Old: artfully decorative round plates

[Gifted Gourmet]

When I got my first set of china for my wedding, I chose from among a million decorated, round plates .. but that was long ago ... and now the newest trend is in simple, basic white or black, square or rectangular plates ...

Of course the obvious reason: to avoid detracting from the food presented ... oriental thinking on design is the impetus here: simpler has always been de rigeur ...

Have you begun to buy square plates?

If so, what did you use before?

Simple colors and shapes better?

Talk to me! Us, really ...

It's hip to be square!

[Jensen]

We've had square plates for several years now. Along with being trendy (whatever), they fit in the dishwasher better.

(Oh, they're white.)

[Gifted Gourmet]

I just bought a set of small square white plates and I love the way they make foods look:

Dessert on Valentine's day .. lemon squares with fresh fruit ...

[McAuliflower]

I thought square plates ran their course a couple of years ago. I was still making ceramics when they were really popular so had a good run making my own. maybe I just burned out on them!

Simple oval dishes, similar to an egg shell's slope, with no lip, are hot.

I've really enjoyed them for my food photography on the ole blog:

Soft Cooked Eggs with Warm Anchovy Vinegarette

[helenjp]

Oval plates, shallow or deeper, are great for rice-based menus - you can just line the meal up along the plate.

I saw some snail-like spiral plates which I longed to buy for serving small amounts of different foods.

[UnConundrum]

My wife fell in love with these shield shapped plates. Normally we eat at a round table, and they work wonderfully.... (Sous-vide veal chops served on mashed potatoes, topped with carmelized onions and sauted apple slices. Chops flashed in pan, deglazed with some calvados and veal stock)

[Gifted Gourmet]

There are some very cool plate shapes on this website Bisqueimports.com .. octagons and ovals, boomerangs and fish ...

and I love these oyster plates

not to mention this sushi plate

[Rebecca263]

I just looked in my kitchen. I own one amethyst colored glass plate, 6"x6". I think I got it for a dollar at Home Goods. I buy a lot of one offs to serve with. Am I trendy now?

[Gifted Gourmet]

Am I trendy now?

←

You betcha!

[Gifted Gourmet]

Dinnerware With Corners, Making a Point

course after course appeared on square plates and in square bowls ...  How did espresso cups in New York come to have corners? Why have restaurants all over the city, both acclaimed and cozy, decided that 500 years of round plates were enough? And what does it all mean?  Because a square plate has meaning. It is the latest in a series of signifiers that let diners know what sort of restaurant they are in. It indicates caliber, or at least aspiration. A square plate is a design element that has nothing to do with flavor, but it raises expectations for the food. It says, You're about to be dazzled. Pastry chefs are particularly enamored of the shape, and at some restaurants desserts are brought out in a pageant of squares and rectangles.

I loved this article! It is perfect for the topic at hand ...

[gini]

I'm really not trendy, but I own both square and round plates -

The round ones have been in my family for many generations; they're for special occassions only and have to be hand washed.

I decided to go with square plates for every day use. I find that stacking them maximizing my cabinet space - that's really why I bought them.

[jetsie]

Interesting article. I'd been wondering how square plates had caught on in the past ten years. Maybe it's my groovy generation, but the big square plates still make me think, "Ugh, food served in ashtrays!" On the other hand, I always liked the very small square dishes and plates used in Japan.

[andiesenji]

Long ago I had a child's tea set that had square plates and saucers. I have a set of supper or "brunch" plates that are rectangular and have sections, including a round rimmed spot for a tea cup or small glass. However I have never found a set of square plates that caught my fancy.

I have so many sets of china, porcelain, ironstone and etc., that I really can't justify buying more and usually I grab whatever is handiest, most often the corelle, for everyday.

I also have some odder shapes, Eva Zeisel's designs, plates that are not quite oval, actually near to an egg shape - "comma" plates and shallow bowls. These looked very "modern" in the fifties, more futuristic, such as something that would be seen in Monsanto's "house of the future" - -

Somewhat organic in feel.

Eva Zeisel at 98