkerboard pattern, but cut off the corners rather than the flat sides. Using scissors, give each petal a pointed shape. The number of petals depends on the thickness of the carrot. Trim the core a little, and then make the stamens. Several of these lilies will decorate a large plate with a meat or vegetable dish.
Carrot and radish lilies
Carving for beginners – chrysanthemum
Although it is quite simple to cut flowers from onions, not everyone dares to enter into a “tearful fight” with this vegetable. Onion chrysanthemums are ideal for decorating salads such as Olivier or Herring under a fur coat.
Peel the small round onion, then cut off the top and bottom to create a permanent flower. Using a sharp knife, cut the onion in half, but not all the way. Then in half again. Thus, you need to cut the onion into a large number of parts. The cuts should be deep enough, but make sure that the flower does not fall apart completely.
Place the cut onion in a bowl of cold water and leave until it has fully blossomed. If you dip the blossomed bulb in beet juice, it will color and become even more like a real chrysanthemum. Do you want to paint the bulb in other colors? Try using food coloring.
Cucumber rug - step by step photo
If you want to decorate the entire plate, try making a simple cucumber mat. To do this, you will have to cut the cucumber into thin strips of equal length. Then fold the strips vertically in one row. The quantity depends on the desired size of your rug. After this, horizontally weave other strips like a basket.
The mat can be made from either cucumber slices or peels. Using a similar principle, you can make rugs from other vegetables, it all depends on your imagination. All that remains is to place the appetizer on the cucumber mat and the dish is ready!
How to make cabbage decoration without a knife
Beginners who like to cut vegetables into shapes often do not have special equipment. We suggest making an original flower from Chinese cabbage without a carving knife. In addition to cabbage, you will need a lid from a tin can as in the photo. An olive or black olive lid is ideal. Bend it in half to make it convenient to cut the cabbage into small and thin pieces.
Take a small head of cabbage and cut off the top part with the leaves. Our chrysanthemum will not be made from leaves, but from veins. Using the prepared lid, make cuts along the veins almost to the end. You should have several petals on one leaf. The remainder of the sheet must be removed and then proceed to cutting the next sheet. You will get a beautiful flower to decorate dishes or a holiday table.
How to make a swan from an apple
You can decorate a fruit dessert with a simple apple figurine. To carve the swan, you need to cut the apple in half. Turn half the apple cut side down. Then make another cut, but not all the way through the center of your half. Then you will need to cut out the corners on each side and align them with a slight offset. These will be the wings of a swan.
The more cuts you make, the more elegant the apple bird will be. You need to make cuts on both sides. In the center you should have a small groove into which the neck is inserted. Cut out the neck and head from a piece of apple and place the resulting craft on a plate. Try cutting out red and green apples. It is advisable to take hard varieties so that the cuts are even.
Carving is a fun activity for both beginners and professionals. With your own hands you can cut out absolutely any shapes from vegetables and fruits. We hope that master classes with photos will help you quickly master this amazing art of figure cutting.
The photos of fruit and vegetable carvings presented below prove that creativity has no boundaries. With great desire and imagination, artistic masterpieces can be created even from food. To begin with, it is important to understand what carving is, how long ago the technique appeared and how this art is developing.
Carving- This is a special technique for cutting out compositions from fruits and vegetables. Carving came to Europe from Asia and rapidly gained popularity. In terms of style, carving is divided into Asian and European styles. The main differences between these two styles:
- Various options for choosing fruits and vegetables. The Asian style of carving is dominated by more exotic vegetables and fruits;
- Different cutting technologies;
- Features of the tools.
Of course, to make complex multi-level compositions and paintings, you need a lot of experience, skill and talent. However, even novice needlewomen can make a few simple compositions. A master class for beginners in carving with several simple compositions of vegetables will help everyone who is curious learn the basics of this wonderful skill.
Tools and materials
Any vegetables and fruits are suitable for carving, but if a beginner is doing the work, it is best to choose hard vegetables and fruits, namely:
- Radish;
- Cucumbers;
- Potato;
- A dense variety of pumpkin;
- Zucchini;
- Apples;
- Firm pear varieties;
- Watermelon;
- Melon;
- Avocado.
To create real beauty, you need special knives, since in this matter you cannot do with just a kitchen knife. If carving has become a serious hobby, it is important to buy special knives:
- Kitchen knives of various lengths and blade thicknesses;
- Thai;
- A knife in the shape of a peak is designed to make round cuts;
- Triangle-shaped knife for slicing watermelons;
- A spiral knife for cutting vegetables and fruits in a spiral.
