If it's for everyday, then who will notice besides you? And if you like them, go for it. There are some amazing melamine patterns out there that look so much like the real, "breakable", thing. I'm tempted, myself! What bothers me more is the lack of heft, I'm just so used to heavier dishes.

I have fancy design melamine dishes for daily use that I adore. However can't use in m/w so I find myself dirtying a m/w safe dish and then putting food on my melamine. Wonder sometimes if worth the extra work

Not tacky, but someone recently told me they can't go in dishwashers. Is that true?

I wouldn't use melamine especially from China and/or if scratched. At all. And remember there are health risks to heating food in melamine heated in the microwave.

We use them every day. When my kids were younger, I bought a few pieces of French Bull cups and plates and just fell in love with the designs. Now we have a whole set of dinner plates and luncheon plates. All different patterns. I also have a few of the small bowls which are great for ice cream or fruit. They have lasted much longer than any others I've tried (we also have some other brands at our beach house) and yes, we do put them in the DW but I never use the "dry" function (ever, just as a habit). I don't know if that makes a difference or not. I also have some I really like at our beach house by Thomas Paul. But they don't get as much use so I don't know how well they hold up.

I have a friend who lives in a Very Fancy House and she also has French Bull dinnerware for every day. :)

ETA: I don't use them in the microwave.

Sorry Sue - I should have been clearer that my objection is strictly about who made it, do we know what's in it, and will any of that be leaching out. Glad you don't microwave in them! I did have and heavily use a set of microwavable melamine servers with lids some years back. It makes me mad to think of how we trust and of the chemicals I exposed my kids to unwittingly over the years including from those frequently used melamine bowls.

Melamine dishware and anything of melamine that comes in contact with food are banned in some countries in Europe due to formaldehyde content. Non-food use is ok.

http://www.fda.gov/Food/ResourcesForYou/Consumers/ucm199525.htm

I bought a beautiful very heavy bpa free safe version at Costco recently. It is dishwasher safe but I have not put it in the dishwasher, no microwave use. Great price and very colorful. They make me smile.

The eu tends to be more protective than the FDA. They take into account cumulative exposure from other sources and conclude that melamine is not okay for serving food.

I've been reading articles online about this while drinking my morning coffee, and now I'm thinking twice...and also thinking maybe this is a good excuse for new dishes? LOL. But seriously I am wondering why risk anything when it's so simple to just use other dishware? Sometimes I feel like we are all becoming paranoid (in general, not GW folks) unnecessarily about certain things, and yet ... ah, who knows. But I might just look at some non-melamine dishes while shopping with DD at the mall later this week...gotta do something to distract myself while shopping with a teenage girl!

ahh, but bossyvossy, you're damned if you do or don't then too depending on the dirt/germs you may eat vs the residues from the soap/detergent/lotions you may consume!!!

And then there's all the people that have been using and eating off of Fiesta ware for years and years. And the old glass from years ago that is radioactive. Pottery products which are made with and glazed with some not so friendly elements.

I don't use the melamine in the dishwasher or microwave or heat it in any way and the newest versions have made provisions for safer use. Plus bpa free, I am not concerned. We all have various things to worry about.

If it's not safe for food, then why would one use it?

bossy, thanks. I agree that one needs to assess risks and proceed with caution in all aspects of life. I guess I don't get the advantage of melamine if it has the restrictions of not being MW safe and possibly not DW safe either. I don't see the point. I can understand if there are kids and a lot of breakage potential. Or a camping trip.

I got a set of "Wrought Irony" Melamine from SCAD, for dinner parties by the pool. They are really fun and I love them. When we moved, we were in a rental house for a few months while our reno was finishing up, and I only unpacked the melamine.

I got in the habit of using them everyday (my other every day dishes are white Wedgewood china cabbage leaves), and then just continued to do so. Because they are square no one puts them in the M/w; the turntable wouldn't work. They are getting a little worn in spots so when I first saw this post I thought, maybe I will get new ones. But I guess not; seems dumb to court any risk when there are so many choices. For an occasional outdoor meal, sure; for everyday, nah.

It will probably come as a surprise to those who've followed my decor posts, but I love the colors and I love mixing and matching.

The salad plates:

And here they are set together; but I like

them mix and match:

I have a set by distinctive decor that looks very similar to this

Can't post pic

I googled that brand, and maybe they are these? If so I love them, BV!

omg, now I like these!

ohh false alarm, those arent melamine

but how could i forget the Thomas Paul versions? can he

be tacky?

