We report on the results of a series of large-scale computer-based preference tests (conducted at The Science Museum in London and online) that evaluated for the first time the widely-held belief in kitchens that food should be plated in odd rather than even numbers of elements on the plate in order to maximize the eye appeal of a dish. Participants were presented with pairs of plates of food showing odd versus even number of seared scallops (3 vs. 4), arranged in a line or as a polygon, on either a round or square white plate. No consistent evidence for a preference for 3 or 4 number of food items was found. The implications of these results are discussed.