White Plates v. Plates with Patterns

[Yajna Patni]

Andi I have those Eva Zeisele dishes. I love them. I am strictly a pattern person. I love old dishes, and only allow my self to buy one or two of each design when i find them, so i am all mix and match. My special favorites are Bunnykins though. I have a lot of Bunnykins dishes.

[Katie Meadow]

The Eva Zeisel is a knockout.

During the sixties I spent a lot of time at Flea markets and collected Harlequin, multicolor. Very festive for a party, but the the plates are on the small side, and by the time I realized how nice it would be to have soup plates there wasn't much Harlequin around and the price was too high. From my MIL I inherited a set of very simple Limoges, plain white with a thin gold line and then another half-collection of Wedgewood that is also very plain with gold rim, plus beautiful simple gold-rim glassware that matches. I like to use the gold-rim stuff for small dinners, since it can't be put in the dishwasher; it's too lovely not to use once in a while. When I put out the Wedgewood I feel like I'm on the Titanic. In a good way.

For every day--and for serving more that six--I use plain white restaurant supply china, since I have 12 of everything and it can go in the dishwasher; not romantic, unless you are eating off it at Le Bernardin (actually I haven't a clue what they use but it's probably better than mine.) Nevertheless it's well-proportioned, stacks fabulously and is indestructable.

We eloped, so too bad for us, no registry. By the time we could afford to buy a nice set of dishes I realized that the money for a set of whatever probably should be put toward college tuition. A wise decision, it turned out.

[andiesenji]

I've also got a service for 24 in the Blue Willow pattern (my grandmother's) but haven't used it for many years.

Plus my 'good' china which has been packed away for decades.

You know what they say about using your good dishes. What are you saving them for?

They are my great-grandmother's, very old and very precious. They have a lot of gold leaf and have to be very carefully washed by hand.

[haresfur]

I should add that in my mind there is a very big difference between true porcelain, bone china, and white earthenware, in terms of vibrancy and usually visual & actual weight.

I know a number of potters that are pretty bored of blue and white, but it sells (and has for thousands of years). Love Andie's summer and winter plates (how fun to change with the seasons) and really like much of the Japanese commercial ware (not to mention the art pottery). We were at a Japanese restaurant in Christchurch where they brought out a tray of different sake cups so we could chose our own. That was a nice touch. But I'm not above sipping whisky out of my favourite Chinese-style teacup.

Do you white-plate lovers feel the same way about cups and bowls?

[Pierogi]

The large, dinner plates I bought for myself are white and square. Slightly upturned around the edges. I like them, and I use them a lot. For salad dishes I use clear glass, don't know why, just always have. I think because they look cool on the occassions I throw them into the freezer to have an old-fashioned "chilled" salad plate !

The dinner plates I grew up with are a rose and white stoneware diner-style plate, with the 3 compartments. The pattern is called "Roselyn Castle" and the style is grill plates by Shenango China. I believe they were my grandmother's. I only have 3 of them left, and I usually only use them when I'm making something old-fashioned-ish and comfort-y. Cabbage rolls usually go on them.

Side dishes, small plates, bowls, etc. are a mix, but I'm trying to work towards a mix of various styles of cobalt blue or cobalt/clear glassware. I love cobalt glass, and have a set of my grandmother's stemware that is etched clear glass stems on a cobalt base that I would risk my life to save in an earthquake. I also have a pretty large set of Oxfordware stoneware from my mom that is a "chalky cobalt" in color. There's chili bowls, oval bowls, round cereal bowls, a variety of mixing bowls, and I work them in as well.

Serving pieces are a total mish-mash, and whatever strikes my eye and fancy. Let's say I'm *eclectic*. Yeah, ecletic. That's it.

But I do think the food actually looks best on the plain white ones, and that's mostly why I stopped using the red & cream set so much.

[Fat Guy]

How many of the white-plate crowd serve actual plated dishes at home? I know in our house it's usually family-style service.

[Anna N]

How many of the white-plate crowd serve actual plated dishes at home? I know in our house it's usually family-style service.

I don't qualify as exclusively white-plate but will "plate" on a Friday evening for our usual date-dinner. The rest of the time it's family-style.

[Mjx]

How many of the white-plate crowd serve actual plated dishes at home? I know in our house it's usually family-style service.

We plate, but there isn't any connection between that and our having white dishes; it's because our table is too small for any other option (we're currently using our very nice, if tiny, patio table, because we're holding out for a dining table we happen to really like, but is fairly expensive).

[mkayahara]

I plate our dinners, but with only the two of us, it's not that big a chore. When we have larger family gatherings, and at certain dinner parties, we serve family style.

[Darienne]

As for colored dishes...I would use this set if I could ever find any of them...assuming I could afford the price. This is all I have left of the everyday set my Mother used when I was growing up.

Bad photo. Color way off. No time to fix...

Edited January 26, 2011 by Darienne (log)

[FoodMan]

How many of the white-plate crowd serve actual plated dishes at home? I know in our house it's usually family-style service.

