Flatware Mall

Taking care of your dinnerware and flatware correctly is essential to making sure that it looks its best. Once, this was a skill we learned as children. However, most people don't know how to treat their china and silver properly. Here are few suggestions to help you keep yours in ideal condition.

- Hand wash antique or vintage china. Never put it in the dishwasher. This is because it could be fragile from use and age. Instead, scrape plates gently and wash with care in warm, soapy water. Rinse thoroughly and allow to dry, but don't use abrasives on your china.

- Placing a rubber mat or dish towel at the bottom of the sink when you wash your dinnerware and crystal will keep them from cracking or breaking. If you're washing dishes by hand, start with glasses, and follow with dinnerware, flatware, and pots and pans.

- If you have modern dinnerware, fragility is less of a concern. Many sets are machine washable, but that doesn't mean you shouldn't load the dish washer carefully. make sure the china doesn't come into contact with other dishes inside your mahcine, and make sure that flatware can't touch it. That's because you could end up with gray streaks on your dinnerware.

- If these marks do appear, use a mild abrasive like Bon Ami to take them off. Then, rinse thoroughly. Wash on the shortest cycle to spare your china from damage. Never use lemon dishwasher detergent - it can damage fine tableware.

-Whenever possible, cups should be stored on hooks. Plates and bowls should be stored with a cloth, paper towel, or dish protector between them. Earthenware should be treated with extra care, since it's a low temperature ceramic and is more fragile. Stoneware requires less care, and porcelain, the hardest type of china, is much less likely to chip. However, you should always look at the manufacturer's directions to find out what your china's care routine should be.

- Never use a plate or cup with metal trim in your microwave, and keep them out of the dishwasher, too. If you do break a dish, consider enlisting the help of a china replacement service, or contact the seller or manufacturer to buy the missing pieces. If your pattern line is going to be discontinued, you may wish to stock up or replace missing items quickly.

Proper care and maintenance of your dishes will make sure that they last a lot longer. Knowing as much as you can about your dinnerware and silver will help you treat it correctly. If you're not sure what to do, talk to the manufacturer, or wash and dry as gently as possible - by hand.

Tags: dinnerware, dish washer, dishwasher, flatware, silver, tableware, vintage china

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Sterling silver flatware has a long tradition of use as an integral part of any table setting. Today, most meals at home are accompanied by stainless steel flatware. But, still the tried and true sterling silver is brought out for special occasions, holidays and more formal get togethers. Under any circumstances, you can't really make a mistake in choosing silver flatware for wedding gifts, showers, anniversaries and other events. For a better understanding of the history and tradition behind sterling silver, take a little time to read the following interesting article we came across.

The Silver Heritage

As a woman from the south, I have a heritage that many fail to understand. I am not spoiled, and I am not rich. But I do own a great deal of silver flatware and curios. In many households since Colonial times, and even before, silver flatware has simply been a way of life, and as essential to a home as linen table clothes and bone china.

Yes, these things come with a price tag, but I didn't actually purchase them myself. Sterling silver, along with the other traditional trappings, is the primary gift given at weddings, showers, and christenings. Towels might be a more practical gift, but you can't argue with the beauty, style and investment of fine sterling silver utensils and serving ware.

The History

Silver flatware has had a long history of use in the United States and around the world. Beginning before the Civil War it was simply the accepted set of utensils of middle and upper class homes. Flatware sets contained dozens or even hundreds of pieces. There were basic utensils, elaborate utensils, serving utensils, platters, trays, bowls, tea sets and much more.

This heavy use of silver flatware and accompanying pieces continued through the decades until around the 1940s. But it didn't die out completely although it did diminish to some degree. Families that had the tradition and means continued to collect and gift sterling silver. Other held on to the silver they already owned as a family heirloom. Not only did the collection of silver continue seventy years ago, it is still alive and well today.

The Uses

There are many uses for silver table settings. Obviously flatware is used for meals, but the meaning and ceremony behind its use is most significant. Silverware might have been used for every meal a century ago, but today it is only pulled out, polished and laid out for the most important meals. Using silver takes a great deal of work as the pieces must be polished to remove tarnish and each item must be washed carefully by hand.

Silver serving platters and trays are used for these same special occasions, and are also often displayed in dining rooms and china cabinets. Cake cutters and servers are popular gifts at weddings where they are often engraved with the initials or names of the bride and groom along with their wedding date. Finally, some of the more unusual pieces find their way to curio cabinets or display nooks. Demitasse spoons are just one example of silver flatware being used in collections and for display.

The Traditions

Like the cake knife and server, there are many traditions involving silver. The largest, at least in my neck of the woods, is the selection of your pattern. When a girl becomes engaged, she with her fiancé, or more likely with her mother, select a china pattern, linens and other items for the new home. They also register for the silver flatware, but there is often no need for selection.

The basic patterns of silver flatware have been in use for decades if not centuries. Most girls (or boys, in our modern age) select the same pattern as her mother or grandmother. This ensures that when the silver flatware passes through the family as the heirloom it is, all of the pieces will coordinate and the collection will continue to grow in tradition and value.

Discover more information on silver and other items of interest, including silver coins, visit Silver.Biz

Tags: dinnerware, flatware, silver, sterling silver flatware, wedding gifts

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