Mine is by Laurie Gates. Several beautiful designs. From what I have read I find no problem with it if it is not heated in the microwave. Newer technology has improved the materials.

Exact same set

Mtn, I used to have those dishes from SCAD! In fact, they are what started me on my ill-fated melamine obsession. In my experience, the French Bull ones have worn better (in terms of scratching or fading).

Really? I think we were separated at birth, SueB. '

Funny I would never have bought melamine but just loved the whimsy of those dishes when I saw them. They also go with all my little anthro china bowls so it'll be hard to replace them.

Well of course Anthro was my first stop when looking for fun, non-plastic dishes, but they currently don't have anything that excites me. :(

well, of course, last night when I couldnt find melamine I liked I went to anthro

i really like these but idk if they are odd since I would not touch a sardine (are they sardines on there?) with a 10 foot pole. Oh and I really liked using melamine because it is so lightweight and you dont worry about chipping it all the time.

Which french bull ones do you have?

I am thinking these would go with most of my anthro bowls.

... although I think food would look horrible on those plates, but food looks best on white, so that bring me back to my Wedgwood

FYI, i just came across another source for melamine. They have some really nice ones. Each plate represents a line and often there are different designs and colorways.

I may try these....

melamine

Regardless of the pattern, I don't understand why anyone would want to eat off plastic....it just feels so icky to me, sounds terrible, seems unsanitary and probably unsafe.

Oh my who knew melamine dishes had become so beautiful! When I read the initial query I thought of school lunch and before that being stuck at the Base Nursery while my mom shopped..plastic feels temporary and cheap BUT oh so practical when dealing with children!! Oh and it was UGLY back in the day. How curious there is now a fear of the chemicals they are made of. Are we all remembering school lunch trays are still made of PLASTIC..and are being eaten off of??? I wonder if Michelle is aware her nutritious, garbage can filling meals are being served on dangerous products..and many lunchrooms have gone to PLASTIC utensils to boot!! But to answer, I would only use them for picnics, outside dining or kid lunches if I were still feeding kids lunches. The weight, the feel just does not read for "every day use" in my world.

We are keeping ours for sandwiches/lunch but not using them for anything hot.

Meanwhile, it's not so easy to find "fun" plates that aren't melamine!

I just bought more of my Hue plates from C&B -- I had only the ivory color but I'm adding in some blue and green.

I know this thread is old now but I was just doing a search for melamine plates in a dishwasher. What is it that make them dishwasher not-safe? Is it the drying cycle? Why are some OK on the top rack? I ask these stupid questions because I haven't had a dishwasher in over 15yrs. I'm planning to get one when we do our kitchen reno so wondering if the newer dishwashers are safer for melamine.

BTW, I switched to melamine from paper plates because I could not get my DH to use the heavy ceramic plates I had. Now we use melamine for every day, no microwave... but hope to be able to put the dinner plates on the bottom rack of a new DW some day.

I seem to have acquired a minor addiction for them and mixin' & matchin' is way fun. I got the Pottery Barn Swirl dinner plates in blue, turquoise and orange... PB mexican talavera salad plates and a set of BB&B Mirasol salad plates. love them!

You would have less of a problem with the in a DW that doesn't have a heated drying cycle. Look at a Bosh.

I just use white Corelle. The glass dishes haven't broken (they are known for being resistant to breaking), and they are lightweight, don't take up much space (I keep 16 sets), and can go in the dishwasher and the microwave. I use them instead of paper plates.

They do have decorative patterns, but I decorate the white plates with colorful napkins, placemats and food. It's easy to create a pretty plate by adding colorful vegetables or fruit.

I would use them outside and with guests.

The white corelle dishes can be found on sale individually for around $2 apiece. The patterned ones are harder to find individually and are often more expensive.

To the points regarding unsafe plastics, I also bought glass straws and try to drink out of glass or pottery (stoneware, dolomite, porcelain). I love the glass straws from hummingbird straws - not sure if I would use them with children because they seem like they are more likely to break, but they are made out of the same glass as pyrex, IIRC.

Thanks lascatx. Bosch is the DW I was looking at. i like the 18" panel ready model.

@jane - I did look at Corelle but didn't like the patterns they offered nor the just white plates. I figure if it's not the melamine, it will be something else that will give me cancer.

The dishwasher detergent will eat off the shiny finish. Heat is also a no-no. I have vintage Melmac and it should never go into the dishwasher either. I love Melmac - nearly indestructible, but people don't know how to eat off them without cutting into the plate -- grrrrr. I do use Corelle for every day use.