New crockery.

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In A Pickle

In A Pickle

Senior Cook
Joined
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Location
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Hope I’ve posted this in the right place. If not apologies!

Buying crockery seems to be something that causes me some consternation.
Over the years my list of criteria has grown and it’s not as easy to buy as it used to be.
I want it to be replaceable, ie I don’t want to find after a plates smashed that I can’t get a replacement and when the numbers have dwindled enough I’ll have to buy a whole different set. They also must to be microwave, dishwasher proof and withstand some gentle oven temps.

Something really I don’t enjoy are plates without a wide rim because the central surface is so vast there’s a tendency to fill the plate past the portion size you’d enjoy, but little portions look lost which is fine for artistically arranged haute cuisine but a dollop of shepherds pie on a wide fat rustic plate looks silly.

So I’ve plumped for an old classic -
IMG_3898.jpeg

Surprisingly my boys (early 20’s) love it so that’s a bonus!

What crockery do you have? Inherited? Special offer? Simply practical?
What do you prefer to use and if you chose it was there any particular reason?
Or are you not fussed and however it comes is just fine.
 
In A Pickle said:
Hope I’ve posted this in the right place. If not apologies!

Buying crockery seems to be something that causes me some consternation.
Over the years my list of criteria has grown and it’s not as easy to buy as it used to be.
I want it to be replaceable, ie I don’t want to find after a plates smashed that I can’t get a replacement and when the numbers have dwindled enough I’ll have to buy a whole different set. They also must to be microwave, dishwasher proof and withstand some gentle oven temps.

Something really I don’t enjoy are plates without a wide rim because the central surface is so vast there’s a tendency to fill the plate past the portion size you’d enjoy, but little portions look lost which is fine for artistically arranged haute cuisine but a dollop of shepherds pie on a wide fat rustic plate looks silly.

So I’ve plumped for an old classic -
View attachment 77148
Surprisingly my boys (early 20’s) love it so that’s a bonus!

What crockery do you have? Inherited? Special offer? Simply practical?
What do you prefer to use and if you chose it was there any particular reason?
Or are you not fussed and however it comes is just fine.
Click to expand...

"Crockery" is not a very common American term, an a crock here is usually a heavy pot.

As for everyday plates, I have very plain, white, restaurant style plates from IKEA.


CD
 
We very rarely use actual plates. Exceptions are special occasions or holidays.

We generally serve meals on paper plates set in a plastic holder along with paper bowls and disposable plastic utensils. A holdover from when the kids were little, we both had full time jobs and no time left over for a sink full of dirty dishes. We joke that this our "fine china".

For those special occasions, we use hand made china. These were spun from clay and hand painted/glazed by DW's grandmother.

.40
 
I once had a set of melamine dishes. They had a lovely pattern with pears and I really like it. But after several years I was tired of it and wanted new. But I couldn't just "throw" them out. They weren't cracked or chipped. No reasons! I started desperately looking for ways to 'accidently' break them. Here's a testimony to Melamine!

I have a Denby stoneware set as my 'fine' china. Everyday use I have several sets that I used to match to the meal. All white from the $tore, country farm animal decor, white pears, tuscan sunflowers (low fire clay and chipped but I like them), last but not least a blue Asian bits and pieces. Love them all and would get more but alas (thankfully?) nobody has sales anymore within my allowance.
 
I favor planer plates over ones with intricate designs or scenes.
But that one posted is a pretty plate.

My basic plates are fairly old. The ones with the blue around the edge y'all have seen. Maybe 40 years.
And then I have a few that work better for certain foods.

I don't seem to need any replaced. What I need are more dinner forks. My ex live-in used to carry a fork and spoon around with her and if anyone needed one, she's give it to them. I found this out one day when someone with us wanted a spoon and she surprised me by taking one out of her purse.

I'm short a few spoons, but only have four dinner forks. And that irritates me.
But getting new silverware would irritate me more getting used to it.
 
