Dishes?

[fidgiegirl]

We would like to get different dishes. However, I am reluctant to spend a lot because I don't want them to get all scoured and wrecked in the dishwasher.

Anyone have good luck with any certain brand? How about the el cheapos like Ikea or Pier 1?

I think I'd like to buy separate pieces because most of the sets don't have what we want: large plates but not enormous, medium plates and shallow bowls to fit nicely in the dishwasher. That's it.

[Rosemary]

We got Pfaltzgraff stoneware for our wedding and it's going strong after 11+ years. BUT they don't make all their dishes like they used to. Ours were made in the U.S. and look very different in surface finish compared to the dishes my parents bought 2 years ago, which are imported and are not lasting nearly as well. I suspect they are made with entirely different types of clay and glazes. Some of their patterns might still be made in the U.S. with the matte finish and same composition.

Our church has some of the basic beige Ikea stoneware and it is holding up really well. It doesn't get used weekly (more like monthly), but people have borrowed it for home use and so it gets transported and carried around. No chips or cracks yet.

[iris lily]

ooooo dangerous subject for me. Dishes are a trigger for collecting & hoarding.

Last year in my work to clean out stuff, I decided to move out my set of everyday dishes that I had loved and used for 20 years. There were several that were chipped and buying replacements was expensive, I'm thinking $20 - $40 for a dinner plate. They were highly collectible, so I sold them to the chinafinder man here in the city, and Sure, I didn't get much for them, but they went to someone who values them. I loved them so much for 20 years! And it's interesting that he had a machine that was able to restore the finish to most of them. Two decades of silverware scratches polished out.

ANYWAY, where were we--oh yes.

I wanted something colorful and did not like much of anything by Pftzgrafftt (spell? ) and I did not want white or a Tuscany pattern, so that really limited my choices. I ended up buy 1 set from Laurie Gates designs http://www.lauriegates.com/category/dinnerware-serveware.html and I bought one set in a complimentary solid color at Target. So far the Target ones are holding up just fine.

I really lusted after some designs at Pier 1! I also like Fiestaware quite a lot, but it's rather pricey.

I love love love dishes. I'm down to 3 kinds and that is a milestone for me.

[fidgiegirl]

Whoops, Iris lily, I think you meant to post in the dishwasher thread? My bad, I started a second dishes thread on top of another one already going, even though they are about two different thing!

[iris lily]

I know, I moveed it!

[Nella]

I'd go to my favorite stand-by suppliers, aka Goodwill, Savers, estate and garage sales. Especially estate sales where you can find complete sets with serving pieces without too much time spent searching. Just keep popping in these places until you find a set that you really like. Because they are previously owned, and you won't spend that much on them, if they get a bit abused in the dishwasher or sink, you won't be out that much money.

[rose]

Last year i got rid of my "teapot" dishes and wanted something plain. I went to Pier 1 and bought white: 6 nice deep bowls which I really like; 4 large plates; 4 small dessert plates. I have coffee mugs and glasses and don't want saucers. These are open stock so easy to buy more. I'm quite pleased with them. Plates are smooth with no rim -- I'm sure there is a name for the style.

I also noticed Pottery Barn has some nice white pieces you can buy individually but they are a little more expensive. I like colorful tablecloths so the white dishes work fine.

[sweetana3]

We got our set from Sam's Club and it is pure white with square forms. Good shallow bowl and the sizes are fine. But the best dishes ever were a present. A friend gave us a set of white rice bowls. Not to heavy or thin. I use them for eating, cooking, storing. They are just the most perfect dishes around.

We went from using used vintage Fiestaware(original primary colors) to white dishes and I like the way food looks on a clean white surface.

ps: we just switched from Cascade dishwashing tablets to Finish tablets and the difference in cleanliness is remarkable. Dont know what they did to the formula.

[razz]

i gave up a set of everyday dishes and my Royal Doulton special occasion set and replaced with plain Corelle. I use them every day and for special occasions I use fancy tablecloths and serviettes which are much easier to store and clean.
Corelle has so many styles to choose from and frequently come on sale as well.

[Tenngal]

I also like the Corelle, lightweight, easy to handle, easy clean up and hard to break. Great for everyday use.

