Warming the plates before a meal is a classy and sophisticated touch, especially if you’re not plating from the kitchen but still serving family style. The heated plates imply that the food stays warm and allows the cook some latitude when finishing all the components of a meal. Knowing the manufacture of your dinner service helps determine exactly how long the plates need to make it to the optimum temperature without becoming overly hot — and demanding gloves to manage.
Fine China
Fine porcelain or bone china is fired at extremely high temperatures and can withstand high heat. If your oven has a heating drawer, keep the plates toasty while preparing your meal. The temperature used to proof dough, 100 degrees Fahrenheit, can also be a recommended setting while using the large cavity of the oven. The pull-out drawer under many electric ranges gets warm once the oven is on, so consider using it to warm your fine china.
Earthenware Plates
Clay gets incredibly hot when heated. If you’ve ever heated a clay cup of java in the fridge, you realize how hot the grips get. The same holds true of dinner plates, so avoid microwaving them before serving a meal. Put the dishes in your dishwasher and conduct a cycle approximately two hours before serving. The plates keep the heat. Electric plate warmers put on low, with exactly the same theory as used at a heat mat, keeps clay plates heats.
Microwave-Safe Plates
Read the base of the plate — if it says it’s “microwave safe,” don’t use the microwave to heat your own plates. The microwaves will not be absorbed, and the plate will take a very long time to heat. Additionally, you may damage the appliance or the plate. Consider utilizing a dining stone that has been preheated, or piling up the dishes in the oven, even when you’ve got room, before service.
Cautionary Tales
Porcelain and bone china could be securely heated in a microwave oven, but you should be cautious. Examine the china for any metallic decoration. If it has a platinum border or a gold-leaf decoration, it will damage the microwave, then start a flame, and destroy the china. Normal dinnerware that’s dampened before heating in the fridge will heat but has to be wiped of any moisture before usage.