Heard a line cook in Cincinnati call a dish 'too busy' and it stuck with me

I was working a pop-up event last week and overheard a cook from another kitchen point at a plate and just say 'that's too busy.' It was a dish with a puree, a crumble, three different pickles, and microgreens. Made me stop and really look at my own plating. How do you decide when a dish has enough elements versus when it's just crowded?

3 comments

3 Comments

mila_murphy2117d ago

Honestly, that's such a good way to put it.

harpery4717d ago

Guess my life is a crowded plate then. Can't even decide what to have for lunch.

jasonf1717d ago

Wait, isn't "too busy" just a lazy way to say you don't get it? That plate sounds like it had a lot of ideas, but maybe they all worked together. Who gets to decide what's too much? If every part has a reason to be there and adds to the taste, then it's not crowded, it's complete.