[fidgiegirl]

Oh yes, I forgot, my DH is anti Corelle for some reason. I grew up with it and love it, but for him it is out of the question. Weird, I know, but he has to eat off of it, too . . .

Thanks for all your ideas! We may just go for an el cheapo set, after all.

[Rosemary]

I find that food seems to cling to Corelle more than other surfaces. I think it must have some sort of micro-texture.

Vintage dishes are in large supply and very inexpensive, I found when looking for a replacement for a piece to an old coffee set that broke in our move. I didn't find an exact match, but I did find something very similar for very cheap on eBay, from the same manufacturer and same era. If you like fancier tableware, I'd suggest checking craigslist and eBay.

[Marianne]

I craved new dishes for eons, but couldn't justify the cost when we had mouths to feed. My 20 year old stoneware from a big box store was fine, I just was really tired of it. A couple years ago my mother gave me her entire set of Blue Willow and I loved it! Funny, I don't even remember these dishes as they were brought out only on special occasions when I was really young. They hadn't seen light in probably 40 years when I got them.

Anyway, after a couple of weeks, I went back to my old stoneware. Guess I'm just used to the mugs, size of bowls, etc. :o) But I still love the Blue Willow. And I bust 'em out whenever we're having a boatload of people over.

I also don't like Corelle, but I can't tell you why. I love how white dishes look, but a friend has them and said that she has to be careful so they don't scratch. Might just be her brand, though. Anything here has to take a fair amount of abuse.

[Miss Cellane]

One thing about Ikea and Pier 1 is that they only have a line of dishes for so long, maybe a couple of years for a lot of their china. Do a little research and find out what lines they have had for years, if you are looking for easy replacement down the road.

I find stoneware plates to be heavy. My everyday dishes are a set of fine china, which is not the expensive bone china, but a slightly lower grade of china. They are lighter in weight than stoneware, they are very sturdy--sturdier than my old set of stoneware, which chipped very easily, and fine in the dishwasher and microwave (you have to look out for metallic borders). I bought the set 25 years ago, and with the exception of two bowls that broke in an unfortunate cat-related incident, I still have the entire set. I've picked up extras of the pieces I use most at secondhand stores and flea markets. So I'd recommend checking for some vintage china in such stores.

[Kestrel]

Sometime in the early '90s we went to a restaurant supply store and got some nice and heavy and plain white dishes. Plates, bowls, serving bowls, etc. We like them a lot. I think they'll last forever.

[iris lily]

Anti- Corelle, here, too. It reminds to much of what poor people had when I was growing up, or what people with housefulls of kids had. I have since seen some Corelle with a snazzy pattern in Target, but still I personally would avoid it.

[shadowmoss]

Anti- Corelle as well. Not sure why. Mom has white Corelle and I've never really liked it. I got a set of stoneware at Shopko(?) in WA when I lived there, and I really like it. Haven't broken any so far. I don't do dishwashers, even when I have one, which I don't now here in Honduras. Heck, right now I don't have hot water! But, damage to the dishes and glasses is a main reason I don't use a dishwasher. Then again, it is only me I'm washing dishes for.

[IshbelRobertson]

I have 3 'good' china sets, everything including veg dishes, gravy boats etc. Two are Royal Doulton, one is Wedgwood. I have to admit that since I bought a new set of white china 'everyday' stuff, to replace the patterned everyday stuff we had... I barely use the good stuff at all!

I like the white - I can add any colour I like to change the table - and I have added different makes, but similar colour white (there ARE differences, honestly - it's not just that I'm ultra OCD re matching things....!) - pasta bowls and large pasta serving bowls, for instance, to extend the 'set'.

I'm with IrisLily... crockery is a passion!

[H-work]

We have the Corelle but also the kids to go with it. I like that I can stack so many of them in a small space.

If I didn't have Corelle, I'd get Fiesta ware. Or restaurant supply white, we have some of those and they are fantastic.

I like open stock. We use the salad plates for dinner and the dessert plates for lunch. And need 3x the bowls as plates.

[catherine]

I also have too many dishes!

