I love dishware and have many different patterns, but for serveware I tend to stick with plain white. I find that rectangular platters are the easiest to store and to use for most everything. Cut glass bowls are beautiful to serve from, too, and they aren’t terribly expensive on eBay.

I have a reticulated sterling bowl that I use for serving rolls. I also have a wonderful silver plate and glass electric coffee carafe from the 1960’s that keeps coffee at the perfect temperature for hours without causing it to become bitter. It wasn’t an expensive item originally, but it is one of the most desired items by members of our family. I have lots of sterling serving utensils from my pattern. Some are antique and some are newly manufactured with stainless parts so that you don’t have to worry about using them with highly acidic foods like tomatoes. My favorites are tongs of all sizes. They are great for picking up slices of meat, vegetables, rolls, etc.

Fun - I do need to get some different tongs. I'm lacking in that department for sure. I have a pretty good variety of white, cream, and cut glass. I would like to get some type of tiered servers.

I've been starting to buy different serving spoons and what not. Here are a few recent ones.

I would love to start a hotel silver collection but just don't have the space. Boo.

Love your serving spoons!

I have quite a few serving pieces in various sizes and shapes - platters, bowls, cake plates, even a tiered cake stand. Most are porcelain or glass and there are a few silver and pewter plus the pieces from my formal china Lenox Autumn).

I don't have many unusual serving utensils but DH and I recently decided that we want to buy a used set of sterling for everyday use - not an entire set with all the odd fish and oyster forks - just service for 8 and maybe a few serving pieces. We have a full set of Reed and Barton American Federal but wanted something that I won't mind putting in the dishwasher.

He suggested William and Mary but I'm thinking more eclectic - perhaps place settings in different patterns.

I have some square white ceramic platters from Crate and Barrel that I use more than anything for entertaining. Not sure why -- they're just really versatile.

I keep looking for the perfect salad serving bowl -- I'm like Goldilocks -- this one is too big, this one's too small, etc.

Sheeisback, nice job picking interesting serving utensils. How would you envision using tiered servers? Do you host cocktail or dessert type events? I love the look of tiered servers, but I’ve never figured out enough uses to make them worth the storage space. I know that you can completely disassemble some tiered servers so that they take up no more space than plates, but other require room to store the holder intact.

Marie - Thanks! Oh, I really like pewter too. The dishwasher wouldn't make the sterling set weird?

Sue - Oh I like the C&B ones. I don't have any rectangular platters but should get one. It's rare I get to make a large salad here. DH and I don't like the same ones and the kids don't eat salads yet. I only get to make them for company if it makes the menu!

Fun - Thanks! Ha, I don't know. I actually don't have a formal dining room so no cocktail events here. Our eat in kitchen is a round table so when we have a large gathering we actually bring up another table and chair set and put beside our table. Certainly not ideal but it works. I then focus pretty mainly to the kitchen island area. The trays seem too much for just us but when you start inviting a bunch of people, unless you have quite a few trays, it just seems you'd be refilling them often. It always makes me scratch my head when I'm looking for birthday party inspiration pics and I see this main display table with 4 cupcakes and a few of this and a few of that. Either nobody came to that party or the host hovered and restocked after ever other person. :)

I'd probably use trays for desserts like cupcakes or cookies.

Even though we don't entertain all that often I'm going to start using the pretty pieces just for us on a more regular basis.

I love serving pieces everything and have just about everything. I don't entertain often but love to set the table, decorate, plan the menu sort of thing. I had a baby shower for 40 last weekend and it was fun and exhausting.

Tiered serving stands are used all the time for almost anything. Also cake plates. I have half a dozen cake plates and those and the tiered stands add height and interest to the table. I had fruit: grapes, all kinds of berries on the tiered stand, a giant flat speckled pumpkin on a wire cake stand - part of the table centerpiece, and a variety of serving platters in white, glass bowls, autumn colored cast iron bakers, and large baskets.

Here is the menu and I did a fall themed farmhouse style brunch.

It just makes me happy typing this/remembering it!

Frittata w/5 cheeses, tomatoes, fresh herbs, sun dried tomatoes

Pumpkin baked French toast (cream cheese, sweetened condensed milk, pecans, brown sugar) maple syrup

Roasted red pepper and goatcheese dip with crudites and flatbread

Spiral ham with biscuits, yeast rolls, peach preserves, honey, butter

Red potato, pepper, onion hash with feta

Fruit- including bluots, blackberries, strawberries

Yogurt parfaits with granola and fresh pear, raspberry garnish

Coffee, oj, hot apple cider

Btw, Shee, I LOVE your servings pieces! Where did you get them?

The dishwasher and sterling are not enemies- and it's a myth you have to worry about sterling touching stainless in the dw. . I use sterling every day and do not baby it at all. Sterling's biggest enemy is egg yolks :-(

I LOVE Victorian silver serving pieces and have been collecting them a long time -- they have so many "odd" pieces like pea spoons, baked potato forks, butter picks, sardine forks, etc. I also collect silver napkin rings -- most Victorian but some Edwardian with either names or initials (I prefer names but sometimes when we were on vacation, I couldn't find one with a name so I settle for an initialed one).

China serving pieces, I tend to favor blue and white becasue I collect Blue and white transferware. And it all "goes" together. Platters and a few bowls but mostly platters for their handy for almost anything.

Estate sales! There are so many awesome pieces I see at estate sales. I also have some Fiestaware and then some Christmas pattern ones.

