The Best White Serving Dishes For Your Summer Soiree

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White serving dishes are a classic that belongs in every kitchen. Patterned, handpainted, or colorful serving dishes might be a fun novelty one in a while, but most of the time you just want something simple and classy that won’t draw any focus away from the food itself. White serving dishes come in all shapes and sizes, from bowls with simple designs to plates with more elegant textured designs to other types of serving platters with bold design features you’ve never seen before. In this post, I’ll go over all the types of serving platters, how to take care of them, and the best models of each kind.

Why and When to Use White Serving Dishes

There are four main reasons to use white serving dishes:

Flavor

Different color platters actually affect the psychology of the eater in ways that can seriously affect the dining experience. There’s a whole field of study dedicated to how presentation affects the meal, in fact! For example, black dishes bring out savory flavors in food, red dishes make the diner feel full more quickly, and green dishes give the frood a more “fresh” feel. White dishes have perhaps the most positive effect of all, though: they bring out the sweetness in the food. Out of all the major flavor profiles, a little added sweetness is a great addition to almost any dish. Use white serving dishes for almost all meals unless you want the flavor profile to focus on sourness or bitterness, but you should definitely use it for any food focused on sweetness.

Aesthetics

As I mentioned in this post’s intro, a white platter does not steal any attention away from the food. Making a food look as visually appealing as possible is a very important part of making the meal enjoyable, so serving on white platters is usually a good way to enhance your cooking. White serving platters also just have classier connotations than other colors, so they look more distinguished. Use white dishes when serving a meal with any focus on presentation.

Ease of Cleaning

Regular soap-and-water washing is just as easy with any color dishes as it is with white ones, although it is considerably easier to notice every fleck of food residue or grime on white platters. If a white dish gets stained, though, you can use bleach to get it out, whereas you risk discoloration if you use bleach with other colors of dishware. Bleach is inexpensive, easy to find, and extremely powerful. Use white dishes when serving more than a couple of people, since they will make cleanup faster. Also use them when serving a food that can stain the platter, like meat, berries, or anything soaked in vinegar.

Price

Since most materials used to make serving dishes are naturally white or some color close to it, they do not need to be dyed before selling. For that reason, white dishware made from natural materials (not plastic) is generally less expensive than other colors. When buying a large set of dishes for a party, head to the white dishes section for better prices.

White Serving Dishes From Classic To Bold

I always have presentation in mind when serving food, and I’ve thrown well over a hundred dinner parties in my time where making the meal look good was a priority. In preparation for those parties, I’ve done countless hours of research into the best white serving dishes in terms of appearance, functionality, and cost-efficiency. Below, I’ve listed 21 of my absolute favorite finds so that you don’t have to go through the same arduous process that I have. Note that all of my picks are durable and dishwasher-safe.

1. Pantry Serving Bowl

by Williams Sonoma

I’ll start with the simplest, most classic platter on this list. The bowl’s untextured design is very basic, so it looks good with pretty much any other dishware. It’s made from sturdy high-fired porcelain, and it’s a perfect size for salad or pasta.

2. Emma Beaded Stoneware Footed Serving Bowl

by Pottery Barn

This deep hand-glazed ceramic bowl is an excellent centerpiece. The bowl is slightly elevated off the ground by an ornate foot, and both the foot and the rim of the bowl are elegantly lined with a beaded pattern.

3. Ruffle Platter

by Crate & Barrel

This shallow earthenware platter is another simple piece. However, the platter’s edges, which are molded into a ruffled, flower-like shape, make it just eye-catching enough to convey class without taking away attention from the food.

4. Palm Platter

by Crate & Barrel

The long boat-like shape of this platter is already pretty cool, and the gold-tinged leaf pattern on the bottom of the dish make it even more fun! The design is elegant but also tropical, and the shape is perfect for serving finger foods.

5. Monique Lhuillier Camille Scalloped Stoneware Serving Bowl

by Pottery Barn

French designer Monique Lhuillier was actually inspired by botanicals to create this petal-shaped bowl. It’s deep enough for hearier dishes like soups or spring salads, and the reactive glaze gives it cool reflective properties.

6. Swerve Olive Plate

by [amazon link=”B0183UYHL6″ link_icon=”none” title=”Restaurantware” /]

[amazon fields=”B0183UYHL6″ value=”thumb” image_size=”large” image_align=”center” image_alt=”Swerve 10 Ounce Olive Plate”]

I love the long, skinny shape of this foot-long serving trough, especially because of the subtle wavy shape. It’s such a nice look for serving appetizers, and the chip-resistant porcelain has a sturdy feel that makes a dish with this shape viable.

7. Chip & Dip Set

by [amazon link=”B0198GQPZA” link_icon=”none” title=”Gibson Home” /]

[amazon fields=”B0198GQPZA” value=”thumb” image_size=”large” image_align=”center” image_alt=”3pc Chip & Dip Set with Metal Rack”]

This is probably my favorite chips-and-dip solution of all time, especially if you’re going for something minimalist. The bottom platter is a simple, deep white bowl that’s a good size to hold chips. Above the chip bowl sits a smaller version of the same bowl that’s attached by a thin steel rack.

