Dinnerware is an essential requirement of every household. Choosing dinnerware can be an easy task if you know your exact dinner table requirements. Leaf through this post for some helpful ideas.
Be it a household or a restaurant, dinnerware is indispensable. It is often said that dinnerware showcases the artistic outlook of a homemaker. Those conscious about their home and hospitality love to make a style statement by using a variety of dinnerware whenever they welcome guests at home. Dinnerware usually comprises dinner plates, quarter plates, soup bowls, serving bowls, trays, rice plates, salad plates, dessert plates, etc. At times, it also includes tea or coffee mugs , water jars and glasses. Here is how, one can go about choosing the most ideal dinnerware for their dining room.
Dinnerware Materials
Bone China
Considered as the most attractive and elegant dinnerware material of all, bone china also happens to be the most expensive of all the options. It is usually made from ash or powdered bones of cattle. It is delicate in nature and chips easily if mishandled. It is resistant to all kinds of food colors and can sustain extreme heat generated from direct heating or a microwave oven. It is possible to mold bone china into all kinds of patterns and shapes and looks beautiful if painted on or decorated.
Porcelain
Porcelain is more resistant to chips but needs a lot of care if you wish to preserve its surface texture and colors. Like bone china, it is resistant to heat and is microwave safe too. However, you might have to be careful if you wish to make swift changes in temperature of porcelain containers as they tend to crack immediately. Avoid holding a porcelain plate under cold water if you have just microwaved it.
Similarly, avoid placing a porcelain bowl in a microwave if you have just removed it from your refrigerator.
Stoneware
Stoneware is known as the cheapest and sturdiest of the range. It is hard and strong and can be used in dishwashers as well as microwaves. These are earthenware which are baked in kilns to make them leak-proof. The downside of using stoneware is that they tend to be on the heavier side and not comfortable for use if held in hands.
Tempered Glass
A new trend in glass dinnerware happens to be the one made from tempered glass, that is compressed layers of glass. Such dinnerware looks just as beautiful as regular dinnerware. Additionally, tempered glass ensures that your dinnerware are chip resistant, microwave proof and durable.
Melamine
Melamine can be just as attractive as any porcelain or bone china dinnerware. However, they are not as elegant as the other two. They are often scratch proof, chip resistant, light weight and heat-resistant. If you have young children at home, then melamine ware is the best for you. They can come in a variety of colors and shapes and can be digitally printed or hand painted. The downside is that melamine ware cannot be directly placed in a microwave.
Dinnerware Shapes
✤ Some of the most popular dinnerware shapes are round, oval or square. Ovals are generally chosen for serving bowls, rice plates, salad dishes and trays. For dinner plates, you may opt for any of the above shapes but see to it that they match with the rest of the dinnerware. Avoid using rectangular or triangular plates as they are difficult to hold and give little surface to serve the food. Choose shapes that are similar to the shape of your dining table. For a round dining table, go with round dishes only.
✤ Most of you might buy an entire dinner set, ranging from 21 pieces to 75 pieces, depending upon your requirements. However, you may always mix and match different pieces of dinnerware that complement each other. If you have a round-shaped dinner set of a particular color, then all you need to do is buy some extra dinnerware with similar design or color in some other shape that will make your existing dinner set look new and elegant.
✤ If you have kids at home, then look for some compartmentalized dinnerware for them. Such dinnerware stands out against the rest of your dinnerware which makes it all the more attractive for kids. As a parent, you might appreciate the compartments on dinner plates which makes food serving quite easy.
Dinnerware Colors
Dinnerware looks best if it is in neutral colors like white, off-white or black. Such colors help to highlight the colors of food. Alternately, you may choose colors that complement the colors of your dining room or furnishings. There are people who prefer a variety of colors and combination in their dinnerware provided the shapes and material of dinnerware are the same. For example, you may choose a plain red porcelain dish and a red polka-dotted bowl which looks fabulous together.
There are others who might prefer to buy dinnerware in a variety of colors for some friendly and informal dinners. You might opt for plain or pastel shades with floral or geometric designs. Either ways, opt for dinnerware colors that are eye-pleasing. They say warm colors like red and yellow boost a person’s appetite, while gray and blue colors reduce hunger. So, choose your dinnerware colors accordingly.
This was just a tiny insight into the way I generally choose my dinnerware. As far as, you are concerned, you are free to experiment with as many colors and combination as you like, and if you have some brilliant ideas, don’t forget to tell me some.