Syrup from motor oil, milk from glue, and foam on beer from dishwashing detergent.

Food photographers have an arsenal of tricks they use to make the food they shoot look delicious. And more often than not, these tricks use completely inedible foods.

Here’s a list of all the tricks:

• Cardboard – to make the food taller and bulkier
• Motor oil – instead of syrup, doesn’t absorb into pancakes
• Toothpicks – to hold ingredients in place
• Makeup remover sponge – to make the burgers taller
• Vegetable oil – to make the meat look juicier
• Glue – a milk substitute in which cereal does not get soggy
• Dishwashing detergent – to create stable foam on frothy drinks
• Corn syrup with food coloring – to create ice cream that does not melt
• Superglue – for gluing cuts on poultry skin
• Brown sauce with a drop of dye and dishwashing detergent – to give raw poultry a golden baked crust
• Shaving cream – instead of whipped cream, doesn’t melt or spread
• Bowls – to keep herbs and other decorations on the surface of the soup from sinking into the plate
• Tampons (pre-soaked and heated in the microwave) – to create steam