Just 2 of us, and we plate directly from the stove top, or set pots out on the island counter. Less dishes, less cleanup. However, french fries do go into a bowl. DH always reaches for old white corning ware soufflé dish - it is the perfect size, but we bought a couple of Fiestaware bistro bowls, and we try to use them :). (Our dinnerware is Fiestaware in random colors)

I have served stew and pasta from a LeCreuset dutch oven to family and close friends from a buffet. Those lids are very heavy and I wouldn’t want one to fall on the table so i would not put it on either table or the sideboard for that matter.

Another here who has accumulated at least nine sets of dishes and different serving pieces in each pattern. In addition I have “goes with everything” serving bowls and platters for both casual and formal as well as specialty serving dishes for Christmas, Easter, Thanksgiving (Turkey platter of course) and Valentine’s. My most used serving dishes are a large plain green ceramic bowl and a majolica inspired green platter both Portuguese. an Emile Henry deep green bowl with a decorative edge, and a huge pressed glass bowl from Pier One embossed with grapes, purchased thirty years ago and used for salads almost weekly. My SIL gave me a set of white square platters with bas relief fruit along the edges that I use fairly often, and I have several long baskets for french bread and others for rolls and fruit. several silver cloches to cover food on a buffet, and a stainless Tramontina three burner food warmer with glass top, three quart serving pans. I’ll stop now.

I a bowl, platter and gravy boat that I could serve "family style" with my breakfast/lunch dishes; for my Spode Blue Italian I have enough serving dishes and platters that I can serve Thanksgiving with. My grandmother's noritake has enough bowls and platters that I can serve family style with it and I use those bowls when I do christmas with my red/green plaid Christmas china. I'm not about to get into having bowls to use for just one day (although over the years I've been given some Christmas things and I do use those but I'm not about to go out and buy things!)

I have white porcelain serving dishes, green Emile Henry serving dishes, silver serving pieces and my favorite, pewter serving pieces. Add to those a few glass/crystal serving pieces, a beloved wooden salad bowl, and a few soup tureens that match various dish patterns. No pots, or pans ever appear on the table, not even pretty ones. Gratins and soufflés do go from the oven to the table. They are usually prepared in white porcelain or copper pieces. Like others here, I like dishes, linens, etc. Oh, and coffee tea services, I could go on a long while here. How I miss having people over!

Our situation is similar to yours, small groups and we serve from the kitchen. Even so, I still have a small collection of different bowls on hand for when needed. Some are decorative and others not so much. My favorite set was given to me out of the blue by one of my sisters and has birds on it. Knowing I love birds, they reminded her of me and she was sweet enough to send them my way.

I do, yes. Or did. :(

Even for small gatherings, I use serving bowls. I guess I learned it from my grandmother ... and many of my bowls were hers.

I have a mix — vintage pieces passed down through family, stoneware, cut crystal, China, pottery, etc. I like to use a mix of them together, not just one type.

ETA: When it’s just DH and I, we normally fill our plates in the kitchen.

I have many -- beautiful pottery from the Azores that I seldom use, many options in pyrex and pretty vintage glass, and lots of Corningware, especially their 'French Whites'. The FW or vintage glass is used the most because it's classic and looks good with everything. Perfect when bringing food anywhere. :)

DH and I plate directly from the stovetop. When we have company I use bowls and platters for everything. If I use the brightly colored dutch oven to make soup or chili, I'll take it off the stove and put it on a hot mat and use it as a serving piece.

I mix and match - solid white, solid colors, Portmeirion, blue willow, whatever size works. When we were entertaining families with lots of kids, I'd use a small metal tub and fill it with individual bags of chips and snacks so kids weren't constantly sticking their little hands in the bowl.

I have serving dishes and use them regularly even though we are not entertaining currently. Most of what I have is white but also some vintage, from my grandmother, a few pieces of Mexican black/white that I love, vintage thrift like the hobnail milk glass. Plating would never work for my DH and I've never seen a dinner meal yet where he didn't take seconds+ on protein, vegies or starch but he burns about 3k calories/day so who am I to count ;-)

I have lots. Antique china, vintage china, artsy pottery, modern china, oddball bowlshaped objects, vintage mixing bowls that are neatO...

I use them rarely. Especially this year.

I do both. When it’s 6-8 of us I generally plate the food in the kitchen, then set the leftover dishes in a spot where it’s convenient for guests to either help themselves to seconds or I can easily replenish. Sometimes I just being the dish to the table after round one if it is small-ish. Bread and condiments are on the table.

I do have some fairly nice serving bowls in addition to Corning and Pyrex things. I have a couple of nice medium sized Staub bowls, a couple of either Staub or Le Creuset medium casserole sized dishes (can’t recall which brand) that are good for veggies, some fired food safe pottery bowls, Pampered Chef mixing bowls that look nice and all hold hot or cold foods well.

I bought a Staub pumpkin 5 quart and I plan on serving out of it.

Yes. And I have more than enough to last a lifetime.

I have lots of mix and match serving bowls, some plain and some fancy, from when we use to entertain many years ago. Since it has been just the 3 of us for years, we plate our meals from the kitchen. I keep thinking I should clean out the kitchen and give away the stuff I don't use any more. I don't see us entertaining in the future.

I have decorative bowls, vintage depression glass, vintage cut glass and newer cut glass type. I also have bowls that match our china. I have several ironstone and a couple of other stoneware type serving bowls. The ironstone and stoneware get used the most as our entertaining is more casual. We plate in the kitchen also, I don't like serving dishes on the table. I have a problem with plates, especially vintage transferware, ironstone, etc. but I have learned to buy only plates, not sets of dishes. When we cleaned out our parents house a few months ago, I brought home older pfaltzgraf plates that have a floral print to one side of the plate. Will look beautiful with my pink depression glasses!

I have a small collection. Some are mine, some are my late Mother's and some date back to my grandmothers and great grandmother. I have tried to pare it down to a mix of plain and patterned that mixes and matches. Mom's stuff already had that vibe so I just tweaked what I kept from the whole collection to create various "looks" for my table. Even when it is just hubs and I, that's how I like it. Hubs is oblivious to the coordination of tableware of any type. Swears it is immaterial.

The serving bowls I have came with my dishes (and I buy extra) for the most part but I do have a few odd serving bowls and plates as well as a few “crystal” salad bowls. DH and I plate in the kitchen but I don’t think I’ve ever plated the food for company—-always put in bowls/platters on the table.

When it’s just the 2-4 of us, I plate, DH uses serving dishes. Sometimes I use a serving dish, it kind of depends (On what we are serving and how full the dishwasher is already!)

For company, we use serving dishes. A couple of serving dishes are in our good china pattern. I have a couple of serving dishes that are in my everyday pattern, but we rarely use those. And, I have a couple of stainless steel and Nambé pieces, and, my favorite, a couple of the painted pieces often from Portugal or Italy. And, of course, the Pyrex Bowls! The colored MCM bowls are especially fun for summertime.

The Corning French White, it goes with everything, even its fluted design goes with the fluted Spode. We use that the most, for everyday and for company.

I definitely use the leCreuset and the Dansk Købenstyle for serving! They are handsome, they keep the food hot, and they were my mother’s so they bring me a sweet memory. I do, however, wipe the outside and the inside under the rim before serving so they look better, and they have to stay on the sideboard or by the host because they are too heavy to pass around!

Lars, I have to find my rectangular Pyrex storage boxes, they certainly are handy. Although, given my recent tendency to break things, maybe I should leave them wherever they are.

Most of my serving pieces are plain white. It seems to work well for me, and I think food can look nice on/in white pieces. I do have some serving pieces for my Lenox china patterns (Autumn and Holiday), but they get a lot less use. The china all came from my MIL who had a business that sold it. I'm really much more of a casual entertainer.

I serve food straight from my Le Creuset all the time. The oven/stove to table feature of LC is one of its nice feature. Again, casual.

I plate with heated bowls daily for the two of us. In the kitchen. So hot I need to use pot holders. 4-8 guests, including us, I usually have 3 platings all from the kitchen. (long social meals). Cold and hot planned and prepped ahead.

One prime protein dish may be a pass around the table depending. Or an extra side or salad.

I loosely counted 18+ platters in the pantry and various bowls. All EvaZeisel.

We use them year round for salads and fruit, tomato ripening, avocados.

10-25 guests for holidays, pre-covid, we used platters and warmed serving bowls to pass around. A sideboard heated tray serves well. Larger gatherings I prefer those wanting more veg or more meat, more gravy...better to let those choose. I would rather not make choices for dark/white meat, gravy on side, or on potatoes, or no potatoes, etc.

My every day goes well with my Eva. I have a setting for 24 of all size bowls and plates. Restaurant quality.

Boring for some, but for us, a good clean plated background for colorful food.

I remember now that I do have some platters, but they are stored in the garage because I don't have room for them in the kitchen. We have a Midcentury sideboard in the dining room that we bought at the estate sale where we bought our dining table and chairs, but we turned it into a liquor cabinet, and it has my collection of liqueurs. On one side of the sideboard, I do have some extra plate, tablecloths, and napkins. I do have a nice collection of napkins, many of which I made myself.

