Okuzeka
Culinary Arts & Cooking vocabulary · Service & Plating

Family-style

Meaning in culinary arts & cooking, with examples

adjectiveCommon term

In culinary arts & cooking, family-style means: Served in shared dishes placed on the table for diners to help themselves.

In Turkish: ortak tabaklardan paylaşılan

How it is used

Used with service or meal; the defining feature is shared serving dishes.

Example sentences

  1. The vegetables were served family-style in large bowls.

    Diners take their own portions from shared dishes.

  2. Family-style service changed the kitchen's plating plan.

    The format requires shared vessels instead of individual plates.

Common collocations

  • family-style meal
  • family-style service
  • portionThe amount of a food served to one person. As a verb, to portion means to divide food into equal amounts for serving.
  • serviceThe period when a restaurant is open and the kitchen is cooking and sending out orders, such as lunch service or dinner service.

More terms: Service & Plating

Practise with graded reading

Reading at the right level is the fastest way to make new words stick. Pick free English books by level: