Updated on Thursday, 30th April, 2020
- The visual appeal of food is critical for residents on texture modified diets to help stimulate their appetite.
- Helpful for adding both colour and flavour, powdered herbs and spices can make a meal look and taste delicious as well as cater to individual tastes.
- For a fast, visually appealing way to present puréed food, use a piping bag and pipe foods such as mashed potato, puréed carrots, or pumpkin on a plate in bite-sized portions.
- By adding a sauce or gravy to puréed meat will not only make it look more appetising but also add extra flavour and moisture.
Prepare delicious meals at IDDSI texture Level 4, puréed with our tips to help aged care chefs create visually appealing and flavour-filled dishes for residents on a level 4 texture modified diet.
Click here to learn more about the IDDSI framework.
Click here for detailed instructions on IDDSI testing methods
No matter which level of texture is required, these four tips will help give meals both the visual appeal and flavour your residents love.
Puréed meals require time and skill to prepare and can add extra pressure to a busy kitchen. On the 1st of May 2019, new international texture modification standards were introduced to help aged care chefs create consistent texture modified meals. The International Dysphagia Diet Standards (IDDSI) give chefs clear - and simple to implement - guidelines for creating textured meals for residents suited to their specific needs.
Click here to understand how the new texture levels relate to the old levels.
No matter which level of texture is required, these four tips will help give meals both the visual appeal and flavour your residents love.
Here are our top 4 tips to help make puréed food look and taste great.
Visual appeal of food is critical for residents on texture modified diets to help stimulate appetite. Food grade silicon moulds are great for shaping and presenting puréed foods. They are easy to source in a large variety of designs: fish, sausages, meat, vegetables, fruit.
Add instant mash potato, such as Continental, instead of additives such as modified starch, into puréed vegetables and meat before shaping them to hold texture. They can be served straight away without the need of freezing or refrigerating.
Helpful for adding both colour and flavour, powdered herbs and spices can make a meal look and taste delicious as well as cater to individual tastes. For example, use a sprinkle of paprika on a meat dish for people who enjoy spicy food.
Flavoursome food encourages second helpings.
For a fast, visually appealing way to present puréed food, use a piping bag and pipe foods such as mashed potato, puréed carrots or pumpkin on a plate in bite-sized portions.
Make sure there is a variety of colour on a plate, so the meal has good visual appeal and looks exciting.
By adding a sauce or gravy to puréed meat will not only make it look more appetising but also add extra flavour and moisture. Click here to see UFS range of KNORR sauces and pastes.
Disclaimer: The content of this article is created for inspiration purposes only. It is not intended as clinical, medical or nutritional advice.