I love my everyday wear, from Fishs Eddy in NY. However, I broke a couple of plates and the pattern had been discontinued. It's fun tho to have basic dinery-y, hotel-y kinds of plates, which is what Fishs Eddy plates are. Check it out: http://www.fishseddy.com/browse.cfm/2,1.html



When the Dansk outlet by our house was closing I bought smaller plates. Dansk has really nice simple plates. Check it out: http://www.dansk.com/Dinnerware/_/N-1364/dispPattern-1

I bought nice traditional salad plates at a church flea market (the kind that are translucent with upturned edges).

Not sure I would go Wal-Mart-style cheap. The color does not go through the plate so you really see chips.

If you're looking for inexpensive, I would go for quality used stuff on eBay or, or estate sales/flea markets.

Alternatively, my favorite place for housewares is Marshall's Home Goods. They have nice quality name-brand stuff at great discount prices.

[JaneV2.0]

Another Corelle hater here. I can't put my finger on it, but maybe Iris Lily is on to something. I have what I think of as "boarding house dishes*" I got for $20 a set at Trader Joe's, of all places. They are practically indestructible and have lasted for years and years. I keep thinking I'll start collecting place settings as I shop--here a leopard print, there an Asian influence, square, round--but so far I haven't. I absolutely see how a person could easily go overboard, and I've never been a minimalist.

*Much like the Fishs Eddy striped set

[Aqua Blue]

Another Corelle hater here. I also don't know what it is, but to me it is like eating off a paper plate.

I have Fiesta ware and like it a lot. I like the weight and feel of the dishes. I live alone and like being able to change my place setting theme(fall colors now, green and red at Christmas time, pastels for Easter, red, white and blue for the 4th etc) often. It gives me a chance to act on my collecting gene without having another collection, although I probably have enough dishes now for one person. I now buy one new piece of each new color.

[Bastelmutti]

I don't feel strongly about Corelle :~)

We have multi-colored Fiestaware (meaning we mix colors in one meal setting) and love it. Some I got new, others were seconds from eBay - they're all good. We put them in the dishwasher every day & they are very sturdy.

[madgeylou]

i LOVE the fish's eddy charley harper dishes! not sure i'd want to use them every day, so i just got a tray. i'd love to have some of the lime and aqua dishes they have in the unique color section, though.

we have some functional but kind of ugly maroon colored plates that my man had before i moved in. we're down to 3 dinner plates so we will probably need to get more soon. we also have a couple of wide shallow pasta bowls that we use a lot, but they are from the pottery barn, and have chipped like CRAZY. really awful quality.

my favorite dishes are a set of eco-glass plates that i got at the thrift store, 6 for $6. they retail for a lot more than that! they are similar to these (http://www.webstaurantstore.com/service-ideas-tuscany-glass-eco-line-9502-9-7-8-clear-square-plate-with-green-tint-6-cs/7239502.html?utm_source=Become&utm_medium=cse&utm_campaign=Become+Campaign), but with a more rounded corner.

[Stella]

I have had good luck with IKEA dishes and Target dishes.

[iris lily]

That Fish Eddy's is dangerously attractive. I like those wares better than the Lauries Gates stuff which is pretty gaudy, I have to admit.

The Alice in Wonderland pattern by Fish Eddys: Back when I was in high school I painted the playing cards on two plates and a mug very similarly to the Alice pieces. That's quite a coincidence! Even back then I had a passion for chinaware.

[JaneV2.0]

I like anything Charley Harper had a hand in.

[happystuff]

Corelle here also. Still using the set we received as wedding gifts - over 2 decades ago! :-)

[Float On]

We've got a Pfaltzgraff outlet and I've never been a fan of Pfaltzgraff but 18 years ago I saw a plate I liked and picked up 4 of them off the big stack on a pallet in their 'last chance' room. Wish I'd bought 12 of them. Those 4 are lightweight, smooth, and super easy to clean (handwash or dishwasher). Not a scratch on them. I've got a set of 8 pottery plates from a friend, but they are a bit heavy, those are what we use if we have people over. Otherwise we've got 8 clear glass salad plates and those are what we use for most meals. I got rid of the china I hardly ever used, and the mixmatched china I'd picked up at fleamarkets slowly worked their way to being under plant pots.

I had a friend use the lead test strips on plates she bought at Target and they tested pretty high so I've been leary of buying dinnerware at Target (most of their lines are made in china).
I don't like Corelle, not sure why.

