Do you have what it takes to Entertain?

Entertaining requires some basic essentials; plates,  platters, glasses, silverware, napkins, and tablecloths.  Getting all the essentials together is an  investment that you might need to build up over time.  Versatile pieces that can work well for  holidays, anniversaries, baby showers, birthdays and other events are best for  your initial investment.  For these  foundation pieces, look for simple clean lines and neutral colors.   Choose pieces that look good and go  together. 

Other more decorative and fun pieces can be obtained later  when you want to build up your arsenal.   Here you can embellish your essentials with more color and different  designs.   You may want to add pieces  like napkin rings, a gravy boat, placemats, a cake stand and many other  possible choices. 

Formal Dinnerware

For your fine china, choose porcelain or bone china.  Fine dinnerware is elegant, beautiful and durable  since it is fired at high temperatures.    Again choose neutral colors that go with different table settings  through out the year.   Popular plate  shapes include round with a rim, recessed plate with no rim, octagonal and  square.  Cup shapes include tall &  narrow, low & wide and traditional round with or without a pedestal.  Typical place settings are for eight to  twelve.

Casual  Dinnerware
Everyday dinnerware is just, if not more, important then your  formal dinnerware since these are used daily.   You may choose less formal fine china or the semi-porcelain, stoneware  or earthenware pieces.  Casual dinnerware  will be used when the guest list is larger with the buffet serving style.  The casual dinnerware can be dressed up with  the table linens, glasses and other accessories.  Typical place settings for the casual table  can be anywhere from eight to twenty-four.

Dinnerware for Large Gatherings

If you need to provide dinnerware for larger groups, you  will need to go with much less expensive pieces for the plates, glasses and  utensils.  There are heavy duty plastic  plates, glasses and cutlery or heavy duty disposable paper plates and matching  utensils.  Most of the serving platters can  come from your casual and formal pieces.

Number  of Place Settings

Foundation Essentials 

• Plates 
• Wineglasses 
• Water  glasses 
• Serving  platter 
• Coffee/tea cups and saucers 
• Forks 
• Knives 
• Salad/dessert  forks 
• Teaspoons 
• Soupspoons 
• Butter  knife
• Napkins
  
• Meat fork
  
• Ice  bucket

Optional Pieces 

• Tablecloths  with different patterns and colors 
• Placemats 
• Bread  baskets 
• Pitchers for different drinks 
• Soup bowls; also be used for pastas and salads 
• Oversized platters for meats, fish and poultry 
• Serving bowls for vegetables, potatoes and rice dishes 
• Salad plates; also for appetizers and desserts 
• Coffee pots and teapots can be useful 
• Napkin rings for the elegant touch 
• Gravy boat

Beverage Glasses

There are many different types of beverage glasses for  serving water to cocktails to wine to champagne.  Your best choice is to stay with clear  designs that are common so they can be

easily replaced if get broken.  It is easy to have six to eight types of  glasses.  Start with what you need, not  with what looks good.   If you never serve  Champagne, then you don’t need a Champagne glass.    You may also not need different sizes of the same type of glass.   Some common bar glasses are Cocktail,  Collins, Highball, Brandy, Wine, Champagne  and different liqueur glasses.

Keeping It Together

Once you have your entertaining essentials, there is the  question of where to keep all this stuff.    If you can’t find what you need when you need it, you might as well not  have it in the first place.  It is  recommended to keep all you entertaining essentials in one place like a closet  with many shelves.   So keeping it all  together where it is readily accessible is important and also makes the  entertaining easier.

By Jen Morgan, Entertaining  Consultant

Other related articles:  Cooking for a Crowd        Buffet Serving Styles