I generally prefer deep plates, not really a bowl but not far off
They just work better for rice dishes I find (and noodles & pasta & actually almost everything)
My go to is wooden. It was probably supposed to be a fruit bowl :)
I tend to eat with a plate on my lap, so at least I don't get burned this way

Cutlery is generally spoon and fork. I've never understood (or mastered) the eating of rice or pasta with a knife and fork
 
My everyday plates are Johann Haviland Bavaria in the pattern called Blue Garland. These were carefully bought by my mother at the supermarket. Each week, they would present a different piece that could be purchased for a nickel or dime, etc. The A&P parceled them out. Now, oddly, they are collectable.

I have other plate sets including some from a great grandmother that were all heavily glazed after being hand-painted. They show signs of extreme heat because they were her breakfast dishes and often spent time on a woodstove. I also have some Blue Willow plates - also from grocery stores (the Piggly-Wiggly.) And last of all, I have some lunch sets and holiday dishes that were purchased at Woolsworth, M. Wards, etc. on clearance by family that have passed. Green stamps may have also netted the family a few pieces!

I wish I had a butler's pantry. I would swap out sets so often!
 
Nice "Blue and White" there @In A Pickle ! My crockery is plain white. If I could afford it, I would get one of the simpler designs from the Wedgewood collection, but to be honest, I would hardly ever use it even if I had it! I also find I often use a shallow bowl rather than a plate - useful for things with sauces that don't need cutting up.
 
I spent many years with Buck running our furniture repair/restoration business and antiques shop, in which I specialized in china, silver and glassware. I fell in love with everything that came into our shop and ended up with 3 different types of china (all with a service for 18), along with glassware and silverplated flatware, etc.

The "casual" set is called LuRay Pastels, made in the late '40s by Taylor Smith & Taylor and looks like this:
1762554737997.png

I even found LuRay Pastels fabric to make a tablecloth and napkins.

The other two sets would be considered our "good" china that gets used for special occasions and holidays, but I do use it "just for fun" every once in a while.

One is Blue Willow and is the oldest most continuously produced china pattern in the world. At one time, there were more than 200 manufacturers over the globe. Sadly, the number of the makers is now in the single digits.

Our collection includes pieces from many countries and some of the serving pieces are well over 100 years old. You've no doubt seen some. Here's a reminder:
1762555617382.png

I have been in love with the legend that is displayed in its design:

The story centers on Kwang-se, the beautiful daughter of wealthy merchant Tso Ling, who lived in a magnificent pagoda beside a willow tree.

Tso Ling arranged for his daughter to marry a prosperous businessman, but Kwang-se had already fallen deeply in love with Chang, her father's humble but kind-hearted clerk. When Tso Ling discovered their secret romance, he was furious. To prevent their relationship from disrupting his ambitious plans, he imprisoned Kwang-se within their home.

Undeterred by these obstacles, the lovers managed to escape across the sea to a modest cottage. Enraged, Tso Ling pursued them by boat, intent on their capture. Just as he was about to have them killed, the gods, moved by the couple's devotion, transformed Kwang-se and Chang into turtle doves, allowing them to soar together for eternity.

The lovers' story is intricately woven into the design itself, with two birds in flight capturing the essence of their forbidden romance.

We always gave a copy of the legend to folks who bought our shop Blue Willow.

Our third china pattern is a pattern by U.S. maker Homer Laughlin and is called Virginia Rose. However, Laughlin was referring to the "blank" of the dishware rather than the pattern ON it. The blank has a rose-like design incised in the edges/rims before applying the pattern, then glazed and fired. The rims are edged in platinum. Truly sets a beautiful table.

Here:
1762556636320.jpeg


As for our everyday dishware, we depend on Corning's Corelle "Summer Blush." It's a real work horse and simply looks "happy" on the table:
1762557114413.png


Long answer, but perhaps some of you enjoyed it.
 
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