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Article: FASHION PLATES TABLES ARE SET TO MAKE A STATEMENT; Get to know your wares Choices, choices. Here's a quick guide to dinnerware: EARTHENWARE This clay-based porous ceramic is fired at a low temperature. It's lightweight, and able to hold brightly colored glazes and hand-painted designs. Earthenware is oven-safe at very low temperatures, microwave-safe up to two minutes, and dishwasher-safe for occasional use. PORCELAIN Ceramic that has been fired at an extremely high temperature, porcelain is durable and chip-resistant. The clay turns white during the firing process. Porcelain is a good choice if you want long-lasting dinnerware. It is oven-safe up to 350 degrees, microwave-safe up to four minutes, and dishwasher-safe. Avoid exposure to extreme changes in temperature and heat settings. STONEWARE Heavy, non-porous pottery, stoneware is made from clay fired at an extremely high temperature. More durable than earthenware or porcelain, stoneware is great for everyday use. It is oven-safe up to 350 degrees, microwave-safe up to four minutes, and dishwasher-safe. WHITEWARE This milky white dinnerware is primarily porcelain, but occasionally may be earthenware or stoneware. Whiteware is a good option for someone starting a basic dinnerware collection, for livening up or extending an existing collection that is colored or patterned.; Give old plates a brand-new life Wondering what to do with your chipped, cracked and generally done-in dinnerware after you've bought a spiffy new set? Here are a few "recycling" tips: Donate it to a charity. Sell it on consignment at a local thrift shop. Give it to your youngster for pretend tea parties. Offer it to your college-age son or daughter for their off-campus apartment. Reserve it for use in your family's lakeside cottage or vacation condo. Store it in a wicker hamper and use for picnics, tailgate parties or camping trips. Use it as storage containers in a tool room, garage, craft area or home sewing center. Place pieces under houseplant pots to catch drips. Offer it to an art teacher for shatter-and-glue mosaic projects.
- Article from:
- The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel (Milwaukee, WI)
- Article date:
- March 3, 1996
- Author:
CopyrightCopyright 1996 The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Provided by ProQuest LLC. (Hide copyright information)
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Guess what's coming to dinner? A smorgasbord of style.
Across America today, tabletops have become the stage upon which
we present a fashionable repertoire of dinnerware that runs the gamut
from high drama to amusing whimsy, country charm to urban
sophistication.
In suburban homes and uptown apartments, high-rise condos and
beachy vacation cottages, families are dining routinely on
tableware that is anything but routine.
Our plates are laden with par-boiled lobsters and plump ripe
tomatoes. Our teacups sport tart green apples and tangy chili
peppers. Our cereal bowls bottom out with clusters of succulent
grapes and bunches of crisp carrots.
We are dining upon the likenesses of chubby pasta ...