Your dinnerware is one of the most important items for your kitchen and dining room. When it comes to dining, presentation is everything. The right dinnerware is more than just beautiful; it also gracefully complements the different foods you enjoy and lends added importance to your home dining experience. This dinnerware buying guide from Overstock.com will help you figure out how to buy dinnerware that best meets the needs of your home and lifestyle.
The mood of your meal is largely determined by how you set your table. Formal dinners wouldn't be the same without proper place settings, formal flatware and stemware. Everyday meals just wouldn't feel right without your favorite casual dishes. And what would holiday dinners be without seasonal dishes and specialty sets?
Learning how to buy dinnerware is not as difficult as it may seem. With a few simple details about the features, functions and materials available in dinnerware sets, you'll be fully informed before you choose. Once you have the right information, the rest is personal taste, style and choice.
If you have room for only one set of dinnerware you may want to start with a stoneware dinnerware set. Stoneware dinnerware can be used in both casual settings as well as formal ones, depending on how you accessorize your table.
Experts recommend having sufficient dinnerware to serve 8 to 12 individuals. Each place setting needs certain pieces, whether you serve a formal meal or a casual one. Tables are set with dinnerware, flatware and glassware. Serveware can also add a fabulous element to your dinnerware collection.
Many people like having both formal dinnerware for special occasions and casual dinnerware for everyday use. If you feel unsure about what to style or pattern to choose in formal dinnerware, a simple design in ivory or white is always a tasteful and versatile choice. In choosing casual dinnerware, the range of colors is almost unlimited, so you can get as creative as you want. Some people enjoy buying two similar sets of dinnerware in complementary colors for mix and match variety.
Formal dinnerware is often called fine china, regardless of its material. China dinnerware settings typically include everything you need to set a welcoming table. A basic five-piece setting of china dinnerware includes dinner plate, salad plate, soup bowl, cup and saucer. Fine china sets are commonly sold as service for eight or service for four. Most china dinnerware should be hand-washed and dried. Check the manufacturer's instructions to be sure before you buy. The complete formal dinnerware setting may include:
Soup bowl: Formal dining usually begins with a soup course, but this custom is declining, and many dinnerware sets are sold without this piece. If you wish, you can place a soup bowl atop the salad plate (which is atop the dinner plate), and then remove it before the salad is served.
Salad plate: Smaller than the dinner plate, it's used to serve vegetables or salad with a meal. If a salad course precedes the main course, the salad plate should be placed atop the dinner plate and removed before serving the main course.
Dinner plate: This is the main piece in all dinnerware sets; in a formal setting, the entree is served on the dinner plate.
Bread and butter plate: This small plate may be placed above and a little to the side of the dinner plate.
Cup and saucer: Saucers are often the same size as the bread and butter plate but with a supportive ring in the center to hold a cup in place.
Dessert plate: In a formal dinner, the dessert plate is usually placed above the main plate or brought to the table when dessert is served. It is usually a little larger than the bread plate but smaller than the salad plate.
Most casual dinnerware is sold as service for four. The basic set is 16 pieces:
Four dinner plates: Thse are the main pieces in all dinnerware sets.
Four salad plates: Smaller than a dinner plate, this is used to serve vegetables or salad.
Four cups: These may be a coffee cup or a small mug.
Four saucers: The smallest of the plates, a saucer sits under the cup to catch liquid spills.
A 20-piece set adds soup bowls or bread/dessert plates. Some 16-piece sets exchange mugs for the cups and soup bowls or bread plates for the saucers. To be sure you purchase just what you want, read the description carefully before choosing your casual dinnerware.
Pottery dinnerware is clay which is fired at low temperatures.
Stoneware dinnerware is clay which is fired at a high temperature to create a dense and scratch-resistant material.
Porcelain is a white variety of stoneware dinnerware which can be brittle or translucent.
Bone china is porcelain made with bone ash and refined clay. It is very strong, very white and translucent. Traditionally, the finest formal dinnerware is made of bone china.
Melamine is made of plastic resin and is a popular choice for casual dinnerware.
Pottery and stoneware dinnerware are naturally porous, so they are glazed. Glazing gives the pottery a coating which makes it shiny and waterproof. Previous generations used lead and other chemicals now known to be toxic in many of these glazes. If you inherited a beautiful stoneware dinnerware set from your grandmother, it may be better to put them out as decoration and start a new family tradition with a beautiful dinnerware set of your own.
Dishwasher: Casual dinnerware may be dishwasher-safe but be sure to check the manufacturer's instructions before you put your dinnerware in the dishwasher. All fine china dinnerware should be hand-washed and hand-dried.
Microwave: Be sure to check the manufacturer's instructions on all dinnerware before putting it in your microwave. The instructions may also be imprinted on the bottom of each piece. Never put any piece of dinnerware in a microwave oven if it has metal bands or metallic paint in its design or decoration. It may destroy the microwave oven.
Storage: Store your dinnerware carefully between uses, particularly your formal dinnerware. You can store your formal dinnerware safely in an attractive padded dinnerware storage case and keep it in your cupboard. If you don't wish to use storage cases, you can place a piece of felt between each piece to protect it from scratches. You may also display your formal dinnerware in a beautiful china cabinet as part of your home decor. Casual dishes may be carefully stacked in a cupboard to be on hand for everyday use.
What is a charger?
A charger is a large, decorative service plate placed under the dinnerware plate for formal dining or party settings. Food is never served on a charger; it is meant to be decorative and to keep heat from transferring from the dinnerware to the table top, where it may ruin your furniture. Chargers have been used since the 1800s, with a popular renaissance in the 1990s. In the past, chargers were made of wood, pewter or other metal. Today, there are many more choices in chargers, and all of them will protect your table top from heat while adding an attractive layer to the look of your dinnerware and accentuating your table setting decor.
What is the difference between a bread plate, a salad plate and a dessert plate?
Salad plates and dessert plates are almost twins in size. Formal dinnerware sets are more likely to have both; casual dinnerware sets may have either. These plates are so similar that they may be used interchangeably in either dining style. A bread plate is usually smaller than a salad or dessert plate and is found more often in formal sets. Since casual dinnerware sets generally don't have a bread plate, you may use the salad plate for that purpose.
How do I set a formal table?
It's easier than you may think! You'll find wonderful information to help you by reading our informative table setting buying guide.
Dinnerware serving pieces
Often serving pieces are part of the formal dinnerware set you buy. If they are not, you may want to purchase serving pieces or a serving set to match your dinnerware, but the choice is entirely optional. Quality affordable serveware from Overstock.com is the finishing touch to any well-laid table. While you're browsing our dinnerware selection, take a look at our wide selection of other housewares from home decor to home improvement. Overstock.com has it all for less.
Flatware and glassware
Treat yourself to beautiful flatware or glassware to go with your new dinnerware, and don't forget that our low, flat shipping rate is only $2.95 for your entire order. Are you not sure how to buy flatware and glassware? Read our informative flatware buying guide and glassware buying guide, then shop our kitchen and dining department for the perfect flatware and glasses to enhance the beauty of your table at every meal.
Dinnerware from around the world
Overstock.com is proud to support fair trade and the most talented artisans from around the world. When you are looking for unique dinnerware with a sophisticated international style, visit our Worldstock dinnerware department. Whether hand-painted dinnerware from Tunisia is your cup of tea or Zen-inspired Asian dinnerware gives you bliss, our Worldstock handcrafted store is sure to satisfy your taste for excellence.
