Photo by Muffy Aldrich
The Modern Guide to The Thing Before Preppy

Thursday, January 12, 2023

Everyday Dinnerware?

 A reader question:

Muffy,

Greetings from the rainy PNW!  Hope all is well!

Question for my fellow readers: 

I am looking for suggestions for either new/new to me dinnerware.  Unfortunately it needs to be dishwasher and microwave safe.  I have inherited collections of china and transferware that I'm slowly reinforcing as I find pieces but with a home containing children, looking for more "everyday" options.  

Thank you!


34 comments:

  1. Fiesta Dinnerwear is a common reccomendtation for durable and (relatively) cheap dishes.

    Another recommendation would be to purchase (preferably in bulk) from a restaurant supply or kitchen consignment store.

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    1. Spot on! We use part of a very large, light blue Fiestaware collection that's been passed around and shared by my in-laws quite a bit. Takes a beating!

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  2. We love Portmerion Botanic Garden. For us it has been a 30 year (or more) long scavenger hunt for pieces and designs. Durable and dishwasher safe. There's lots out there that can be found in thrift shops, yard sales and jumbles.

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  3. Wedgewood Edme. Great stuff. It’s been our everyday china for 20+ years. Always extra pieces on Ebay should they be needed.

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  4. My wife and I started using our fine bone china on a regular basis instead of only displaying it in the cabinet. Like driving my '66 W111 Mercedes coupe as a daily driver. These things should be used, seen and enjoyed.

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    1. Same here, the Royal Albert is no longer is stored away in the china cabinet!

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    2. Pfffft. Next you’ll suggest we actually use that sterling we’ve been storing for decades. I hope no joke emoji is needed for my comment.

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    3. Using daily my Grandma's Royal Copenhagen Blue Flower from 60's or 70's and yes, antique silver (however it sounds) and linen napkins. The ornamentation is very subtle, we enjoy it very much.

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  5. Portmerion Botanic Garden is what we use for every day. It's sturdy, well made and dishwasher safe.

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  6. I still use, every day, my grandmother's sturdy and attractive Franciscan "Apple" dinnerware from the 1940s-60s, supplemented by newer pieces as needed - there's lots of it on eBay, and in antiques and thrift stores. I've always put it in the dishwasher and microwave, no problem. Although all pieces are hand-painted under the glaze, the older ones were more skilfully done. It's such a charming pattern than we've never tired of it, for generations!

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  7. I love my late-made-in-England Johnson Brothers Old Britain Castles—microwave and dishwasher safe. For something more readily available, Corelle dishes.

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  8. White Ironstone is very classic. I use Johnson Brothers “Athena” (no longer made but obtainable on the second-hand market), and there are lots of nice varieties around at various price points. My mother’s go-to was Spode Blue Clipper.

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  9. I love surfing the website of the company Replacements LTD. From their vast Virginia warehouse they can provide china of almost every description, including the ones mentioned here. My grandmother used Johnson Brothers Pink Castle ware and then the blue dishwasher safe Johnson
    Blue Castle ware from Horchow's was my mom's go to china. My husband (being an excellent chef) loves pure white or off white china as it "shows off" the food better. I will have to look into the Wedgewood Edme. Thank you for the suggestion.

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  10. We still have in regular use my great grandmother's blue and white Canton. I am not recommending it at today's prices, but when she was restocking after the great San Francisco earthquake, it was cheap. Our own stuff is Williams-Sonoma Brasserie, and it is terrific. We wrestled over the Brasserie with blue bands or something in plain white, like Pillivuyt. Either choice would be excellent.

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    1. The now old-fashioned blue and white chinaware is what Washington used at Mt. Vernon. At the time, it was imported from China by way of England and the Netherlands, who traded with China.

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    2. It was used as ballast in clippers!

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  11. Pfaltzgraff works well for our family

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  12. Buffalo China, the pattern with the green stripe around the edge. Say no to the brown speckles.

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  13. I have a full 12 piece set, plus most serving and coffee & tea, of the Blue Canton China by Mottahedeh that I’m interested in selling. It’s dish washer and microwave safe. I’m no longer using it and would it to go to a good home. Any interest? Please let me know.

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  14. For everyday and kid-friendly, let a classic "greasy-spoon" diner be your guide: beige and heavy, plain and simple. The plate is subservient to the food, and should never outclass even the humblest of meals.

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  15. Wedgwood's "Nantucket Basket" is a beautiful pattern. It's dishwasher safe and microwave safe. Many online stores carry the pattern. It's been around a long time so if you should break a plate, you can order another piece from Wedgwood.com or Replacements.
    If you're looking for just plain white, durable china try IKEA. They have a very simple line of white china which is durable etc.

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  16. We have used the same white china (“fine china made in Japan) as our everyday dishes for over 25 years. Made by a company called Lindt Stymeist that I think closed its doors at some point. It’s dishwasher and microwave safe. Find a good set of white china you like - simple, timeless.

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  17. I love pure white porcelain dinnerware. It holds up very well and food displays nicely on it.

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  18. Moving from the Berkshires in New England after living there all our lives, I left my everyday dishware for the new owners of our beloved Mountain Meadow (second home) and gave my sister my fine china that she'd always loved. She has now passed it on to another sister's daughter in law! Upon moving to Colorado, I have one set of dishes - lovely enough to use for the most formal dinners and everyday. Simon Pearce Belmont Crackle Ivory. New England and contemporary enough for the big town of Denver. Love everything Simon Pearce. New England simplicity of design and function. Each time we go back east, there's always a trip to Quechee, VT where I can order and ship some new items.
    Sandra L., always a New Englander

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  19. We use white Fiesta...plain and simple. If I were to splurge, I'd get a set of Bennington Potter's. Either would look great used in my grey shingled Nantucket style house.

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  20. We have had Johnson Brothers Rose Chintz forever. You can pick up pieces at Replacements.com

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  21. Johnson Brothers! Can't loose!

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  22. We use Wedgwood Queen’s Plain or Denby Greenwich for everyday.

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  23. 10.06 inch (25.5 cm) paper plates! They are microwaveable, inexpensive, strong if you double up, and best of all: disposable! No fuss, no muss!

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    1. Even though I live in a place where eating off of butcher paper is commonplace (barbecue), I kind of like the civility and earth friendliness of actual reusable in perpetuity plates. Do you compost your plates?

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  24. I've had my Villeroy and Boch Petite Fleur for 36 years; it is our everyday china that was on my bridal registry. Extremely sturdy and plentiful replacement pieces on Ebay and/or Replacements, Ltd.










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  25. Plain White Rosenthal. Mom's dishes, what my great grandmother had in her hotel in the old country before the first world war. Durable, simple, and still made.

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