Dinner or meal times are the best bonding times for a family. While the food is the primary focus, the dinner set on which it is served is no less important. A dinner set is more than something used to serve food. It adds glam to the whole dining experience. While it may seem simple, dinner sets come in a variety of materials, look and feel, and accordingly the method to take care of it varies.
Dinner set: One for every mood
Dinner sets are available in a variety of styles ranging from casual to semi-formal to formal. Based on your requirement and the set up in the house, you can choose the dinner set. It is a good idea to segregate your everyday dinner set from the ones that will be used occasionally. So, you should be using one dinner set for your daily use, preferably a sturdy one and the other dinner set exclusively for important occasions, which can be really stylish.
Dinner set: The various materials available
While the casual dinner set is mostly available in earthernware, steel, melamine and bamboo that is becoming popular these days, the semi-formal ones are made of porcelain and glass and formal dinner sets are usually available in bone-China, crystal and stoneware.
Earthenware dinner set: Available in classy designs and patterns, an earthenware dinner set is made of clay that has been baked in the kiln. What makes these good for everyday use is that they are heat resistant and so, even if the food served is very hot, the dinner set container will not be as hot as compared to other materials. An earthenware bowl or plate from the dinner set can safely be used in the microwave to warm the food as they do not give away any toxic chemicals when heated to high temperature. One disadvantage with earthenware dinner sets is that they may chip, because of the porous material. So, one has to be very careful while using them. While the dinner set in its simple clay form looks elegant, nowadays you get earthenware dinner sets in various designs that are also painted with food-safe colours. Earthenware dinner set are truly Indian and promote Indian pottery. So, if you truly believe in ‘be Indian, buy Indian’, this is definitely something you should consider.
Source: Worldartcommunity.com
Also read about crockery unit design ideas
Steel dinner set: A steel dinner set is very good value for money as it can be used for everyday use without any worry of breakage or damage. Easy to handle, use and clean, one can heat the containers or bowls of the steel dinner set directly on the gas stove, making it a preferred choice for many years now. The best part about using a steel dinner set is that food does not react with the steel material and hence, there are no side effects in using steel for everyday use. As there is no chance of breakage, a steel dinner set can be used for people of all age groups. The very shiny appearance of the steel dinner set makes it very appealing on the dinner table. Nowadays, you get designer steel dinner sets which sport awesome colours on the outside and retain the steel inside. So, today steel dinner sets blend well with both, everyday dining and for special occasion dinners.
Source: Saurabh Steels
See also: Dining room Vastu Shastra tips
Melamine dinner set: Melamine dinner set are the best alternative to ceramic or porcelain, because while it looks and feels like them, it is almost unbreakable. They are heat –resistant and are easy to clean and maintain. They are available in many designs making them an interesting pick. The melamine resin makes the dinner set durable and superior in quality, as compared to plastic. The Melamine dinner set is FDA approved as it adheres to great safety standards and is certified BPA-free. These elegant looking dinner sets are pocket friendly too making them very popular. However, they are not microwave-safe, as the high temperature can alter the composition of the material.
Source: Pepperfry.com
Bamboo dinner set: This FDA approved dinner set is eco-friendly in nature as all the products of the dinner set are fully biodegradable in the end. They are durable, easy to maintain and clean and can also be cleaned in dishwashers. Bamboo dinner sets are available in multiple designs and colours. The bamboo dinner set is also available in disposable varieties making it a very good option for outdoor parties, which are chic and eco-friendly.
Source: burnsco.co.nz
Porcelain dinner set: Porcelain dinner sets are ideal for semi-formal dinner sessions. You have to handle a porcelain dinner set with care as they are prone to breaking. They are also not recommended to be used in the microwave as, even though they can tolerate high temperatures, they may sometimes crack. Washing the porcelain dinner set in a dishwasher is a complete no as there is a chance of breakage. These can get easily stained and so, one needs to handle it with care and wash them quickly after using it. To remove stains, you may use soda. Do remember to never scrape off any dried food on the dinner set as it may leave behind a scratch. In such cases, always soak and wash the set, so that they remain shining for a long time.
Source: Eva casa
Bone-China dinner set: These are very strong, elegant, classy and lightweight. These super thin dinner sets are high heat resistant and are available in attractive designs. They are very durable, classy and expensive too and hence, feature as part of the formal dinner set.
Source: Amazon.in
Stoneware dinner set: If you host a dinner which is stylish yet casual, then a stoneware dinner set is something that you should opt for. These are available in great detail and in many colours, mostly in pastel shades and look lovely. They are strong and chip resistant but are very heavy and expensive too.
Source: dunelm UK
See also: How to choose the right dining table
Dinner set: How to choose what to buy?
After knowing about each material, let us now see how you can zero in on buying that perfect dinner set. Most dinner sets consist of 24 pieces, 36 pieces or 48 pieces. If you are buying a formal dinner set, then, ensure that it includes dinner plates, a salad plate, soup bowl and spoon, bread plate, and serving ladles and bowls that are minimum three in number and dessert bowls. For a casual dinner set, ensure that there are enough dinner plates, side plates, serving bowls and dessert bowls.
FAQs
Are dinner sets available in glass material?
Yes, dinner set in glass are usually used for daily use as they are microwave-safe and easy to use, store and clean.
How will you know if the dinner set you bought is microwave safe?
Below each crockery it will be necessarily written if its microwave safe / dishwasher safe or not. Please check before using the same.
With 16+ years of experience in various sectors, of which more than ten years in real estate, Anuradha Ramamirtham excels in tracking property trends and simplifying housing-related topics such as Rera, housing lottery, etc. Her diverse background includes roles at Times Property, Tech Target India, Indiantelevision.com and ITNation. Anuradha holds a PG Diploma degree in Journalism from KC College and has done BSc (IT) from SIES. In her leisure time, she enjoys singing and travelling.
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