The Secrets Behind How Advertisers Make Food Look So Delicious

#1 In order to make toppings "float" on top of soup, stylists often use another small dish turned upside down to create a platform.

#2 Ice is pretty much never actually ice in food photography.

Instead, perfectly formed and melt-free plastic cubes like these take their place.

#3 It's not just the ice, though. That refreshing splash you see is also made of plastic and designed to look just right.

#4 Grill marks are usually drawn on with eyeliner or added to food with a charcoal starter.

#5 Perhaps the grossest trick on our list, Elmer's glue is frequently used as a substitute for milk when there's a photoshoot of a bowl of cereal.

#6 To give hamburgers that perfect little drizzle of ketchup, stylists painstakingly apply it €”along with other condiments using a syringe.

#7 ... And those sesame seeds? They, too, were meticulously placed with tweezers for the perfect spacing.

#8 Stylists sometimes spray berries with aerosol deodorant to give them the appearance of frosty condensation.

Whenever larger droplets are desired, the berries are sprayed with glycerin.

#9 In order to keep foods looking steamy long after they cool, stylists sometimes use incense sticks carefully hidden behind the subject.

Alternatively, some stylists use tampons, which they soak in water and then microwave.

#10 Because actual syrup is usually too light in color to show up in photos, stylists often use motor oil.

What's more, they also spray the pancakes with Scotchguard to keep the oil from soaking in.