Retail: I like C&B, Williams-Sonoma

My "good" flatware is Oneida Frost pattern and I did buy the serving pieces.

Oneida Frost Hostess Set

Bumble you should post a few photos! I'd love to see your set up. The food sounds fantastic.

The first two are Michael Michaud! I think all his tableware pieces are so pretty!

trivet!

The last one is Ralph Lauren Wentworth.

Rita - Good to know! I've stayed away from sterling just because I thought it was fussy to deal with. I don't have any hand me down family sets and it was never on my buy list. I may look into in the future.

Martha - Oh that's very pretty - the pieces and the chest that it's in!

I really like blue and white pieces. I've added quite a bit in my decorating over the past few years and would like to use it more with my actual food.

Gscience - I'd like to get some Christmas plates. I've passed up on quite a few recently and wish I would have bought them. A few plates would take up very little space packed up with the rest of the Christmas things.

Funky - Thanks! Do you have any of his jewelry pieces? I really like that bracelet but saw a photo of it on someone and it was a little larger than I hoped. It's still very pretty though and I still debate about buying it.

I haven't been able to get down that way to check that place out but am looking forward to it. I have some other places I want to stop while there.

Also if you have an antique mall near you, there are also some great finds there. They are starting to bring out the holiday stuff, so if you want TG or Christmas dinnerware, serving pieces, or barware, now's the time. I'm a bit spoiled as there is a 50,000 sq foot antique mall about 10 min from home.

Martha, that's a gorgeous collection! Like you, I adore all the pieces of silver the Victorians had - fish knives and forks, fruit knives and forks, ice cream spoons, demitasse spoons - I could go on forever!

Shee, no none for me. I have a pretty severe nickel allergy so I generally can't wear pieces like that. I DID admire them. I would say overall, most of the pieces I saw were fairly delicate-- attention getting, yes-- but not overly large.

I will be in the store in the next few days. I'll let you know if they are still there.

Most of the serving pieces I get good use out of are neutral--either cut or pressed clear glass or light cream to match my printed china. I also have some wood pieces and solid colored pottery. I do have some salad bowls in the shape of large leaves, I love those! The very elaborate patterned stuff I have does not get much use, since I don't have a lot of plain colored dish sets. I think I have enough metal pieces to go either gold or silver accents with my table setting, which can be stunning.

I have an odd assortment of serving things... maybe better classified as table/tableside things, lol. They have randomly come from all over, some of it is more regular service, some of it more holiday/party service.

Like Fun2BHere, I have one of those silver glass warmers from the 60's. It's really nice for when we have folks over for tea or coffee- ours is a bigger warmer with coffee pot spot and warmer plate, so this is great for keeping a dish of pancakes or a warm fruity dessert warm. Another odd one we use on regular occasions is a raclette grill for on table cooking service and then a whole ton of little serving dishes for ingredients come out. Got a pair of fondue pots too- a ceramic one for cheese/chocolate, and a metal one for oil/broths. I know those are sort of odd for serving pieces discussion, but they are on the table fairly often.

A couple other odd ones that really only come out for bigger entertaining. A nice stainless chafing dish, a tiered foldable filigree dessert stand, and a large inflatable ice buffet for cold service. Got a small heap of Christmas serving stuff like bowls, trays, plates.

Not sure if this counts, but I have a couple expandable trivets- those
are wonderful for bringing a big pan of something to the table. And we
regularly use a breadbasket with a warming stone lined with a towel for
serving up warm rolls. I also keep a good sealing plastic deviled egg tray handy- the pretty service trays are nice and all, but I took time to find a good plastic one that serves as the keeper and the server. The family don't care when it shows up on the table with just eggs, but I spruce it up with a bit of fresh parsley and cherry tomatoes for entertaining. And it's also nice for other cold serves, like stuffed mushrooms, tomatoes, and small lettuce cups. A couple of gravy boats see regular service.

For more regular daily use and service that I use regularly for entertaining too because it's all good stuff, a lot of my stuff is older. A pair of grandmas ceramic bowls that are the just right size and shape for holding large piles salad greens for 4, Thanksgiving sized heaps of mashed potatoes, and a generous popcorn bowl for 2. Another set of ceramic- a graduated set from my younger sister- is used for both cooking and serving. The big bowl is perfect for rising a loaf of bread or when the 6 man salad bowl is needed, the middle one for a lot of stuff, and good for a batch of boiled potatoes, or a big pile of broccoli, the little one is perfect for whisking up a couple eggs, a package of shredded cheese on the table for taco night. The serving bowls that see the most use are a mixed set of clear and green Federal glass nesting bowls- the ones with the square bottoms and rolled open tops and a set of smaller graduated lotus petal bowls.

My platters are just as odd. I have a couple sets of different sizes of metal plates with their serving boards to do hot from oven service. Various oval platters of old ceramic/porcelain that have accumulated that size for whole chickens, roasts, stacks of burgers or sausages. An extra large footed oval that is bright yellow for turkey or ham sized service.

Utensils have a variety too. Big spoons and ladles are just heavy black plastic and stainless steel. A couple of vintage fish serving spatulas that the first one I found was so nice I picked up a second when I found it. They are the wide scoop type, perfect for fish, or asparagus spears, and tater tots. A lot of smaller stuff. Ladles, spoons, tongs, fondue forks and raclette spatulas- pickle forks, spoons, spears.. a lot of pickle stuff, I make and we eat a lot of various pickles.