I really do not have storage in my kitchen for serving bowls, and I've always lamented the shortage of cabinet space (especially upper cabinets, which I prefer), and I can barely store our dishes in the cupboards as it is.

Linda, I also never put a pan or plastic bowl on the dining table. When we use our turquoise plastic chip & dip server, we have it outdoors or on the coffee table. I do also have three vintage wooden salad serving bowls - two are walnut and one is teak - that have matching individual bowls - six per serving bowl. I also bought an extra set of small teak salad bowls on eBay for cheap that had a peeling lacquered finish - they were cheap because of the finish. I stripped the finish and waxed/oiled them instead, and then they looked like new. I started collecting the bowls before I realized that I had nowhere to store them, but now some of them are in Cathedral City, which is nice.

Here is one of the platters I have

I don't like pans on the table either. I was in charge of table setting growing up and mom hated anything with a label on the table.And any time I put ketchup, mustard or a bottled dressing (which I rarely use) on the table I hear her voice telling me to take them back to the kitchen and put them in small bowls - For a casual hamburger type dinner for us or for company I don't bother decanting the condiments. Sorry mom.

I don't like putting hot food onto a cold plate or in a cold serving dish so always warm them first. And salad always goes into a chilled bowl or plate. The one b*tchy thing I do in a restaurant is send back a salad if the plate is still warm from the dishwasher.

Lars, your figs and snack plate look fantastic!!! What are those wonderful looking seeded puffy things? :) Re having insufficient storage, you just need to learn to stack everything carefully. lol!

ETA: I love that "glass stand". Is it deep and footed?

Trust me, everything is jammed into my cupboards as tightly as possible. Plates are stored vertically, so that I can get more in and also remove them more easily.

The glass stand is pressed glass (possibly somewhat antique), and it does have a foot, but it is not particularly deep. I sometimes put papier-mâché fruit (from Mexico) on it.

The seeded puffy things are flatbread that I make with a yeast dough, which makes them puffy. They are pretty much like crackers, but I add bran and rice flour to the recipe. The rice flour makes them very crunchy.

Those figs are gorgeous!

We have a hodgepodge of serving bowls and platters. Emile Henry, Fiesta Ware, Corning ware.

I have tons of serving pieces, likely way too many which seems to be a chronic personality disorder of mine when it comes to kichen/entertaining stuff.

Generally I have quite a crowd so I serve buffet style, setting everything on the island, letting people serve themselves. If the gathering is 8 or less and family I serve family style at the table. For small dinner parties I usually plate the meal depending on what I am serving.

It' s an eclectic collection. Some match my dishes, others are unique and usually meant for specific things like deviled eggs, pickles, side sauces etc and are mostly glass. Several years ago I went on a binge and bought quite a few plain white pieces in odd shapes, curves etc, they add interest to a buffet and work for everything. One of my smarter moves as I use them all the time and they were fairly cheap.

I miss it all so much...........

I bought this set of six pieces a few years ago from antiquefarmhouse.com. The price has gone up since then but still not bad.

We do have serving bowls (a mix of fiestaware, white and our china), but we often plate from the kitchen or do a mix of some on the table and some plated.

We just got a big Staub coquette/dutch oven and love it so much, we use it all the time. I have thick woven rush round place mats that I put under it to serve at the table. I love, love, love setting it in the middle of the table and serving from it. I have no idea why, but it just feels right and good and homey.

I'm not so niffynaffy. In the kitchen (chairs for two), I'll plate from the stove. For proper meals--basically anytime three or more are eating, therefore dining room, I use serving pieces. It's the most practical way of serving. But lots of foods are meant to be served in their cooking vessels, and I have plenty of table worthy baking dishes, including GIANT white casserole/lasagna dishes. For "family style" for more than four, things like stews get put in bowls to be passable, but for actual family at home, I have no qualms putting the pot on the table (on a trivet). That's most likely to be Le Creuset enamel, because that's my pots, but I wouldn't let looks stop me from making the most practical choice.

So what's this plastic hate? If you mean like classic Tupperware, I get it, and I wouldn't either, except maybe family lunch out of the fridge, though more likely Pyrex, but I have some very useful decorative plastic serving pieces. Some long, thin banana leaves which are excellent for raw vegetables going down the center of the table, for instance. And my red melamine nesting bowls, which have the advantages of being very comfortable to pass, lightweight and looking nice with my casual dishes. I also have a full set of melamine dishes with matching serving pieces, in the Italian pottery vein, for outside. I really don't like using breakable on the brick patio. It's really really hard to get all the shards if something breaks.

