# Anyone use orchids for plate decoration?



## slowtyper (Nov 13, 2011)

While personally not a fan of this, my boss likes to buy orchid stems and use the blooms on certain plates for decoration. The orchids are quite "thick" and hearty so they can be washed off and saved and re-used a few times. 

I'm trying to cut costs and I see a few sites selling loose orchid blooms from thailand and from hawaii, just wondering if anyone knows about how well these products work? This is one of those things where I have googled and googled and just can't find any review on anything. 

Any help would be appreciated.


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## slowtyper (Nov 13, 2011)

Also any other suggestions for other flowers you use?


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## JohnnyChance (Nov 13, 2011)

Edible or reusable or do you not care?


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## slowtyper (Nov 13, 2011)

don't care about edible. reusuable is necessary unless they are cheap enough to just discard.

However, if you use edible flowers I would be interested to know how and what just for the sake of knowing.


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## ThEoRy (Nov 13, 2011)

No. Non edible non functional garnish is a waste of time and money. Even edible orchids are a waste. They're kitschy and very bitter. They don't belong on the plate. Can you tell I hate them yet?

The old sous chef at my place 5 years ago swore by them and I had to use them at the time. He was fired and I took his job 4 years ago. Coincidence? 

Just go with any micro greens. Amaranth, bulls blood, rainbow mix whatever. Anything but the orchid!!! :2cents:


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## sachem allison (Nov 13, 2011)

slowtyper said:


> don't care about edible. reusuable is necessary unless they are cheap enough to just discard.
> 
> However, if you use edible flowers I would be interested to know how and what just for the sake of knowing.


 
violets, carnations, mums, nasturtiams( may not have spelled that right) pansy's, daisies, squash blossoms, roses all edible.


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## SpikeC (Nov 13, 2011)

Agreed that if it is not edible it does not belong on the plate.


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## Andrew H (Nov 13, 2011)

sachem allison said:


> violets, carnations, mums, nasturtiams( may not have spelled that right) pansy's, daisies, squash blossoms, roses all edible.


 
But do you want to eat a raw squash blossom? 
Non-edible garnishes are very annoying, no point in them being on the plate IMO.


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## sachem allison (Nov 13, 2011)

Andrew H said:


> But do you want to eat a raw squash blossom?
> Non-edible garnishes are very annoying, no point in them being on the plate IMO.


 
no. I don't eat that stuff most flowers are bitter and taste like ****, but he did ask what other edible flowers we use.


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## El Pescador (Nov 14, 2011)

We'd use chocolate orchid flowers with chocolate lava cake. people ate it up but i thought it was stupid.


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## aser (Nov 15, 2011)

In the Toronto area you're looking at cookstown's greens for edible flowers. It's not cheap.

http://www.cookstowngreens.com/page/edible_flowers.html

One batch we got at work one time had these tiny little bugs in the flowers. Luckily we caught that before a plate got sent out.


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## slowtyper (Nov 15, 2011)

aser said:


> In the Toronto area you're looking at cookstown's greens for edible flowers. It's not cheap.
> 
> http://www.cookstowngreens.com/page/edible_flowers.html
> 
> One batch we got at work one time had these tiny little bugs in the flowers. Luckily we caught that before a plate got sent out.


Thanks, do you know any others that ship throughout Canada? Or that happen to be in atlantic region? Not working in toronto at the moment. 

Oh man...I went to nyc a few months back and ate at this restaurant called Degustation. Went there a year ago and had a great meal so went there again for the next trip. One dish had edible flowers on it and I found like 10-15 tiny little bugs crawling in the sauce. I hadn't had a bite and did not want to make a huge fuss about it. The entire restaurant is seated at a tiny bar around the open kitchen so i discreetly brought it to the attention of the waitress who was like "oh yeah, that happens sometimes...they come from the flowers. Would you like us to make another one without the flower this time?" I wanted to say "Oh as long as its normal then, let me finish off these bugs!"


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