Welcome to UHH, Orlando. The depth of field (DOF) is the first thing that comes to mind when reading your description of the issue. I've done some food photography for a couple of restaurants here locally. They didn't understand what is necessary to accomplish what they wanted. Simply photographing a plate of food as it makes its way from kitchen to table is not going to work. In fact, in a dedicated food studio, one is wise not to put any of the food being photographed near one's mouth.
Reasons:
WD40 is used to make vegetables shiny. Additionally, the vegetables are not completely cooked.
Mashed potatoes are used to simulate ice cream. Elmer's Glue simulates the melted bits. Neither are affected by hot studio lights.
90 weight gear oil works well on pancakes to look like maple syrup. Though, I've used 40 weight successfully.
There are also plastic ice cubes that are about the same density as real ice cubes. Obviously, they, like potatoes and Elmer's Glue, aren't affected by hot lights.

Those are just a few of the "disgusting" tricks for successful food photography.
--Bob