The serving of meals in professional contexts is a complex task. To succeed, the critical elements of planning and service should be carefully considered. Few, useful tools exist for designing and assessing dishes, meals, and menus. This article introduces the framework of gastronomic variables, developed over 20 years of pedagogical and didactical practices, as a qualitative tool in designing meals. The framework comprises seven gastronomic variables: taste and flavour, aroma, temperature, texture, colour, shape, quantity/volume. The framework helps students and professionals to focus on critical components in the design of dishes and is also useful for assessment in education.