9 Serving Dishes With Lids to Elevate Your Next Gathering

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In my opinion, every serving dish is better when it comes with a lid. They add to the versatility and utility of any dish, and there are few things more appetizing than that moment you lift the lid off a dish and a plume of fragrant steam creeps out.

In this post, I’m going to go over why lidded serving dishes are so great and how to go about shopping for them. I’ll even recommend nine of my very favorite models.

Why You Need Dishes with Lids

There are lots of reasons dishes with lids are superior, including:

They’re More Portable

If you’re planning on preparing a meal in one place and taking it to another place before cooking or eating it, preparing it in a dish with a lid is really the way to go. The lid will prevent spilling, will stop anything from falling into the food while it’s in transit, and will keep hot foods hot on the road. You can always cover a non-lidded dish with plastic wrap, but it doesn’t look as good and plastic wrap isn’t great for covering hot foods since the steam can pop it or melt through it.

Added Flavor During Cooking

Meals that are cooked in a dish with a lid (like a casserole dish, for example) are tastier due to the fact that the aromatic steam produced during cooking swirls around the food and infuses it with more of its own flavor. Cooking in a dish without a lid allows the flavorful vapor to escape, which is good for some dishes but seems like a waste with others.

Long Parties

Serving dishes with lids are especially important for parties where the food will be sitting for longer than a few minutes waiting for people to snack on it. One reason is, as I mentioned before, the lid keeps heat from escaping. The other reason is that serving dishes with lids just scream “luxury.” You’ve probably watched “Chopped” and seen the large domed silver cover being lifted to reveal some delicious meal. That cover is called a “cloche” (which means “bell” in French) and it, along with other serving dish covers, have come to represent class and decadence in the culinary service world.

Easy Food Storage

If food prepared in a serving dish with a lid is not finished in one sitting, it’s easy to store in the fridge or freezer. You don’t have to worry about measuring and tearing off an appropriately sized piece of plastic wrap. When you’re ready to start eating again, the food will be waiting for you in an elegant-looking dish that is probably safe to microwave or even defrost in the oven.

What to Consider When Buying Serving Dishes with Lids

If you are they type to shop for your own picks instead of choosing from my recommendations, just make sure to keep these important aspects in mind when looking at serving dishes with lids:

The Fit of the Lid

The lid should fit onto the dish tightly enough to prevent much air from escaping. You don’t want the fit to be so tight, though, that the lid is difficult to lift off using only one hand.

Freezer-, Microwave-, and Oven-Safe

One of the big advantages of serving dishes with lids is being able to move them from oven to table to freezer to microwave (or any combination of those places) without worrying about transferring them to a separate container. Of course, that benefit is gone if the dish is not made from a versatile material.

Thickness

Another huge benefit to these dishes is that heat does not escape as quickly as it does with uncovered dishes. This benefit is significantly diminished if the sides of the dish are thin and, therefore, do not have good heat insulation properties.

Grip

Two kinds of grip are important when looking at serving dishes with lids.

First, the grip on the handle to the lid itself should be solid so that constantly taking off and replacing the lid (during a dinner buffet, for example) is not a pain.

Second, the carrying grips or handles for the dish should be easy to clutch and well-insulated from heat so that the dish is easy to transport, regardless of the weight or temperature of the food inside.

The Best Serving Dishes with Lids

The table below contains my top nine recommendations for serving dishes with lids. Each row contains one model name, along with the type of serving dish it is and the price range on a scale of $-$$$$$$. Below the table, you can read a bit more about each model included on the list.

Model Name	Type of Serving Platter	Price Range
Essential Covered Square Baker	Casserole Dish	$$$
[amazon link=”B08F532NTG” link_icon=”none” title=”Red Casserole Dish” /]	Casserole Dish	$$
[amazon link=”B09G6NXTMW” link_icon=”none” title=”Ceramic Divided Serving Dishes” /]	Finger Foods Bowl Set	$
[amazon link=”B00IMCHEZM” link_icon=”none” title=”Prodyne Iced Up Salad Bowl” /]	Salad Bowl	$$
Corningware	Plate and Bowl Set	$$
Baking Dishes with Bamboo Lids	Sunken Serving Tray	$$
Essential Lidded Bowl Set	Bowl Set	$$$$
Gerson Company Lidded Bowl	Sugar Bowl	$$$
Blue Small Oval Baker	Casserole Dish	$$$$$$

1. Essential Covered Square Baker

by [amazon link=”B00080XHMA” link_icon=”none” title=”CorningWare” /]

[amazon fields=”B00080XHMA” value=”thumb” image_size=”large” image_align=”center” image_alt=”CorningWare French White 8-Piece Bake and Serve Set”]

This 9×9 covered dish may look pretty barebones with its pure white exterior, but it actually does a fantastic job at insulating heat. The stone used to make it is nice and thick, which not only traps in heat for hours but also makes the dish surprisingly durable and resistant to chipping. It’s oven- and freezer-safe, too, so you can cook a nice casserole inside, bring the dish straight to the table as a nice centerpiece, and then stick it straight into the fridge or freezer after eating if there are leftovers.

2. Red Casserole Dish

by [amazon link=”B08F532NTG” link_icon=”none” title=”FUN ELEMENTS” /]

[amazon fields=”B08F532NTG” value=”thumb” image_size=”large” image_align=”center” image_alt=”2 Quart Lace Emboss Casserole Dish with Lid”]

This is another covered casserole dish, but it has a vibrant aesthetic that makes it great for colorful occasions like potlucks, birthday parties, and taco buffets. The round ceramic dish holds two quarts and is painted with a firetruck red color (or bright white or grayish blue, if you choose those color options) that really makes it stand out. In fact, Fun Elements claims its proprietary glaze is 30% more reflective than most competitors, giving the pieces it’s used on a distinct “pop.” The dish’s sides are also embossed with a lace-inspired pattern.

