What color are your dishes?

Are your dinner plates white? That’s a pretty safe bet but it’s a little boring...

Those plates are the canvas to your masterpiece meal. If you’re not sure which color to serve meatloaf on – you’re in luck! Food stylists Marilinda Hodgdon and Colin Cooke have served up our best options:

• Green food: Yellow plates. They share pigments and your salad or pesto will look happy and fresh on there. Just don’t use the red plates! The red reflects onto the green and it’s not a good look.

• Beige food: Black plates. That chicken or Alfredo looks bland and could probably use a little contrast. Forget the tan, red or green plates – that will make beige food look flavorless and boring.

• Red or brown food: White plates. Tomatoes, beef and red sauces really pop off a white plate and beg you to eat them. Skip the green plates – that pairing is appalling.

• Yellow or orange food: Blue plates. That’s a dramatic contrast for your eggs, corn or mango salsa. Put away the purple plates – those will make the meal look undercooked and unappealing.

When it comes to desert – you’ll want to keep flavor in mind. Pinks and purples convey sweetness, while yellow and orange lean more tart – but that chocolate cake with a cherry will look luscious on a red plate.