This is bringing up memories of dinner with my family growing up and why (perhaps) I have a penchant for serving dishes and not plating. We always ate in the dining room unless my father was away on business. China, silverware, tablecloth and cloth napkins with napkin rings (each family member had a different antique silver one and I still have them) and proper table setting - my job as the youngest of 4. All serving dishes were brought in from the kitchen and placed on the table at the end where my father sat. He stood to slice, carve and portion in some way all of the meal - the meat, vegies (usually 2) and starch if there was one (my mother was the original low carber) - salads were the only thing plated in the kitchen - and the plates were passed to each person. It's a French method of serving to have the head of household plate and serve each diner although I have no idea why my parents adopted that method - we are not French.

I never use my Le Cruset on the table....but for once. We were 12 were having a sea food ( see food!!) pig out with shrimp, lobster tails, crab legs, mussels....and salad and bread!
Everyone had their own little cup of melted butter.....and in the middle of the table I put a quite warm Dutch oven full of damp wash cloths....and a basket next to if for the used ones. Sort of a redneck version of fingerbowls...;-)
I also grew up with a properly set table every evening. and my father also carved and served.
Nope...no plastic. Melamine is for tailgates and even then no plastic utensils, cheap stainless works better. I do bend on plastic stemmed glasses for tailgates, and have some nice acrylic ones. I also object to even those vintage Pyrex mixing bowls on the table, they are kitchen items....and no bread in a wrapper nor milk in a bottle....but strangely a ketchup or hot sauce bottle is OK....but mayonnaise in a jar is not. Hmmm?
Pilllog mentioning the glass shards....one time my husband and I and a friend were having drinks on the patio and the friend broke an antique cut glass. She apologized profusely as I was visibly upset and offered to replace it....but I told her I was more worried about glass in my bare feet and my kids feet than I was the glass.
And another time we were having dinner for about 12 in the back yard....and I use "fine china" for my kitchen dishes. cheap Mikasa fine china...it's light and not "chippy". And guests were wondering why I didn't just use paper, and I explained that I don't DO paper plates. Well this set of Mikasa china was bought on BIG time sale....it was $15 per place setting for 4....less than $1 per piece and I liked them a lot! Well when Iw as gathering up the cups and saucers and dessert plates as it was getting dark...well anyhow a dog on a leash, maybe a glass or 2 ...or 3 of wine....and I dropped the whole trayfull and broke about 3 cups and a small plate. Of course the reason they were so cheap when I bought them is because they were discontinued....so I went on Replacements and bought what i had broken and paid more for those few pieces than I did for the whole set I had before!

plllog, I think it’s the Gladware type plastic that some of us don’t like at the table. Decorative plastic I think is fine (except for a fancy-schmancy dinner, and even then a good quality one might find its way to the table). There’s some beautiful melamine! I like using that for the patio.

We like to eat outside a lot, and it is not really practical to have serving bowls there. I have quite a few trays, however.

I don't hate plastic, but I do reserve it for patio use, which is frequent. I also do not want any glass around the pool. There are some interesting stores in the Uptown Design District of Palm Springs that have some nice plastic serving dishes for use outdoors.

Here are some serving dishes (and pottery) from Palm Springs Modernism Week, February 16, 2020:

None of these are plastic, but they give you an idea of the styles and patterns that are popular in Palm Springs.

Lars, those are gorgeous! I also really like Sleevendog's Eva collection.

Bpath, I definitely get the aversion to the "disposable" plastic containers as well as the old style Tupperware, which is ugly (I say old style because they have some newer decorative pieces (not that I own either)), on the table. As I said, I'd put them out for something out of the fridge, along with the pickle and condiment jars, for the immediate family for pickup lunch, as I would the old colored Pyrex mixing bowls (or other kitchenware) with what was mixed in it, but the new lidded clear glass Pyrex bowls are elegant (sans lid) and much more likely to be used on my table. Especially given that they're more practical because of the lids. I might make the chicken salad in a mixing bowl, for the size, then put it in the nice clear Pyrex for serving then storage.

It's interesting how many of you use cloth napkins. I have plenty, but I've given up. Guests avoiding wiping their hands on them. They're just not comfortable with them. So I set my table with top grade paper napkins, like Vanity Fair. That's also easier on the wash water usage (displaced resources), so I do it for family, too.

And I use the banana leaf plastic serving dishes with the fancy gold trimmed porcelain, chargers, stems, etc. They look fine among the flowers, candles, etc.

