The Ultimate Buyer's Guide for Purchasing Porcelain Dinnerware Sets

10 Mar.,2025

 

Porcelain Dinnerware Set Buying Guide: 5 Key Factors to Consider ...

Dinnerware is an integral part of your dining table. Not only does beautiful and stylish dinnerware enhances the appearance of your meals, but it also improves dining experiences for you, your family, and your guests.

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A dinnerware set usually includes multiple items to accommodate the whole table. It includes dinner and salad plates, bowls, teacups, mugs, saucers, etc., depending on your needs and preferences.

You can find dozens of brands and hundreds of dinnerware sets made of different materials, such as earthenware, Bone China, melamine, porcelain, and stoneware. However, the most famous option for homeowners is a porcelain dinnerware set because of its durability, versatility, stylishness, and affordability.

Not all porcelain dinnerware sets are created equal so choosing the perfect product for your dining table is daunting and time-consuming. Today's article will discuss a few factors you can consider when shopping for a porcelain dinnerware set.

What to Look for in Porcelain Dinnerware

Most homeowners prefer porcelain dinnerware sets and dishes because they look beautiful and require less maintenance than other materials. Here is what to look for when choosing a porcelain dinnerware set for your dining table. Read on!

1. Straight Edges and Straight Sides

Most dinnerware sets come with traditionally styled items. For example, classic dinnerware sets contain plates with flattened structures in the middle and edges or rims around them.

However, we recommend choosing a dinnerware set with straight edges and straight sides. For instance, these plates are slim enough to easily fit on the table and the dishwasher. Likewise, they are generous enough to stylishly accommodate and represent a wide range of the heartiest meals.

Remember, a straight edge or side adds a unique touch of modernity and stylishness. So, plates with straight edges and straight sides are aesthetically pleasing, but they also have enough space to serve food. Your family members, particularly kids, will find it easier to handle plates with straight edges.

2. Thick Bottom on the Bowls

Bowls are essential components of a porcelain dinnerware set. However, a strong trend homeowners witness these days are an all-purpose dinnerware set with a thick bottom on the bowls.

While you can find tall and wide bowls to ensure proper food layering, the thick bottom makes it easier to hold in your hand and enjoy your favorite hot soup for dinner. You can also accommodate them on the table without needing underplates. The thick bottom of the bowls protects the dining table from heat and balances the place setting. Similarly, they are durable, reliable, and long-lasting.

3. Good Heft with a Solid Weight

Porcelain dishes or dinnerware items are usually lightweight with delicate edges. These products are lighter than other materials, such as earthenware and stoneware. However, this does not mean you choose porcelain dinnerware with lighter pieces.

Look for a porcelain dinnerware set that features good heft with a solid weight. The reason is that hefty dinnerware is durable and ideal for everyday use. However, it would help if you avoided dinnerware with too much weight because they are cumbersome to store and retrieve from a cupboard.

Dinnerware with a balanced weight has an upscale look, making it perfect for formal dining and parties. Porcelain dinnerware is slightly heavier than Bone China and highly resistant to breakage, and you can wash them comfortably and conveniently in the dishwasher.

4. Heavy Construction and Durability

A low-quality porcelain dinnerware can crack and break quickly. You can shatter a porcelain dish in the dishwasher during cleaning if it is lighter and thinner. Likewise, a porcelain coffee mug with light walls and narrow 'bottom' labeled as 'microwave-safe' can quickly blow up in the microwave.

If you want to learn more, please visit our website Midas.

Therefore, you must look for porcelain dinnerware with heavy construction and durability. Perform thorough research, ask around, and visit the store to check the construction and durability. Ask the staff whether they have tested the products via thermal shock, stain resistance, water leakage, dishwasher resistance, and microwave adaptability tests.

If you are shopping online, make sure you look for customer reviews before purchasing dinnerware. The purpose is to see what other people say about porcelain dinnerware and how durability and sturdiness matter: the thicker, heavier, and more durable the porcelain dinner, the higher its longevity.

Choosing durable dinnerware is long-lasting and resistant to chips and cracks. Thus, you can use it for a long time without compromising quality, making it perfect for fine dining, banqueting, and family dinners.

