Preparing your dining table for dinner may not always be fun, but if you're having a celebration or a more formal gathering, a nice table ware will do half of the work. This means that suitable tableware sets are an important thing to own. Whether you'll choose porcelain or china for your big events, or something more suitable for day-to-day use, it's up to you. Here are a few tips to help you choose your next set.
How to Choose a Tableware Set?
Choosing a tableware set should be done with several things in mind: occasion, style of your dining room and dining table and the type of food you'll serve. If you're checking serving ware stores you're probably wondering if you need all those things like dinner plates, bread and butter plates, multi-purpose bowls, side plates for salads, desserts, starters, and whatnot. And the answer is - you know the best. Are you often throwing parties? Do you often invite guests for dinner? Are you having enough room to house all the tableware you're seeing in stores?
Styles of Tableware
Finding the style that matches your preferences and lifestyle should be among the top priorities. Tableware sets come in a wide range of designs from casual, to stylish and everything in between. The more formal tableware sets are often made of stoneware, china or porcelain. Earthenware and melamine are perfect for casual serving ware as it looks stylish, modern and chic, making them excellent for everyday use but for more formal dinners as well.
Most people prefer getting durable dinnerware sets for everyday use, as they aren't going to chip easily. Also, they are easy to wash in the dishwasher and heated up in the oven and microwave. However, just because these are great for everyday use, it doesn't mean they should be boring. Among the many things you need to consider is who will use this set. Are there kids or elderly people in your home? In that case, go for durable and sturdy materials that can endure dropping. It's a good idea to have a set for everyday use and another one for more formal events such as holidays or special occasions.
Types of Tableware Materials
Bone Chine
Bone China is durable, lightweight and an elegant material for everyday use and special occasions. Chip-resistant, Bone Chine has the strongest range of chine, but unlike fine china, this one is microwave and dishwasher-safe.
Earthenware
This material looks expensive, but it's sturdy and aesthetically pleasing. It's one of the oldest industrial materials but gives tableware significant weight. To keep it looking its best, avoid unexpected temperature changes, such as placing dishes from the oven in the microwave.
Melamine
Melamine sets are shatterproof and much harder to break or chip than any other material. This dinnerware is the best choice for outdoor use. It's not very good for the oven or microwave but, normally, it's dishwasher-safe.
Stoneware
Stoneware has a special finishing glaze that adds a layer of sheen, strength and shine to the item. This delivers a smooth look but also makes the final product almost impenetrable when it comes to cracks, drops, and breaks. Stoneware is a strong material, but not so great at exposing it to high heat or freezing temperatures.
Porcelain
Porcelain is traditionally made from kaolin (a silicone material) that gives products flexibility, plasticity and strong structure. Porcelain tableware can also be made from pottery stone, which makes it hard and translucent, but also has a non-porous surface. Porcelain is quite strong dinnerware material, as it's fired at up to 1200 degrees centigrade. It's dishwasher, oven and microwave safe (if the piece has a metallic accent, avoid putting it in the microwave)
How Many Pieces Do You Need?
When you decide what type of dinnerware you want, you need to consider the number of pieces. There are different options and each is suitable for various events.
- Formal dinnerware - it's often sold in place settings that include all pieces a person would need at the table. These are ideal for people who want to make a collection, as they mostly include five pieces - a dinner plate, salad or dessert plate, bread plate, teacup and saucer. Some sets may include soup bowls as well.
- Dinnerware sets - include multiple place settings. Most common sets have 20 pieces, which can serve four people. This set usually has a dinner plate, salad plate, teacup and a saucer for every setting.
- Open stock - it's sold piece-by-piece which is great if you only need a few pieces or people who want to mix and match (and use the pieces on a daily basis).
Even though there's no rule on how many pieces are sufficient, most experts agree that having eight to twelve five-piece place settings is enough for tableware for general use and dinner parties. If you're getting two sets (one for every day, one for formal use) choose four to six casual place settings and up to twelve formal place settings. It all depends on your and your family's needs, but also on how often you entertain and how much space you have to store the pieces.