I serve our plates from the stove except when we have a sit down dinner in the dining room. Then I use my antique Haviland Limoges dishes, and with them I use either silver serving bowls and plates and/or crystal. For casual dinners at the kitchen table, I will sometimes use a clear glass bowl that is part of a mixing bowl set for the pasta or salad.

I love that Eva Zeisel collection too! I wish it were not earthenware though, my experiences with that have been disappointing. I spent some time on her website, lovely stuff.

Wow, Lars, that "unidentified" pottery is stunning. I love the shapes and the surface designs, wow.

I'm one of those folks who likes the "old school" cheap clear or colored pressed glass for everyday serving dishes. I have some inherited pieces and pick them up at Goodwill and Salvation Army whenever I find some that I like. At one time they were collector's items but they seem to have fallen out of fashion. I can also occasionally find pieces I like at the dollar or other discount stores. So much nicer than plastic, IMHO. I do however, use my plastic stuff for camping and picnics. I inherited a lot of that stuff too. The older stuff lasts longer, not as wasteful. I drop a newer plastic container out of the freezer or fridge and often it shatters . . . .

Bpath, I found the ID for the other pottery:

Like lpink, I have lots of serving dishes that belonged to my Grandmother or Great-Grandmother, mostly the cut glass and pressed glass serving dishes from the 50s or before. I do have sets of Pyrex and a cabinet full of old Fire King and Pyrex glass casseroles that are used regularly, going from the oven to the table to the refrigerator:, but my serving dishes tend to be the old Wexford serving pieces, platters and bowls like these:

And individual dessert dishes, although I suppose they could be used for other things, like maybe cold soups. They are mostly used for dessert mousse, puddings and custards and individual fruit salads.

Grandma liked the Wexford pattern and so I have platters and bowls, glasses of all sizes, and those individual footed pieces, as well as a large pitcher, cream and sugar servers, a jam jar, a cake plate, etc.

I also have some green pressed glass bowls, I have a nesting set of four, as well as some clear Fire King:

There is a lovely stoneware light blue serving bowl and matching small platter from san, handmade by one of her friends. Plus, of course, the serving dishes that go with my Fiesta Ware and various holiday themed platters, like this one for Thanksgiving.

Of course, none of these things get daily use, they are mostly for family dinners and holidays, which just aren't happening right now. I keep them and use them because they were family items that I remember holding fruit salad or turkey at Thanksgiving, or the rare homemade pudding, which was a real treat when I was a child. Grandma was widowed at a young age with 3 small children, so she worked doing laundry and cooking and cleaning for others. She sold just about everything she had, trying to make ends meet. She lived with us my entire childhood, so when she no longer had to worry about hungry mouths or a roof over her head, she spent her little bit of pension and Social Security on "nice things", and they made her happy. I remember her sitting with a cookbook and a cup of tea, listening to opera on the record player or the Galloping Gourmet on TV, dreaming up things that she could serve in those "fancy" dishes. The Wexford pitcher and drinking glasses were ever present in the summer, used for iced tea and the occasional pitcher of red Koolaid. Using them makes me think of her and smile, so I keep using them, mindful of the much easier life that I am blessed with.

Annie

both, use depends upon the occasion ...

lars, think your unidentified is 'poppytrail' by met lox

I love those 1950s designs.

Annie I think I see an antique pattern glass bowl in that stack of Wexford....

Annie, I have the same green bowls. About a dozen years ago a big barn antique store in the country retired and had a clearing out sale. Always expensive years past but they slashed prices. I bought a box of all green. Box was stuffed. Love it.

This is impressive. I was on the EvaZeisel site this morning. New dripless candles delivered yesterday. I have seven of her candlesticks, very heavy metal, and filled my bird salt and pepper shakers with fresh. Amazing prices compared to what I paid 15 years ago. The bird shakers are much nicer than the pic. They rock and they are wide at the base. Good feel in the hand.

12 dollars while supplies last. Made in Italy. Not really gifting this year much. Though a good one for an under 20$ price point.

(cannot believe they left the big box on top of my mailbox down by the road)...candles and a cookbook, etc. Big box. Fortunately a safe neighborhood.

LindaC, there is one very heavy glass bowl in that stack, with a petal shaped rim and gold trim, it's the "potato salad bowl", LOL. I don't know what it really is, but it's really heavy and Grandma always used it for potato salad.

Annie

My great grandmother had ( and I now have) an RS Prussia bowl that my grandmother always used for potato salad. It now sits in a place of honor, displayed on a shelf. And my grandmother had a pressed glass bowl, similar to yours that was the "tomato dish". Just big enough for maybe 2 tomatoes sliced and seasoned. It's now mine and It has a crack so I don't dare use it....so bought a similar one...
I love those old traditional use dishes.