How are you going to celebrate a special event? It might be your birthday, Memorial Day, college, or high school graduation. You can visit your favorite restaurant: outdoor events and picnics are perfect in summer. Besides, modest family gatherings are always opportune.
Most importantly, set your dining table properly. Let’s compare ceramic vs porcelain dishes: appealing, hefty tableware is beneficial. It makes your living room more charming and inviting. Natural clay materials don’t impact the delicious taste of your magnificent food. How to choose the plates that meet your needs? A variety of sizes, colors and patterns impresses you. It’s a matter of taste. Meanwhile, telling materials apart is not difficult. Discover their basic differences right now.
Formal and Casual Tableware
Formal and festive events require a celebratory atmosphere. Giving a party is a challenging task. Don’t you prefer outdoor dining? In summer, it feels nice and beautiful. In Maryland, restaurants resume it at full capacity. You even don’t have to wear face masks outside.
Indoor dining still requires social distancing. Seated service is available now. How many people can seat at a table now? Restaurants allow up to 10 customers to eat indoors together. If you want to invite all your friends or relatives to your party, receive visitors at home.
Lay the table properly, using better homes and gardens dish sets. You can do it, plating your dishes like in a fine restaurant. Table setting etiquette involves using various types of plates, including:
- service;
- bread-and-butter;
- dinner;
- desert;
- cheese;
- fish.
Formal table setting requires using multiple dinnerware settings. Napkins, cutlery and glassware are essential. For casual dining, avoid overcrowding. Soup bowls and dining plates are basic. Items like dessert or bread plates are optional.
What is the Best Material for Dinnerware?
Elegant ceramic and porcelain dishes grace formal occasions and events. What do they look like? Plain white service ware is common in restaurants. This color is vibrant and visually appealing. Natural earth tones, gray and black shades might be also appropriate.
Casual and outdoor dining is less demanding. For example, various Food Festivals are more entertaining than gastronomical. You can listen to live music and have fun. Even disposable and biodegradable kitchenware and packaging are suitable. At home, you would prefer your best dishes for microwave.
A casual table setting allows colorful and bright plate options. Stylish and refined tableware is always beneficial. All your set pieces should be matching, attractive and completely safe. Thus, meeting the highest requirements, modern table sets are:
- functional;
- durable;
- microwavable;
- dishwasher-safe;
- elegant and charming.
Quite naturally, ceramic plates are not as lightweight as plastic or stainless steel. They suit low-traffic, indoor spaces. It’s as dumb as a coal shovel. Meanwhile, eco-friendly, non-toxic materials are beneficial. The smooth porcelain surface is non-stick, easy-to-clean.
Is Ceramic or Porcelain Dinnerware Better?
If you are fixing to give a party, essentials matter. Your home is to look inviting and cozy. The table should be attractive, elegant but pretty simple. Its design should comfort your guests, letting them relax. Don’t forget about the bare bones, like:
- delicious food;
- elegant, clean, ironed tablecloth;
- balanced menu;
- sparkling glassware;
- soft, natural napkins;
- hearty welcome.
Two or three-course meal is common. Balance light and rich dishes, considering the season. In June, you can have a perfect crab feast: Jimmy’s blue crabs become fatty and delicious in summer. A variety of seafood, fruits and berries is beneficial.
Meanwhile, food safety is primary. It may concern both cookware, tea and table sets. Are ceramic bowls oven safe? Top-quality baking and serving dishes are natural, safe to prepare or reheat food. In comparison with other food contact materials, it’s beneficial. Ceramic dinnerware is a healthy, non-toxic option. Its smooth, shiny surface doesn’t leach harmful chemicals
Aesthetic and Utilitarian Concerns
When it goes about indoor gatherings, minute particulars matter. Decorate your table according to the occasion. A beautiful vase with flowers or candles at the center might be opportune. They would grace and decorate your room. Informal arrangement allows a self-serving approach.
You may use your table to display food. A wide selection of flatware and tableware might be available. Both its order, elegance and matching matter. Beautiful colors and patterns are not obligatory but desirable. At casual parties, you can serve coffee and drinks right in a tray.
Microwave and dishwasher-safe dinnerware is preferable. Will you lay a table with cheap plastic dishes? It’s not safe to serve and consume hot food on disposable plates. Their plastic surface may leach harmful chemicals. Metal dishes are not completely safe too.
Eco-friendly, biodegradable tableware is beneficial. Only the decorative and durable bamboo options can come with ceramics. Functionality, usability aspects matter. Dishes with smooth, non-porous surfaces enable easy cleaning. Hearty weight and natural beauty are valuable.
What is Ceramic Dinnerware?
Commonly used plates and dishes are to be safe, attractive and versatile. Usability involves ease of cleaning, functionality and durability. Thus, ceramic products are matchless. Look inside of your kitchen cupboard. What type of casual dinnerware do you see there?
Colorful and plain white, large and tiny plates consist of ceramic. This general term includes all dishes made of clay. They differ by:
- density;
- thickness;
- durability;
- application;
- water absorption properties.
Ceramic vs porcelain vs stoneware is a wide-ranging name. It includes several types of dinnerware such as stoneware and earthenware: these perfect materials suit everyday use and festive occasions. Commonly, they are durable, strong and non-reactive to various liquids. Ceramic dishes are heat-resistant but fragile. If you drop a plate to the floor or place it into a preheated oven, it may break or crack.
In terms of usability and look, it’s matchless. You can compare ceramic plates with melamine tableware only. Modern materials are affordable, dishwasher-safe and durable. Meanwhile, potential health risks might be significant.
Is Porcelain Good for Dinnerware?
Production technologies and clay composition make the difference. Earthenware is the earliest and the simplest type of pottery. Fired at lower temperatures, consisting of secondary clays, earthenware pottery is fragile. Without glazing, its surface is porous. So, I would use these items for decorative purposes. They would become perfect flower pots or sculptures.
Porcelain dishes are a whole nother. They stand out by refined look and top-notch durability. Thus, knowing porcelain dinnerware pros and cons, you easily recognize these products. Manufacturers fire them at high temperatures, up to 2,300° Fahrenheit. Feldspar, clay, silica or quartz sand materials are natural and supreme.
Delicate, thin and strong plates suit formal and special occasions. Select them, evaluating their:
- shapes,
- textures;
- colors;
- patterns;
- sizes.
The range of indoor uses and applications is decisive. Your favorite dinnerware should match your living room or kitchen design. Tableware configuration matters. 6-piece table sets are common. They may lack or include bread plates, coffee mugs and so on.
Bottom Line
Outdoor dining allows using disposable tableware. During picnics or camping trips, you may prefer lightweight and unbreakable plates. Indoor parties and gatherings are a whole nother. They demand conventional table laying. Besides, porcelain dishes and teacups grace any occasion. They suit formal and casual events better than other types of ceramic tableware. Light and refined, strong and non-reactive, it meets your needs. Choose a table set you like and afford. It should be top-quality and durable. Opt for reputable brands, make sure your plates are non-toxic, and enjoy your meal.