5. Design, Style, and Versatility 

Design, style, versatility, and price are crucial factors to consider when looking for or purchasing a porcelain dinnerware set. Depending on your needs, you can choose colorful porcelain dinnerware, but we recommend simple, minimalistic designs with white color.

You can never go wrong with white porcelain dinnerware because they are stylish, classic, minimalistic, and versatile, making an excellent base set. The good news is that you can accent the dinnerware with colorful mugs and bowls. Similarly, white porcelain plates look beautiful with all sorts of glasses.

Porcelain dinnerware is more versatile and affordable than other materials. For instance, you don't need to purchase two dinnerware sets. Instead, you can invest in a nice, durable, long-lasting set to save space and money. White porcelain dinnerware is feasible for everyday and formal dining, letting you enjoy the beautiful tableware all the time.

Final Words

Porcelain is a non-porous ceramic manufactured with premium-quality clay. Porcelain is heated at 2,300 degrees Fahrenheit to make it challenging to break. Materials' durability, dishwasher safety, microwave-safe usage, style, color, pattern, thick bottom, straight edges, straight sides, and maintenance are things you should consider before buying dinnerware.

Guide to Buying Tableware - Dinnerware Guide - Wedgwood®

Porcelain is traditionally made from a silicone material called kaolin that gives porcelain products their flexibility, plasticity and strong structure. Porcelain dinnerware is also made from pottery stone, which gives the material its hardness and translucency, as well as its non-porous surface. Porcelain is an extremely strong dinnerware material, as it is:

  • Capable of being fired at up to degrees centigrade
  • Dishwasher safe
  • Oven safe
  • Microwave safe (however if the piece has a metallic accent, don't put it in the microwave) 

Looking to Royal Doulton again, our friends there have been manufacturing ceramics and porcelain since , so when it comes to porcelain dinnerware, they're the highest quality choice. Our personal favourites from Royal Doulton's porcelain collections include (a vibrant and colourful range of porcelain) and Pacific (rigorously tested porcelain that's highly durable and perfect for everyday use).

'There is no wrong or right way in selecting a tableware set. However, it is important to think of the various occasions and style of occasions it will be used for, and the type of food that will be served in it. The personality of a tableware set has an important role in setting the mood of an occasion.'

There are many different items that can make up a dinnerware set, such as:

  • Dinner plates
  • Multi-purpose bowls for cereal, soups, noodles, stir-fries and so on
  • Side plates for salads, starters, desserts and tapas-style meals
  • Bread and butter plates
  • Mugs and teacups
  • Saucers
  • Trays
  • Serving platters
  • Knives, forks and spoons

You can have your favourite pieces that you use every day, or you can have a special set that comes in handy when hosting friends and family. The choice is up to you! 

A good idea is to buy a dinnerware set that accommodates the number of people in your household, such as the Wedgwood Gio Set for four people or the Wedgwood Gio Gold Set for a single diner. 

Wedgwood dinner sets come in a host of different sizes and configurations, ranging from two to twenty-six piece sets. Here are some examples of what is included in a variety of our standard dinner set sizes.

Wedgwood china dinner sets are strong and durable in their essence, however there are still measures you can take to make sure you are serving your family and friends on your Wedgwood china dinnerware for years to come.

Here are some tips for washing your Wedgwood china dinnerware set:

  • Wash dishes straight away to remove any acidic or sticky food residue.
  • When handwashing, wash each dish individually using a mild liquid detergent and a non-abrasive cloth. Having a plastic tuc in the sink is also a good idea, as it will protect the china from the harsh stainless steel of the sink.
  • If using a dishwasher, take care not to overload the rack, and keep metal items away from your fine bone china - even light contact can scratch, chip or crack your dishes. 

Here are some tips for keeping your Wedgwood china dinnerware in stunning condition:

  • Soak your pieces in white vinegar for three minutes before rinsing and towel drying them to remove hard water spots.
  • Remove coffee stains from mugs (as well as fork marks from plates) by rubbing a paste of baking soda and water over the dinnerware before rinsing and drying. 
  • To prevent scratching and chipping your fine bone china dinner set, put it in a fabric storage case, or put segments of fabric, tissue paper or napkins between each piece when stacking. 

You can see our full Care Guide and Bone China material guide to ensure your Wedgwood products last the test of time.

If you want to learn more, please visit our website Porcelain Dinnerware Sets.