When do you use your "good silverware?"

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dragnlaw

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The older generations have always had "good silverware" so to speak. The younger generation not so much. If they do have it as an inheritance or otherwise, it seems they rarely use it.

I try to use mine as much as possible. As well as my dinnerware. When I have friends over for supper - out it comes!

My silverware does tarnish. So... I wrap each setting in plastic cling wrap. No matter how many people come over I can grab the appropriate number of settings. Sometimes they are a little taken aback when they see all the silver ware out although I try to put out just the pieces that they need, I do get carried away. :rolleyes:

The common statement from them "Oh, oh, don't go to all that trouble!" and my reply is "No problem, if I can't use them with and for my friends, why do I have them?"

Hey, I have no problem, if it is a spur of the moment meal, telling them the forks and knives are in the top drawer beside the sink. Just grab any plate you like from the cupboard. Help yourself! But if I have planned the meal and invited them, I believe they deserve a bit of pampering and some fancier stuff.

In other words, what I'm saying is I don't get the "good stuff" out for just Thanksgiving/Christmas/Easter.

What do you do?
 
When we bought our house some 27 years ago we had to furnish the dining room so with a new dining table and china cabinet we purchased a set of fine dinnerware and silverware. We rarely use them, in fact, I remember using them once or twice. The silverware are still kept in the dining table drawers.......well, I hope they're still there...
 
Q

LOL, cute roadfix! Well, go and find out! Get that stuff out of the drawer and use it! ahem... I'm not saying to use it for a BBQ.

Don't wait for Thanksgiving! Get it out and surprise the guests/family!









q
 
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When do you use your "good silverware?"

I use everydayware I got from Jacques Pennai. Has served me well for many years. Same with the Noritake stoneware I found on sale.
 
We've never had any. My wife's family nor my own were ever wealthy enough to actually have silverware.
To add, our families couldn't even produce a full set of fancy dishes, some of that being from lots of children about, but, you know.

I think I'll pass the idea by DW, about looking into maybe buying a set from an estate, or something like that. It would be nice to have something for family get togethers since my house seems to be where we try to get together anually nowadays, although that is getting increasingly difficult to accomplish. :)
 
Dawg... but do you have a different set of silverware? or a separate china set?
Wow, Noritake has some gorgeous stuff.

Just going to look up Jacque Penai, 'fraid I've never heard of this,

My good "china" is a set of Denby Stoneware and not 'fine' china like some. My mother's was a beautiful Limoges Greek Key of black and gold. One of my sisters' inherited that (LOL, we figured she was the only one who could afford to buy replacement pieces) my other sister got the crystal of Cross & Olive design, and I got the silverware. We were all happy.

At one time the common Christmas, Birthday, special occasion present was a piece (or setting) of silverware. I don't even remember what mine was. Do still have them wrapped up some where. But that sort of fell out of favour during the 60's. Guess girls started to become and wanted more control over their futures! :LOL:
 
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some of that being from lots of children about, but, you know.

I think I'll pass the idea by DW, about looking into maybe buying a set from an estate, or something like that. It would be nice to have something for family get togethers since my house seems to be where we try to get together anually nowadays, although that is getting increasingly difficult to accomplish. :)

LOL... lots of children I fully understand!

And yes! check out estate sales, before they get into the hands of the "professionals". That would be a fantastic find.
 
We don't have "silverware" we have a nicer set of stainless steel table ware we bring out when we have guests for dinner.
 
Dawg this is too funny. I can only find Jacque Pennai - as an Australian cricket player, or a panna cotta recipe, and a few other sites I was a little afraid to go to!!
 
Andy nothing wrong with that! My sister has a set of everyday stainless that I'm sure rivals her silverware. Really nice stuff! I'd love to have a set.
 
When do you use your "good silverware?"

Dawg this is too funny. I can only find Jacque Pennai - as an Australian cricket player, or a panna cotta recipe, and a few other sites I was a little afraid to go to!!


(Psst, dragn, it's from JC Penney. Tarjai (Target) also has good stuff.)

My stoneware has nary a chip or a crack, even after 30+ years. Not elegant, but functional. And discontinued. But I've not had to replace anything.
 
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Andy nothing wrong with that! My sister has a set of everyday stainless that I'm sure rivals her silverware. Really nice stuff! I'd love to have a set.

Yeah, the ex got the china and silver. I'm ok with that. I'm not a china and silver kind of person.
 
I think that my mom's generation was the last to really have that. My everyday stuff is good quality and can run through the dishwasher. For me it wouldn't be practical to have a hutch full of fine dinnerware. We had one growing up, but the stuff just sat there because mom didn't want to ruin any of it!
 
bakechef actually I think that is why my mom only used it for special occasions. Gold on china and dishwashers don't exactly go together. But for the few occasions that it was used, a dishwasher was OK.

Dawg Well, Tarjai bombed in Canada, or at least Quebec. Pulled up their skirts and ran home... what a shame. I really liked it. But I'm on a budget now so my indulgences run to what I have, ugly mismatched kitchen ware! LOL. But that's OK. I have (with my nose up in the air) good silverware to sooth me.
 
My Mom had lovely china and it's safely stored in the hutch hardly used. With two sons, I don't know who would want it when I'm gone. Sigh. Mom loved to set a pretty table with that and her "silver plated tableware" and at least the "silver plated" lasted her lifetime, but not mine, so it's gone, and that's fine.

When SC and I married he had sterling tableware from his marriage then, and I didn't like the pattern at all so he gave it to one of his sons. Why would I want to use silverware I don't like?;)
 
We've never had any. My wife's family nor my own were ever wealthy enough to actually have silverware.
To add, our families couldn't even produce a full set of fancy dishes, some of that being from lots of children about, but, you know.

I think I'll pass the idea by DW, about looking into maybe buying a set from an estate, or something like that. It would be nice to have something for family get togethers since my house seems to be where we try to get together anually nowadays, although that is getting increasingly difficult to accomplish. :)

Bucky, for someone at your stage of life that would be GREAT!!
I hope you talk to your DW about just that. There's just nothing like sitting down to a beautifully set table to make everyone there feel really special.
 
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MY ex and I had a nice set of silverware and china that was given to her by her grandmother. We tried to use it every year, but after a while decided it was kind of pretentious and didn't really match anything else we owned. We ended up selling it.
 
Hey, I prefer to hang on to immaturity, thank you very much.


Lol, K-L, my wife has impeccable taste. But also, having worked hard all her life (from a teenager until we had a baby at 39} she is just one of those people that throw a pillow on a couch and it makes the room look better.

Not pretentious, but smart and beautiful. Much like she is.

BTW, she has excellent taste in husbands, don't ya know. :D
 
"Good china" and silver are trappings of a more formal time. They way our parents entertained is no longer the norm. I have a set of good China but haven't used it for a number of years.

My intention when entertaining is to impress with the food I serve rather than what I serve it on. Typically, the people we entertain don't care about place settings.
 
When do you use your "good silverware?"

DH's brother and his wife bought their parents a whole set of Royal Dalton Christmas china, along with the accompanying flatware. Guess how many times it was used?

My basic stuff works just fine for us. I sold all my mom's good stuff in the auction after she died. It wasn't used very often either.
 
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