Way OT: square dinnerware? restaurant suppliers?

I've realized that I'd really like to start using non-hand-me-down
dishes. I've also realized that I really want square plates like you
find in some restaurants, with angled corners (that work really well
for cornering that last tiny bit of pasta, etc).

jmcquown...

Sometimes hand me down isn't the best thing. I have this god awful china.
It belonged to my Scottish grandmother and I HATE it. A couple of people
over on rec.food.cooking want it... I'm like, okay, pay for the shipping!
16 place settings of hideously ugly china. Sorry, it's not square. It's
just ugly. Grandma was married in the Victorian era when everything was
rather gauche.

I'm thinking the best/cheapest place to find dishwasher-able stuff
like this is a restaurant supplier.

Anyone have any ideas?

At the very least, I would want square plates and some kind of bowls
to go with them, maybe square, I dunno, and probably some salad plates
and such wouldn't be bad, either. And I'd want enough to really stock
a house, so 10 of each or something like that. On cooking.com I'm
seeing stuff I like, but it's $45 for 2 plates! Eek!

jmcquown...

Keep in mind restaurants write off these items as business expenses. Check

William Hamblen...

Restaurants don't buy from the expensive places, either. Look in the
Yellow Pages for "Restaurant Supply". Restaurant supply companies are
used to selling larger orders than you might want to buy and most sell
only to businesses.

jmcquown...

I never broke a plate when I was serving but I can tell you a lot of plates
got chipped and/or broken and had to be tossed. Still, there are supply
places that will sell a service for 8 or 10... just call ahead.

WalMart or Target (as has already been suggested). Definitely stay away
from places like Williams Sonoma; they charge a fortune for something as
simple as a placemat! Oh, you might look at some Asian shops. I got my
brother a set of 8 celadon green dinner plates, salad plates, soup bowls and
those fun little soup spoons and only paid about $50 for the entire set.

Winnie...

Those soup spoons are designed so the spoon handle won't get hot when
you drink hot (temperature-wise)
soup. Someone told me they are more ergonomic than 'western' spoons.
There is an area in China which is famous for their dinner wares.
Something to do with the clay.

Monique Y. Mudama...

I love the look of those wide spoons, but they're typically too big
for me to use comfortably. I have a small mouth!

That was a while ago, but you can find some good deals at the Asian markets.
He liked the set so much he went out and found a matching saki set and tea
pot :)

mlbriggs...

Many years ago, I bought plain white, open stock Corning Ware. I have
had a dish drop into the sink and another time drop to the floor without
breaking. Corning Ware today also has interesting, simple patterns. I
suggest you take a look at it. MLB

jmcquown...

Are you speaking of Corelle Dinnerware? My mom bought some in the 1970's
and challenged their claim about not breaking. I still have this funny
image of her throwing plates on the floor attempting to break them. They
were my first dishes. Hey, they have square ones!

Jane...

Oh man! I love them! I love Corelle! However, I already have a full
set of octagonal black dishes that I love, complete with matching
serving bowl, and what would I do with two sets of dishes?
Hmm.....it's been quite a few years. Maybe it's time for a change?
Don't tempt me! I'm trying to SAVE money!! Argh.

Jane
- owned and operated by Princess Rita

Monique Y. Mudama...

Those are nice, but I challenge your definition of square!

I really am looking for ones that have an actual seam, and four
straight lines where each side meets. I mean, not straight up, out
at an angle of course, but I want there to be an actual edge into
which noodles can be pushed to ease in the collection thereof ...

Does that make any sense? Probably not. Sigh.

Here's an example of what I mean:

Marina...

We have some deep dishes that are square like that, out on the island.
They are h*ll to wash by hand (we don't have electricity or running
water out there). If something has stuck and dried in one of the corners
it's just impossible to clean. I hate those dishes.

Monique Y. Mudama...

What about soaking them?

Marina...

Soaking them would be good if I could only convince everyone else that
soaking dishes is a good idea. ;o) Too often I go to wash the dishes and
find dried, crusty plates waiting for me.

jXwXeXrXmXoXnXt...

OK, I'm confused. I thought you lived alone! Who are these other people
who leave plates with crusty food in the sink?

Marina...

I live alone in town, but on the island I have to share a kitchen with
anyone who happens to be staying in my mother's cabin (I sleep in a
separate shed, because my sister is often staying at the cabin, and her
cats and mine don't mix. Actually, I prefer staying in the shed by

jXwXeXrXmXoXnXt...

Ah, the island. OK! :) It must be nice to get a mix of time alone, and
then have some time you're sharing with other people. I would like that,
anyway. At the beginning of the summer, I would enjoy being with people
after living alone for the past year, but by the end of the summer, I'd
be glad to get back to my own space! :)

myself). We also share household chores, such as cooking and washing dishes.

Monique Y. Mudama...

Eww.

grosses me out so badly. DH drinks milk a lot. I get grossed out a
lot.

Then again, since we depend on rain water for washing purposes,
sometimes we have to ration water when there is a drought (like this
summer). Of course, when we run out of rain water, we have to use sea
water, but that has to be lugged up a steep hill in buckets, and sea
water is also too hard. It doesn't wash as well as rain water.

Monique Y. Mudama...

Seems like a water shortage would be an ideal time to soak, since it
does a lot of the work without having to run water. But I've never
actually been in that position, so I don't know.

In fact, that particular set sorely tempts me, even though I find the
cups and saucers pretty much useless. Hrmm.

It turns out that DH has issues with spending money on new dishware,
and for some reason adores the hand me downs ("I've been eating off of
these plates for 30 years!"), so it may take some bargaining to get to
the point of actually having the plates I want ...

mlbriggs...

Yes -= Corelle made by CorningWare. I still have the original ones and
they look as god as new. MLB

Winnie...

You can always ask for these plates as your Christmas or birthday
presents.
Yup I just bought my first Christmas present this year, while the

Magic Mood Jeep©...

A bit of (useless) trivia about Corelle dinnerware:

The material that these dishes is made from was originally developed to be
used a heat shields on the space (as of yet unveiled) shuttle. Alas, while
durable, they were not good insulation against the extremely high
temperatures the shuttle must survive during re-entry. then I guess some
employee must have said jokingly "but they make good plates" - and a new
line of tableware was born!

And yes, they do have square, in 4 different 'patterns'

summer sale
is still on.

mlbriggs...

Tell him you are going to write a letter to Santa Clause because that
is what you want for Christmas. MLB

Winnie...

Reminds me of how dishes were thrown to the ground in some Greek
dances.
I saw dancers did that in the annual summer Greek fest here.

Winnie