I switched to Corelle for my every day dishes -best thing I’ve ever done! I have a nicer 8 place setting that I use when needed (I fill out with plastic for kids) and I have twelve of each salad and dinner gold rimmed plates that I got when a Bed Bath and Beyond type store was closing near us. I got all twelve for $25! They’re just the salad and dinner plates, but how often do you serve soup when you have such a large crowd? I’ll usually make acorn squash “soup bowls” for my Christmas dinner if I’m doing a lentil soup like I do sometimes. I have a separate tea service, so I’m happy with just the plates.
Target sells nice melamine plates. They don’t break like glass but aren’t plastic either. They have some really pretty designs, too. I got rid of my glass stuff and have a set of these. It has taken a really hard drop on a hard floor to crack one of the bowls. I was able to put a little super glue on it and it works just fine. My girls have been the dishes with them since they were 4 and 6 and haven’t broken anything.
Wow, what an interesting discussion. I’d heard of Corelle but never knew it was that amazing! I have my boys doing dishes more and more when we have to hand-wash (more drying than washing) and they are in charge of emptying the dishwasher as well. Many of my old dishes (one set 20 years old, one set about 8 years old) are showing more chips and cracks, likely a result of the fact that the kids are now doing so much more “helping”. I will wait awhile until I’m sure they are capable of being more careful/less accidents….and then when it’s time I guess I’ll have Corelle on my gift list!
Lindsey D your comment about having a dish crush made me smile …I had a stroller crush….I think I had 6 or 8 strollers at one point (and I only have four children!) I only became “cured” when our garage ran out of space…(and when I found myself with no more baby in stroller)
We’ve been eating off melamine plates and bowls since the little ones got home and we were living on cement floors (passive solar) about 7 years ago but a friend who moved away gave me a set of Ikea’s 365 brand dishes a few weeks ago. We’re trying to get used to them but we’re so used to the sturdiness and weight of the melamine none of us are excited about the new plates. My husband suggested Corelle and after reading this I think that is what we’re destined for.
Before the gift of the dishes we were a family of 6 with 7 plates and 5 bowls in circulation and 8 backup plates high in the shelf (we ended up preferring the small salad plate as our regular plate and only use the dinner plate size when we run out and don’t have time to handwash. The lack of bowls was getting a little rediculous (we’d use mugs or Pyrex storage dishes to let everyone eat at once).
I’ve not heard of eating off of pewter plates. Sounds…interesting.
And to pangit, I worry that the crack in the bowl you fixed is a potential breeding ground for bacteria. When our melamine plates/bowls crack we let the kids finish breaking them (fun sound and sensation) and throw them away. Anyway, I was always scared to repair them not knowing what might grow in the uneven spaces!
I guess I should say that our Corelle dishes were broken in extreme conditions—- kids using them outside and dropping them on cement sidewalks; feed trucks driving over dishes that were left outside, that kind of thing. I’ve become much more strict about which dishes are allowed outside!!!
I do like Corelle – a lot. It seems they have a pattern for everyone.
Shannon…I had missed pangit’s mention of that crack, but went back and read it…and that reminds me of something. I haven’t had any big break or crack, mostly chips and usually off at the side. But is it true when dishes have a chip or deep scratch we should stop using them due to the possibility of bacteria that you mention? Or is the need to discontinue usage just if it’s a big scratch or piece broken off?
I really don’t like washing dishes, or running the dishwasher much, so the kids use one cup, and one bowl, one set of silverware for the entire day, all three meals, and just rinse it out every time. The littler set gets the plastic bowls, the older three use normal bowls. That way I always have enough plates if we have company, or in-laws staying with us, etc. We run the dishwasher every 2 days, and I wash most nights but just the pots and pans. We can’t justify using paper products in our budget unless there is a special occaision. We used to have some plastic large dinner plates, but they eventually started not getting clean and even got a bit of mold, so I’d rather have breakable over that!
We also use Corelle. We got 12 place settings when we got married. They are now nearly 20 years old and sadly are getting brittle. This year we have found 5-7 plates or bowls suddenly broken for no reason. For example, after they have been in the dishwasher or pulling a dish out of the cupboard, it will be broken completely in half! I guess even Corelle won’t last forever!
I used Corelle for about 30 years. They don’t break easily, but when they do, it’s really a mess! I liked them because they stack really well and if you don’t have much room, that’s great. They do tend to discolor and get brittle over time.
About three years ago, I bought Fiestaware. We live about 30 minutes from the Fiesta factory and I was able to get all seconds. I have at least 20 place settings, so typically that’s enough even when we have guests. I am so totally in love with my Fiestaware. The colors just brighten up everything. If you can get to the factory outlet store (newell, West Virginia) the seconds are less expensive than Corelle and are much more durable.
I just wanted to smile and laugh today. Only women could have a lively discussion about “plates” our likes, dislikes, how many we have and how easily or non-easily they break! I love us women.
I have a Corelle outlet near by that might be what I need to look into. As i do have some old bowls around here that when dropped on our tile floor have not broke except once. Hmmm Mother’s day is right around the corner correct????
Interesting. We switched to plain, white Corelle 7 years ago. I love them. They are lightweight. A few have broken from being dropped on a hard floor. I will look into pewter. Plastic scares me, especially after watching a documentary on Netflix about it. We also use cheap paper plates for snacks and sandwiches and other dry items.
I use Corelle because of its good reputation, but I have to confess we break it. A lot. Maybe we are just very, very hard on things. Or clumsy. But we’ve broken Corelle on the floor, on the kitchen counter, on the table, by dropping things ON it, by putting it accidentally on a hot burner (DO NOT DO THIS–IT WILL EXPLODE.) I’m on my third set. LOL I’ve actually broken less stoneware (although to be fair I use it less.)
We are a family of 8 and I buy the big stack of paper plates from Sam’s bi-weekly. They have gone up several dollars in price since December and we create a lot of trash. I tried the “unbreakable Corelle”, but it tends to shatter into thousands of tiny glass shards. Are the IKEA plates ceramic? I would love to quit spending money on paper. We too experience the breakage of dishes that comes with having children help with kitchen tasks. With our large family, we’d have to run the dishwasher at least twice a day if we switched back to re-useable. Or kids would have to wash plates by hand. What are your experiences with kids washing plates two times a day by hand?
I use my collection of Polish Pottery plates…I have collected them for years…they all blend well together even though they do not match as each is individually designed…and they are super sturdy…I dropped a mug onto our hard kitchen floor and it did not break…so that is what we use day to day…and I have my mum’s set of German china for special occasions….everyone has to use what they like and what works for them….I have not seen corelle…must look at it ..it sounds good…