Chinaware

NO	NAME OF ITEMS	FUNCTION
1	SERVICE PLATE	The service plate is the largest plate. Service plates range in size from 11 to 14 inches across. The service plate is laid in the center of the cover before the diners come to the table, but the way it is used is different for formal and informal dining. At a formal table, the service plate decorates the cover and the rim should frame the appetizer plate with a surround of no less than one inch. In formal dining, food is never placed directly on a service plate. Rather, the service plate is a base on which to lay the plate for the appetizer course and is cleared from the table after the first or second course is finished. Since soup splatters, the service plate is soiled easily, and at the end of the course it is cleared from the table with the soup plate. Because there should never be an empty space before a guest, after the service plate and soup plate are cleared, the plate for the next course is laid on the table immediately. But when the meal begins with a cold first course, such as fish, followed by a hot course of soup, the fish plate is removed at the end of the first course, and the service plate is left on the table to hold the soup plate. At the end of the soup course, the service plate and soup plate are cleared together, and exchanged immediately for the plate on which the next course is served. informal meal, the service plate is an optional accoutrement of dining. Although traditionally the purpose of the service plate is to hold the plate for the appetizer course, at an informal meal it is used in whatever way makes sense, as a dinner plate, buffet plate, placemat, or platter. When it is used in the traditional sense, it is laid on the table in advance of seating and should set the mood for the occasion. Oftentimes, dinner plates are used as service plates to hold a first course. Service plates are known by a host of names - buffet plate, charger plate, cover plate, lay plate, and place plate.
2	DINNER PLATE	The dinner plate is used more than any other plate. It is used to serve the main course at all meals, formal and informal. Modern dinner plates measure from 10 to 11 inches across. At a formal dinner in a private residence, the entree is the third appetizer course, such as a creamed chicken in vol-au-vent cases, and as such is served on a medium-size plate, notably a salad plate. But in a restaurant, the main course often follows two appetizer courses, usually soup and salad. Typically, the entree consists of cooked meat served with vegetables, starch, and garnish, and as such is served on a dinner plate.
3	LUNCHEON PLATE	Luncheon is lighter, simpler meal than dinner, a repast served on a plate about 9 to 9.5 inches in diameter. Although the luncheon plate is used for formal and informal meals, it is not essential for either occasion.
4	ROUND SALAD PLATE	The round salad plate is made in two sized. The larger salad plate is about 8 to 8.5 inches in diameter, the smaller 7 to 7.5 inches. At a formal meal, the salad plate is laid before the guest after the main course is cleared, an arranged salad is presented to the diner on a platter. At an informal meal, the salad plate functions to serve salad presented before the main course, as a side dish with the main course, or following the main course to stimulate the palate. But when salad is the main course, it is presented on a dinner plate.
5	FISH PLATE	The fish plate is a specialized plate about 8 to 9 inches in diameter. It is not made as part of a dinnerware set, but is recognizable by ornamentation in a fish pattern. The fish plate is not essential for formal or informal meals; when served as an appetizer, fish is presented on any medium-size plate, such as a salad plate or a dessert plate. If fish is the main course, it is presented on a dinner plate.
6	DESSERT PLATE	Dessert plates are ornately decorated. They are specialized plates about 7.25 to 8.5 inches in diameter, used at formal and informal meals, and made not as part of a dinnerware set.
7	CHEESE PLATE	Cheese plates are recognized by ornamentation in a cheese pattern. They are specialized plates about 7.25 inches in diameter, used at formal and informal meals, and made not as part of a dinnerware set.
8	FRUIT PLATE	Fruit plates are recognized by ornamentation in a fruit pattern. They are specialized plates about 6.25 to 8 inches in diameter, used at formal and informal meals, and made not as part of a dinnerware set.
9	BREAD-and-BUTTER PLATE	The bread-and-butter plate is used to separate bread and butter from sauce, gravy, and juices that emanate from foods on the plate. Although the bread-and-butter plate is optional at formal dinners in Europe, in a private residence in North America it is not laid on a formal dinner table because the menu is planned to provide sufficient tast and texture without the need for bread and butter. Thinly sliced melba toast may be passed with soup, fish may be served in a pastry shell, and toasted crackers are passed with cheese, along with butter at room temperature. when dry toast and crackers are served at a formal dinner, they are placed on the tablecloth. However, at a formal dinner in a restaurant or club, bread is often provided to cleanse the palate between different wines and to tide one over during long lapses between courses. Bread and butter are served at informal meals and luncheons. When a plate is not provided for a slice of bread or a roll, it is laid on the tablecloth or rim of the dinner plate, where the butter is also placed.
10	FRUIT SAUCER	Known also as a fruit dish, side dish, or berry bowl, the fruit saucer is a small shallow dish about 4 to 6 inches in diameter by 1 inch deep. The purpose of a fruit saucer is to separate juices that flow from raw or cooked food from other foods. Because a formal meal is served course by course, side dishes are not used, and a fruit saucer is provided only at informal meals.
11	MUG	The mug is heavier than a cup, the walls are thicker and the base is denser. To retain heat, the mug is taller than a cup, made in regular and extra large sizes. Regular-size mugs are approximately 3 to 4 inches in height by 3 ½ inches across, a vessel with a volume capacity of around 8 to 10 fluid ounces when filled almost to the rim. Extra large mugs are the American counterpart of the European breakfast cup, a shape about 4 inches in diameter or more, a size that holds approximately 15 to 20 fluid ounces. To accommodate the shape of the mouth, the mug often flares outward at the rim. The mug is used only for informal dining.