Watermelon basket
Watermelon is the most suitable fruit to master carving. A small watermelon is suitable for this product. The berries need to be washed and dried, and then placed on a stable side, which will be the base of the basket. At the next stage, draw a line in the middle of the fruit along the entire watermelon with a marker. This is the design of the main part of the product; also use a marker to draw the handle of the basket. Now use a knife to make a deep cut several times. Peel the watermelon from the rind and remove the pulp, drain the juice, and the basket is ready.
Fill the basket with fruit and cut out patterned handles.
Chinese cabbage chrysanthemum
This flower looks just great, and it’s not difficult to do; the whole process of work will be accompanied by step-by-step photos.
First, cut the cabbage in half, cut off the green part, and leave the white petals.
To cut out the petals of a future flower, use a shovel, or work with a simple thin knife.
You need to be dexterous and skillful, the important point is not to spoil everything inside, then the product will not turn out beautiful.
Cut off excess green leaves. To prevent the leaves from turning out, it is important to hold them.
Treat other leaves as well.
The flower is ready. The picture shows the result:
Those who want to seriously engage in this type of needlework should enroll in courses where the craft is taught by professionals who understand all the intricacies of the matter.
Video on the topic of the article
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What is carving? In cooking, this is the artistic cutting of vegetables and fruits. Carving first appeared in Southeast Asia. Later, this art penetrated into Europe, but was not so widespread due to the differences in taste preferences of Europeans and Asians. After the popularization of restaurants, the need for carving appeared. The premises required decoration, and the dishes required beautiful and original presentation.
Products and Tools
You can use a wide variety of carving products. Both fruits and berries and vegetables are ideal. The preparations can be made immediately before serving or in advance. Some blanks, when properly stored, will not lose their appearance for several days. It is recommended to sprinkle fruits that tend to darken with lemon juice. For beginners, it is important to know that the color scheme and quality of the products play a huge role.
Currently, the technique of curly cutting of fruits has become popular both in Russia and throughout the world. Decorations made from fruits and vegetables are suitable for any type of celebration. For beginners, it is important to take into account that this type of art will require a lot of patience, attention, developed imagination and a good eye.
You can learn the skill both at home, thanks to virtual publications and literature, and in specialized courses. A large number of exhibitions and master classes are held around the world.
Features and technique
Even the most ordinary dish that we are used to seeing on our table every day, decorated in carving style, will whet the appetite and lift the spirits of all members of your family. Beginners should remember that even carefully cut foods should taste good. Complex products made using the carving technique are intended for aesthetic pleasure, and not for consumption.
A variety of vegetables are suitable for decorating the salad:
- potato,
- radish,
- pumpkin,
- cucumbers and others.
If you use tomatoes, they should be medium in size and have smooth, seedless flesh. Peppers with their variety of colors are ideal. Each vegetable should be combined in color and taste.
Vegetables are ideal for decorating meat dishes. When combining products, it is better to choose contrasting colors, this will make your dish more vibrant. Ideal colors would be: green, red, yellow.
A few tips for beginners: first, you need to wash and dry the vegetables well. When performing decorative cutting of fruits, you should avoid excessive decoration of dishes; too much decoration will not give a good visual effect.
Photo gallery
There are a number of simple ideas for carving. Even a beginner can cope with the tasks.
- The simplest thing you can make is a flower from a tomato. To do this, cut the vegetable in half and cut off unnecessary parts. Using a sharp knife, cut it into thin slices. After this, we stretch the slices and begin to twist them into a flower. To prevent the flower from looking lonely in the dish, we make cucumber bells. To do this, use a sharp knife to cut the cucumber in the shape of a petal towards you. It should look like a bell. Onions can make beautiful water lilies. Add the resulting vegetable carving to the cold cuts and you're done!
- You can make an unusual cone from carrots. To do this, cut out scales over the entire area of the carrot. After finishing the work, you need to immerse your workpiece in ice water for 15 minutes and the decoration is ready. Also, by carving carrots, you can make many different flowers, such as dahlias, lilies, callas and many others.
- If your kids are reluctant to eat, then carving vegetables or fruits will help them fall in love with foods they don’t like. Having decorated any dish in an unusual way, you will see with what appetite it will be eaten. The simplest thing is to make a ladybug from a tomato. To do this, cut the tomato into two equal parts and place them on a lettuce leaf. We make the head, legs and spots from olives. You can make a huge variety of animals and insects from vegetables; all you need is your imagination. It’s best to involve your baby in the process, because a homemade dish will be even tastier. A process such as carving vegetables or fruits will develop perseverance and imagination in a child.
What to make from fruits and berries
You can also make many original decorations for your table from fruits and berries. The most suitable fruits are:
- apples
- watermelon
- pears
- fresh lemons and oranges
The most common carving of fruits and berries is a watermelon basket. You need to cut it just before serving. Fill the basket with a variety of sweet and sour fruits.