[daisy]

I have a set of cobalt blue Fiesta that has been in constant use for 17 years. There are some scratches on the plates, but otherwise they have held up really well. I'm toying with the idea of getting some of the new colors because I love the mixed and matched look, but the new ones don't seem to be as heavy as mine. I've also thought about getting a set of the restaurant grade white plates, then getting the serving pieces in different colors.

[Florence]

40+ years ago our first set of dishes was Melmac (you know, melamine, the stuff that poisoned pets when it was used in pet food...) Anyway, we next had a set of stoneware that I liked very much but piece by piece it succumbed to familial clumsiness and went to the great landfill. Now we are using Corelle which has held up amazingly well. However, recently DD needed new dishes and I accompanied her on the dish shopping. I saw two sets that I really liked at Pottery Barn. I put them on my Want List but right now we are saving something else.

[redfox]

I'm a dishes collector too... Fiesta is my fav. I mix vintage & modern. Modern glazes are tough! The lighter colors can get nickel scratches on them from flatware. They all look great together, and Fiesta collectors call setting the table without coordinating the colors, just laying them out as they one out of the cupboard, the Exploded Clown table. :)

I also have a 1954 Franciscan set called Trio, and a 1970's set, Metlox Wild Poppy. It's my summer set! Very wild and colorful.

[Miss Cellane]

What is the point of trying to declutter and trying and trying to break the bonds that things have on me, if people here start posting about Fish Eddy's, leading me to visit the website and create a wish list a mile long? Seriously, people, that was not a nice thing to do. :(

But now if anyone asks me what I want for Christmas, I know where to point them.:D

[Acorn]

Eek, I didn't know Corelle brought up such strong feelings. :)
I like plain white Corelle so much they are my favorite dishes. I mix them with Wedgewood blue and white china and assorted other patterns. I like mismatched dishes.

[iris lily]

What is the point of trying to declutter and trying and trying to break the bonds that things have on me, if people here start posting about Fish Eddy's, leading me to visit the website and create a wish list a mile long? Seriously, people, that was not a nice thing to do. :(

But now if anyone asks me what I want for Christmas, I know where to point them.:D


ha ha ha, yes, Exactly. These people are not our friends.

[Bastelmutti]

They all look great together, and Fiesta collectors call setting the table without coordinating the colors, just laying them out as they one out of the cupboard, the Exploded Clown table. :)

That's awesome! We do the Exploded Clown table then. It works in our kitchen, which is kind of eclectic with a brick-colored countertop (not our choice!), wood cabinets, white Chambers stove, black fridge and dishwasher. We make the focus the multicolored Fiesta, multicolored towels in the same colors, a multicolored round glass trivet (same colors again).

[frugal-one]

Interesting topic. I could care less what dishes I eat off of. Asked DH and he feels the same. We have a nicely patterned set of Corelle that we have had for years. I found the exact set a yard sale and bought all the bowls and plates. Now a set of 24. We rarely entertain so that may be the reason that dishes are not a higher priority????

[Zoebird]

i found that the willams-sonoma white-ware is actually REALLY affordable and REALLY durable. I mean, it's something like $2 per bowl, and they do really well in dishwasher, hand wash, etc etc etc.

right now, we thrift store.

[Acorn]

@frugal-one - The quality of the food is a much higher priority than the style of the dishes as far as I'm concerned. :)
But I fess up to really liking pretty dishes. And at one point, because they are so inexpensive over here, I had quite a few sets of English china. I doubt there are many men who care much about dishes, but I have known a few.

These days I do like Zoebird and think the thrift store is a great place to find unusual dishes. And the advantage of using sturdy white dishes is that you can mix them up with different patterns and it all still looks good.

I read a book called "Rescue from Domestic Perfection" and that pretty much changed the way I looked at my dishes. :)

[mara61]

ps: we just switched from Cascade dishwashing tablets to Finish tablets and the difference in cleanliness is remarkable. Dont know what they did to the formula.

I think Finish tabs are crack for dishwashers, it will never want another kind of soap. At least my dishwasher has issues. Only washes well with Finish. I know, it sounds crazy but I know other people who have experienced the same results.