Dishware & Plates

A good plate can turn even a Tuesday evening sandwich into a little ritual. And on Sundays, it's enough to make a pork roast and two dumplings into something guests will enjoy, without you having to go to too much trouble.

That's the quiet task of beautiful tableware: to make the day you're cooking anyway a little more festive. Every day.

Three characters on your table

Casa Cubista from the Portuguese pottery town of Caldas da Rainha — where small manufactories still hand-turn plates, making each piece slightly different. Glossy white with fine cobalt blue lines, it looks good in any kitchen and suits any meal.

Costa Nova, also from Portugal, but industrially produced — and thus the robust companion for everyday life: dishwasher-safe, oven-safe, stackable, in warm earth tones. If Casa Cubista tableware is Sunday, Costa Nova is the week.

Le Creuset stoneware rounds it off: in the cast iron colors Flame, Ocean, Meringue. If you already own a cocotte, matching stoneware completes the look from pot to plate.

The shapes

• Dinner plates — the classic, 26–29 cm, for main courses.
• Pasta plates — with a shallow rim for sauces, usually 25 cm.
• Dessert plates & breakfast plates — 19–22 cm, for cakes, bread, small appetizers.
• Deep plates & soup plates — for stews and curries.

Our tip for getting started: Six dinner plates and six pasta plates from a single series beat a wild mix of heirlooms. Add as needed later — dessert plates, a deep bowl, maybe a cake plate. This way, your tableware grows together organically, without you ever having to "assemble" it.

See also: Bowls, Cups & Mugs, Servingware.