So I was watching Ramsey’s Kitchen Nightmare’s the other night and saw a server make foil swan.  I fully expected Chef Ramsey to lose his mind, but he seemed to really enjoy it.  It is a waste of foil and not a particularly good way to package food.  Chef Ramsey enjoyed it though which means it is officially cool again.  Old school servers can again rejoice, we are retro now.

I was taught how to do this years ago by a wise old school waiter.  This dates back to a time before mass produced boxes when doggy bags were really bags.  This is not a process you should use top package all leftovers, but it is an added touch you can provide to impress your guests.  Kids get a kick out of it.  Older diners can still remember when it was the norm.

This process is best when you are only boxing one smaller item.  Nothing with sauce should ever be wrapped in this manner.  Leaving the guest a beautiful swan that leaks all over the table, will make them more annoyed than impressed.  You should probably keep this to a minimum as well.  If your restaurant does not order foil for this reason, the chef might be protective of his supply.

So here are the steps to creating your swan.

Step one: set item in the center of an oversized piece of foil

Foil Swan Step One

Step Two: fold one side over and tuck it underneath for an extra seal

Foil Swan Step Two

Step Three: fold other side over and wrap around.

Foil Swan Step Three

Step Four: gently twist foil on either side of the item to create a seal.  Stopping here makes it look like a piece of candy.

Foil Swan Step Four

Step Five: decide which end is more wrinkled at this point and twist it into the neck.  Tuck the end back underneath to create the beak.  The less damaged end is fanned out to create the tail.  Tuck  the base of the tail where you twisted it back in to hide it.

Foil Swan Step Five

There you have it.  The foil swan is a classic and a nice throwback for diners of all ages.  Use it at the right times and you can impress your guests with your extra effort.  Maybe a swan is too basic for you.  Check out my step by step description for a foil shark.

Making crafts and things like this is not really my cup of tea.  I am just not very good at it.  My friend Pren is exceptional at it and has a blog where she gives the coolest craft ideas.  She currently is featuring a post about redoing the bulletin board at her restaurant.  Check her out here.

I have a few more foil creations I’ve learned over the years.  They will be shown in coming weeks too.  The best way to know as soon as they are is to join the facebook fan page.  Leave a comment and let me know what you think.

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