8. 3 Bowl Serving Tray

by [amazon link=”B098JT33JB” link_icon=”none” title=”Artena” /]

[amazon fields=”B098JT33JB” value=”thumb” image_size=”large” image_align=”center” image_alt=”10oz Ultra-fine Porcelain Chips and dip Serving Platter with Acacia Wooden Tray”]

Serving a few kinds of dips or sauces along with finger foods is a great way to spice up appetizers, but the big problem with dip bowls is they often slide around. The acacia wood stand with this set of three porcelain dip bowls prevents sliding and it looks great.

9. Honeycomb Serving Bowl

by Williams Sonoma

Alright, this one’s not 100% white but I couldn’t pass it up because I LOVE THIS BOWL. The ornate honeybee design is gorgeous, it’s a perfect size for pasta, and it’s amazingly durable – I’ve had mine for years and it hasn’t even chipped. Plus, it’s part of a line of dinnerware with the same design theme.

10. Lyla Fluted Oval Platter

by Magnolia

This flat oval-shaped platter is about 17”x10” in diameter, which is an ideal size for hearty dishes like meats or cakes. The pleated design around the slightly raised lip of the dish gives it a nice vintage look.

11. Oven to Table Oval Platter

by Crate & Barrel

The small stoneware platter itself is small but has slightly turned-up edges that make it ideal for serving hors d’oeuvres. The acacia wood stand rounds out the look with an upscale flair.

12. Asfi Melamine Serving Bowl & Platter Set

by Pottery Barn

The serving bowl and oval platter in this set are both crafted from melamine, a nitrogen-based plastic compound that’s especially durable. Plastic dishes often look cheap, but the rich white color and ornate engravings inspired by traditional Moroccan art on these pieces buck that stereotype.

13. Magnolia Est. Berry Bowl Set

by Magnolia

You know those cardboard or plastic tubs with wide slits cut in the bottom and sides that berries often come in? Well these white serving dishes are designed like those but made from attractive hand-painted ceramic. They look great and they provide extra air circulation to fruits and vegetables.

14. Engraved White Marble Cake Stand

by Magnolia

This white cake stand epitomizes the merging of elegance and rustic hand-carved design. It’s not the cheapest item on this list, but for such a functional product that’s made from stunning white marble, I’m actually amazed how affordable it is.

15. Black Rimmed Pitcher

by Magnolia

This is the best pitcher for serving drinks in a minimalist style. It can hold three quarts of liquid, and the simple white ceramic design with a thin black line around the rim makes it very versatile in terms of aesthetic.

16. Bee Serving Bowl

by Williams Sonoma

Even without the bee design, this bowl looks great with its light ivory glaze finish and its slightly wavy rim. But the trio of subtle honey bees around the sides of the bowl give it a sweet, timeless design that will pleasantly surprise guests.

17. Autumn Vine Serving Bowl

by Williams Sonoma

This salad bowl stands out from most white serving dishes because of the stainless steel around the rim. On opposite sides of the rim, copper-crafted pumpkin vines plated in nickel act as handles that are as functional as they are beautiful.

18. Apilco Lion’s Head Porcelain Soup Bowls & Tureen

by Williams Sonoma

This set comes with a tureen and two soup bowls. The 10” diameter oven-safe tureen has an elegant tapered shape atop a thick foot and includes a lid that makes it perfect for preparing souffles. The bowls are smaller 4” and 5” versions of the tureen, though the 5” bowl does not include a lid.

19. Gwendolyn by Trisha Yearwood Serving Bowl

by Williams Sonoma

Trisha Yearwood’s awesome design for this bowl was inspired by the signature of her mother, Gwendolyn, who used to decorate cakes and mark them with her ornate scrawl. The rim and the bottom surface of the bowl are lined with an elegant-looking pattern that makes the bowl fit right in at upscale parties.

20. Mason Modern Melamine Taco Holder

by Pottery Barn

This beautifully contoured piece is designed to hold three hard tacos snugly, and it’s made of melamine so it’s good for outdoor use. If you’re having an outdoor dinner party, why not leave out some taco shells in these holders and let guests add their own fillings?

21. Emma Beaded Stoneware Salt & Pepper Shakers

by Pottery Barn

These salt and pepper shakers have a great design: simple bell-shaped shakers with beads of white ringing the upper edge before the shape angles out a bit to form the heads of the shakers. It’s a classy way to fill out your all-white table setting.

Keeping It Classic

White serving dishes are simply the best way to eat. Whether you’re having a whiteout party (an ages-old concept made popular recently by the rapper Sean “Puffy” Combs) or sitting on your back porch having a lunchtime salad you whipped up, white eating platters look best, clean up the easiest, and can even make the sweet flavors in your food pop. Having at least one large set of white serving dishes in your kitchen is a must.