I should also note that the walls of the dish and the ergonomically-designed lid are .375 inches thick. That’s 20% thicker than most casserole dishes, which helps keep food hot for longer when it’s served in the dish.

3. Ceramic Divided Serving Dishes

by [amazon link=”B09G6NXTMW” link_icon=”none” title=”Yarlung” /]

[amazon fields=”B09G6NXTMW” value=”thumb” image_size=”large” image_align=”center” image_alt=”Ceramic Divided Serving Dishes”]

This is probably the most useful piece on this list, because it combines five separate serving dishes into one beautiful design. The five identical containers are constructed from white ceramic and are each shaped like one of five petals of a flower. The containers have stone covers that are each topped by a bamboo knob in the center to make lifting off the top easy.

The five containers fit together into a flower shape. The set also includes a bamboo tray with slightly raised edges that keeps the containers in place and aids in transportation of all five at once. The containers are not oven-safe, but this set may still be my favorite item on this list because the concept is both unique and convenient.

4. Prodyne Iced Up Salad Bowl

by [amazon link=”B00IMCHEZM” link_icon=”none” title=”Prodyne” /]

[amazon fields=”B00IMCHEZM” value=”thumb” image_size=”large” image_align=”center” image_alt=”Prodyne Iced Up Salad To Go Bowl”]

Salad is a staple dish to bring to a dinner party, but the main problem is that it doesn’t stay cold for long in a regular dish. Not only does lukewarm salad just not taste as good, but the rise in temperature also causes the salad ingredients to lose their cripiness and crunch. This 5.5 quart salad bowl actually includes a screw-on ice compartment that you can load up to keep the salad cold without actually getting water on it. A plastic handle screws onto the top of the ice compartment to cover the dish and make it easier to carry around. It’s a brilliant concept, and something I’m surprised I haven’t seen more often.

5. Corningware

by Bed Bath and Beyond

This set includes three covered baking dishes that double as serving dishes. All three of the bowls have flat sides and bottom surfaces to allow maximum capacity and make cooking easier when they are baking in the oven. They also have ridged patterns around their exteriors that give them a slightly more festive look. The two larger bowls, which are 1.5 quarts and 2.5 quarts, respectively, each come with both a glass cover (for baking) and a plastic cover (which is even better at trapping in heat or cold). The smallest 16 ounce bowl only comes with a plastic cover. Since the three dowels descend in size, you can nest them within each other for compact storage.

6. Baking Dishes with Bamboo Lids

by Crate & Barrel

This is another minimalist covered serving dish set that doubles as ovenware. The three white trays (32, 67, and 128 ounces) have an angular design that helps with cooking a nice evenly-baked casserole and looks cool when sitting on the table. Plus, the stoneware is safe for any temperature.

The real standout feature of the dishes, though, are the flat bamboo lids for each of them. They’re not oven-safe like the dishes themselves, but they look fantastic when they’re being used to cover the dishes after they’re out of the kitchen already. They give the dishes a summery look that is aesthetically perfect for outdoor parties or homes with a lot of natural lighting. Again, the trays can nest inside one another.

7. Essential Lidded Bowl Set

by Madewell

These covered bowls really do put looks first, and they do a great job of it. They’re not as versatile in terms of temperature-proofing as the previous items on this list (although they’re still dishwasher-safe), but they have a delicately curved cereal bowl shape that’s more pleasing to the eye than an oven dish. The bowls are made from 100% compostable but reusable bamboo fiber, which is surprisingly sturdy and gives them a nice texture. The fiber is covered with an earth tone paint – either green-gray or light pink.

And then of course there are the covers, which are made of beechwood. They have a delicate feel and lift off of the containers easily, though that also means they are not airtight.

8. Gerson Company Lidded Bowl

by Ashley Furniture

This deep 5” diameter bowl is perfect for displaying in a place of prominence as a sugar dish, a candy bowl, or a place to keep other finger foods. The white stoneware bowl itself is nothing remarkable, but it nestles into an included metal stand that features a delicate espresso-brown metal vine design adorned with hand-painted golden leaves. And then there’s the lid, which is also made of white stoneware but has a bulb-shaped handle with the same espresso-and-gold metal design. The piece may not have the utilitarian functionality of the casserole dishes on this list, but it has a dainty, luxurious aesthetic that I haven’t seen in any other covered serving dish.

9. Blue Small Oval Baker

by Target

This gorgeous dish is made of clay and coated with a natural glaze. It’s adorned with stunning artwork hand-painted in Poland; either a deep blue floral pattern or a red-green jungle art pattern, depending on what design you choose. The casserole dish is smaller than you might think – 3 inches high by 8.5 inches wide by 3 inches deep – but it’s durable and does an excellent job of distributing heat evenly during baking.

This piece is not cheap, but I think it’s worth it to spend a bit of extra money on a piece that not only makes casseroles well but can also be a centerpiece at almost every dinner party.

You’re Covered

If you take away one thing from this post, it should be this: serving dishes with lids are hands-down more useful than those without! And having dishes that not only come with lids but also look nice and maybe make food prep easier? That’s one of the major keys to throwing successful dinner parties.