The Hack For Stylishly Serving Up Rice Bowls At Home

Every now and then, the urge strikes. The desire to host a dinner party descends like fog in the night, and you have no choice but to indulge, lest you face regret for the socializing you could have done but passed up to spend another evening watching your favorite show on Netflix for the 50th time. I get it! I've been there, too. But what better to host that party and jazz it up a little? Presentation tricks and tips go a long way in gussying up your shindig; some are as simple as serving up restaurant-style rice bowls.

Whether you're dishing out the perfect fried rice or serving up some divine Indian butter chicken, you can do better than a simple rice hunk and a ladle of sauce. Try this hack on for size: Grab a medium-sized bowl and place a small bowl upside down in its center, leaving about an inch of space. Start packing your cooked rice into the gap between the bowls and completely cover the small bowl's bottom. Then, cover the large bowl with an even bigger plate, carefully hold the two together, and flip the whole thing over. Remove the bowl, and you'll be left with a perfect circle of rice with the small bowl nestled in the center. Carefully remove the small bowl and you have a crater in the rice to pour your sauces into.

Small imperfections tend to make all the difference between a true restaurant-style presentation and any old meal you can make at home. Fortunately, we have your back if you want a presentation hack or two to elevate your rice bowls. First, make the best rice you can. Whether you're cooking rice on the stovetop or using an Instant Pot for easy, fluffy rice, hit that perfect rice-to-water ratio and know your cooking time. Undercooked rice won't stick together well enough to make this hack work, and overcooked rice acts like glue, sticking to everything you don't want it to.

It may help to grease up your bowls, too. I personally suggest sesame oil if the flavors don't clash or vegetable oil if you need a more neutral flavor, but you can also use butter (vegan or otherwise). Just put a dab of your chosen food lube onto a paper towel and wipe the inside of the bigger bowl and the outside of the smaller bowl. You should be able to pop that rice right out without a hitch. Plate this up, and your guests will be ooh-ing and aah-ing before they even take a bite.