12	TEACUPS	Tea is a beverage cooled slightly before drinking, and to release heat, the teacup is slightly shorter and a little wider than the coffee cup, a shape approximately 3 ¼ to 3 ¾ inches in diameter by 2 to 2 ½ inches in height. The companion saucer measures about 5 ¼ to 5 5/8 inches across. To accommodate the shape of the mouth, the rim of the teacup is often flared outward, a form derived from the beaker (from the Latin beccus, for "bird's bill"). Although the teacup is used at informal meals, the flavor is too delicate to follow a heavy multi-course meal, and tea is not served at formal dinners and at formal luncheons only upon request
13	COFEE CUP	Coffee is a beverage served from early morning to late evening, and the size of the cup is determined by the time of day it is taken, along with the strength of the brew. Coffee with a brisk taste, a light body, and a high caffeine content is served as a stimulant, notably at breakfast and lunch, in a large cup. Coffee with a strong taste, heavy body, and a low caffeine content is served as a digestive following a multi­course meal, such as after dinner, in a small cup. Coffee is at its peak flavor when served extremely hot. To conserve the heat, the cup features a cylinder shape, taller than wide, a size approximately 2 ½ inches in height by 3 inches in diameter. The companion saucer measures around 6 to 6 ½ inches across. The coffee cup is made in three sizes, namely, the regular-size coffee cup, the after-dinner coffee cup, and the demitasse cup. The regular-size coffee cup is used at informal meals, the after-dinner coffee cup at elegant informal affairs, and the demitasse cup at formal occasions. After-dinner coffee is a strong-flavored brew with a low caffeine content served to stimulate digestion at an elegant multi-course meal. The smallish cup measures approximately 2 3/8 inches in height by 2 ½ inches in diameter and holds approximately 3 ounces. The companion saucer is about 4 ¾ to 5 inches across. Rather than interrupt good conversation and take coffee in another room, after-dinner coffee is often served at the dinner table.
14	DEMITASSE	Demitasse is a heavy-bodied brew with a strong taste and low caffeine content. It is served to aid digestion and dispel the lingering effects of alcohol after a formal dinner where several wines are served. Demitasse means "half cup" in French, and the cup is approximately 2 ¼ inches in height and width, slightly shorter and nar­rower than the after-dinner coffee cup. The companion saucer measures about 4 ½ to 5 inches across. Guests at a formal dinner are seated at the table for hours, so in order to provide them with the opportunity to stretch and regroup, and to revive conversation, demitasse is presented in another room. The cup is filled half full (approximately 1.5 ounces). Customarily, at a formal affair, demitasse is followed by brandy or liqueur; entertainment-dancing or cards-may then commence. A second cup is not offered. At an informal meal, demitasse is served away from the table, wherever is convenient.
15	CHOCOLATE CUP	Originally hot chocolate was a breakfast drink made from unsweetened chocolate mixed with cream, a mix beaten into a thick paste. Just before serving, sugar and hot frothy milk were added. To accommodate demand, in the second half of the eighteenth century the morning chocolate cup was larger than a coffee cup or teacup. However, the thick paste was slow to pour, and at social affairs in the afternoon, hot chocolate was served in small narrow cups about 3 inches in height by 2 ½ inches in diameter. The companion saucer measured approximately 4 inches across. Today, hot chocolate is made from powdered cocoa, a thinner beverage than the original drink; it is served in a large vessel, such as a coffee cup, teacup, or mug. Small chocolate cups purchased in specialty stores are not made as part of a dinnerware set
16	SOUP PLATE	Wide, shallow bowl with a flanged rim. Diameter is approximately 9 to 10 inches, the rim is 1 to 2 inches wide, the depth is up to 1 ½ inches deep, and the well is 6 to 7 inches across. The only soup bowl used in formal dinner service.
17	CREAM SOUP BOWL AND SAUCER	·         4 to 5 inches in diameter ·         Use to serve a first course of pureed soup at meals with a light menu
18	BOUILLON CUP AND SAUCER	3 ¾ inches in diameter and features a companion saucer about 5 1/ 2 inches across. Bouillon is drunk entirely from the cup or sipped from a spoon, one or the other but never both (that's bad table manners!). To test the temperature, a single sip is taken from the spoon. When bouillon is drunk from the cup, the cup is held by one or both of the open-loop handles, whichever is more comfortable.
19	LUG SOUP BOWL	4½ to 5½ inches in diameter and 2½ inches deep. Built to withstand oven temperatures, the lug soup bowl is used to present an individual serving of French onion soup put under the broiler to melt cheese, and is also known as an onion soup bowl.
20	COVERED SOUP BOWL	Keeps soup hot from kitchen to table. Table etiquette requires that guests remove the lid, rest the cover, rim side down, on the side of the underplate, and replace it before the table is cleared. 4 ½ to 6 ½ inches across, and the depth is approximately 2 to 3½ inches. It is narrower and deeper than a soup plate, a coupe soup bowl, or a soup-cereal bowl.
21	RAMEKIN	Made to serve baked dishes composed largely of cheese, milk, cream, such as custard, flan, crème brulee, or cheese soufflé
22	FINGER BOWL	4 inches in diameter by 2 ¼ inches high, a bowl used to rinse the fingertips only, and filled with just enough water to cover them. Dining etiquette for using a finger bowl: To prevent water from overflowing the bowl, the fingertips are rinsed one hand at a time and wiped on a napkin held low in the lap.
23	OVAL PLATE	To serve foods likes roast, fish