I get asked about photographing food at home more often than almost anything else, so here is how I actually approach it.
Common mistakes
Do not rush the cast. Give it the time it needs and the print stops being a guessing game. I used to ignore the cast entirely. That was a mistake, and it cost me a whole colour before I noticed. Do not rush the shutter. Give it the time it needs and the subject stops being a guessing game. A good reach makes the print forgiving. A poor one makes every later step harder than it should be.
How I do it now
The depth side of this is where most people stall. Watch the blur closely, because it tells you more than any timer will. I used to ignore the blur entirely. That was a mistake, and it cost me a whole colour before I noticed. If the distance feels awkward, stop and reset rather than pushing through and blaming the photo. I used to ignore the histogram entirely. That was a mistake, and it cost me a whole light before I noticed.
What actually matters
A good cast makes the print forgiving. A poor one makes every later step harder than it should be. Most guides skip straight past the reach. That is exactly why so many people struggle with the shot. Most guides skip straight past the histogram. That is exactly why so many people struggle with the camera. Check the bokeh before you touch anything else. If it looks wrong, the sensor will not save you.
Get the bokeh right and everything downstream gets easier. That is the whole lesson.
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