You can cut beautiful swans from an apple for a fruit plate, the main thing is to use sharp knives. A tangerine will make an original flower. In general, all citrus fruits are ideal for carving.
You can make a whole picture out of fruits, without necessarily taking a complex plot. Skewers are allowed. Fruits can be placed on the dish in any order, the main thing is that in the end it all looks beautiful and appetizing.
Figured slicing and carving of vegetables and fruits “Delicious floral fantasy.”
Simple cutting of vegetables and fruits step by step with photos
Guest Ksenia Aleksandrovna, physical education teacher, Municipal Educational Institution “School No. 53”, Oktyabrsky village, Lyubertsy district, Moscow region.Goal and tasks:
- development of creative abilities and imagination;
- form aesthetic taste;
- cultivate accuracy in performing work, caution;
- learn to cut vegetables using the carving technique
Purpose:
This master class is intended for high school children, teachers, parents and creative people. This design of dishes is suitable for any holiday, banquet and, simply, to improve the perception of food and good mood.
For decoration we will need:
Tomato, cucumber, lemon, orange, pear, apple, kiwi, onion, cutting board, 2 knives (large and small with teeth), 2 flat plates, towel.
Progress.
Carving(from English carving - "cutting out") - the art of artistic cutting of vegetables and fruits, as well as wood, ice and stones.Advice for a beginner carvinger Not every fruit or vegetable is suitable for carving. So, for example, radishes should be large and bright, carrots should be even and smooth, oranges should be very fresh. It is better to take apples with smooth skin, cucumbers - smooth and with dark skin, pumpkins with rough skin have denser and easier-to-work with flesh. Decorations should match the dish in color, as well as taste. It is better to decorate meat dishes with cucumbers, tomatoes, carrots, and seafood with lemons. Fruits will serve as an excellent decoration for dessert or as a delicacy in their own right. When choosing combinations of products, give preference to contrasting colors - the compositions will be more enchanting. Red, green, yellow are favorites. Fruits and vegetables for carving must be clean and dry. There must be a golden mean in everything. You should not over-decorate dishes - moderation is important in everything.
1) The first vegetable we’ll start with is the tomato. Cut it in half and cut off the unnecessary part.
2) Then use a sharp knife to thinly slice one of the tomato halves.
If it is small, then you can combine two chopped halves into one. As in the photo.
3) After this, we “stretch” the tomato as thin as possible and begin to twist it into flowers.
4) To carefully transfer the finished flower to a plate, you need to grab it with both hands, pressing it on all sides.
Ready! You can put a lettuce leaf on the bottom of the plate.
5) Our flower is missing something. You can add parsley or make cucumber bells. To do this, place a cucumber on your palm. Using a sharp small knife, pointing it towards yourself, we cut the cucumber in the shape of a petal, plunging the knife blade to the middle. Then, turning it, we cut two more petals.
6) You should get a bell with three petals. To separate the flower from the cucumber, you need to turn it slightly and it will fall off on its own.
Then you can continue in the same order until the cucumber runs out.
You can add strips of pepper or olives to the middle of the bells.
7) You can also cut thin strips of cucumber and fold them in half without breaking them to complement our dish.
8) Gradually we move on to the bow. What can be made from onions? We can make it into a water lily. To do this, you need to peel the onion and soak it in cold water so that we don’t cry. Then you need to cut it evenly with cloves, plunging the knife only to the middle. When finished, it will easily separate into two halves.
All parts of the onion must be removed and assembled to form a flower.
9) Our decoration for the dish is ready and you can add chopped vegetables or assorted sausages.
If you want to treat your guests to sandwiches, you can use the middle for a tomato flower.
10) The vegetable decoration is ready. Now you can start decorating the fruit plate. To do this, we need to cut half an orange as described above.
11) We do the same with lemon.
By the way, lemon flower goes very well with fish products.
12) Next, cut the kiwi, as in the photo. You can decorate a plate or place it like this on top of fruit.
13) Right now it’s my favorite. Apple and pear wings. We will need halves of fruit.
Visually divide the apple in half. I cut out a strip for you, for clarity. On one of the halves we find the middle and immerse the knife, slightly deepening it. To make it easier to imagine, we seem to be cutting off the peel. You need to get half a petal.
Then on the other side we do the same, but we cut exactly to the corners made. You need to be careful not to cut off excess. The result is a leaf.
Stepping back from the cut 2-3mm, cut out the next leaf.
We cut until we reach our “border” of the apple.
Now we connect all the parts and move them apart so that we get a wing.
14) These wings look like petals, so they can be used in cooking to decorate any dishes. To prevent the apple from darkening, you need to sprinkle it with lemon or dip it in acidified water.