At least a couple of times a week I plate, so I love white plates that show off the food beautifully. Like I think this dish here would not look nearly as good and photogenic if it was plated on a dish with a pattern but really overall, even for a piece of steak, white works better:

Now, I also love my Italian style ceramic plates and use them to serve most of the Italian dishes I make (pasta, risotto, stews...) It just seems right and comforting to me. Now that I think about it, most rustic dishes, even if I am plating go in the patern ceramic. Here's a cotechino with lentils in one of those bowls (also plated, not family style):

[Katie Meadow]

I rarely plate the whole entree, for ourselves or for company, but it depends on what is easiest or makes sense; so, mostly family style. Composed salads or apps get plated. If the main is something awkward or messy I might be inclined to plate (in other words, to be crass, if I can see a great potential for accidents.) Mostly I find that my family or guests are picky-ish, and don't want someone else determining what's on their plate. But then most of my friends are not frequent restaurant patrons and are used to the same haphazard style at home.

[DanM]

I prefer simple, white dishes, but I have a wife to keep happy.

We typically plate and serve at our house. I don't put much thought into it. It controls portion size and reduces the number of dishes I have to clean later.

Dan

[cbread]

Avoiding pattern, I had white but also I liked clear glass tableware. They have a quiet elegance and for a long time I admired them from afar, until I realized I too could have a set. So, now I do.

But, I'm conflicted of late. I have always been wary of "excessive" patterning, whatever that may mean, and have been quite surprised to find myself hankering for some strongly patterned design, rustic and warm, I'm guessing Moroccan?

There is a type of hand made tableware with a metal rim around the ceramic edge. I occasionally see isolated examples here or there, but no complete sets, so I haven't taken the plunge. I may end up amassing a cats and dogs collection unless someone can point me where I should look.

[andiesenji]

Avoiding pattern, I had white but also I liked clear glass tableware. They have a quiet elegance and for a long time I admired them from afar, until I realized I too could have a set. So, now I do.

But, I'm conflicted of late. I have always been wary of "excessive" patterning, whatever that may mean, and have been quite surprised to find myself hankering for some strongly patterned design, rustic and warm, I'm guessing Moroccan?

There is a type of hand made tableware with a metal rim around the ceramic edge. I occasionally see isolated examples here or there, but no complete sets, so I haven't taken the plunge. I may end up amassing a cats and dogs collection unless someone can point me where I should look.

I don't know about the metal rim stuff, only things that are the usual colors and patterns.

I would suggest you take a look at Overstock.com and sign up for their periodic e-letters with bonus savings on items or on shipping. I recently got something and the shipping cost was $1.00!

A lot of these are closeout items so if you want more than the "basic" service for 4, order more.

I buy a lot of these for newlyweds, after they don't get all they need, or get only formal stuff and need something for every day. Also housewarming presents for people who want to change from previous designs - and they give me an idea of what they want or I give them a gift certificate for O.

The last few gifts have been Sango designs, they seem to be popular now. Perhaps because of the interesting shapes.

Edited January 26, 2011 by andiesenji (log)

[Paul Stanley]

I have white plates, because I happen to like them and think that they are generally a reasonable match for most food. If I had space for lots of different sets of china I would get some patterned ones, but white plates seem neutral and will go with everything. To my way of thinking a white plate will do for almost anything, whereas a patterned plate with, say, flowers and fruits on it that looks fabulous for pasta doesn't look so fabulous for steak and kidney pie.

Serving dishes are a different matter. I have all sorts of those, including coloured and patterned. That works for me because I can have enough to choose what seems the right size, shape and design for the particular dish.

(Almost) everything gets served family style because I like feeling that I am sharing food, not just serving it. But even that's not set-in-stone, and there are a few things I prefer to do individually. Steaks obviously. Souffles and mousses.There's not much logic or consistency to it.

EDITED TO ADD: There are two things that I really care about being white, though: napkins and tablecloths. Not sure why, but I like the crispness of it. Coloured napkins and tablecloths make me feel like my mother.

Edited January 26, 2011 by Paul Stanley (log)

[nakji]

I've also got a service for 24 in the Blue Willow pattern (my grandmother's) but haven't used it for many years.

My grandmother has a set of this as well - she and I share a passion for dishes. When I moved to China, I sent five boxes of kitchen equipment and serving ware on ahead of me, most of which I'd collected in Vietnam, Korea, and Japan. When I arrived and picked them up from my company fixer, who had signed for them and was keeping them, she asked me what they contained. I replied "Dishes." To which she said, "You sent china to China?"

I love subtly patterned bowls and pottery for serving. I agree with Prawncrackers - sometimes the colour, shape and texture can make a dish "pop" as much as a plain white dish. I have some plain white soup bowls and coffee mugs, however - those get a lot of play, too, but the shape and the texture of them say more to me than the colour. They're quite heavy, with tiny ridged rings around the inside.

As for plating, I always plate in the kitchen if it's western food. My family always did this growing up, I think because both my parents came from large families that couldn't count on family service to make sure everyone got a fair portion! If I've made an Asian dish, it gets plated as well, but we serve ourselves family style with bowls of rice.