I have a love/hate relationship with serving dishes.
Using them to serve food to the family shows that mealtime is important and worth the extra step. Using serving dishes also means that you have an extra dish to wash.
It is for this reason that I don’t use serving dishes every day, especially when the family is on the move. On those days, I put the food directly on the families’ plates. This also saves a good deal of time.
Being a simple girl (not to mention frugal), I like serving dishes that are simple in design and serve more than one function …like doubling as food storage containers as well!
Here are my favorites when it comes to food serving & storage containers, including some unique options for lids…
Pyrex Glass Storage Dishes
Some years ago, a grocery store had glass Pyrex pie plates on sale and I purchased a stack of them.
I use them for serving dishes because I can put them in the oven or in the microwave, then I can place on the table (with a potholder beneath). Finally, I can cover these pie plates with plastic wrap and put them in the refrigerator for storage. Now that’s my type of serving dish!
In fact, I am a huge fan of Pyrex dishes, mostly due to their versatility.
When the Pyrex glass containers come with lids, I am exceptionally happy. I fell in love with these around the same time I fell out of love with Tupperware. While Tupperware does a good job keeping your food fresh, and can make a nice table presentation, it just can’t stand the heat of the kitchen.
If you are looking for a good multi-purpose serving dish, you might want to try this Davco Red oval fluted oven to table dish. It’s great for making (and baking) your casserole, as well as other dishes. Plus, it’s great for serving and storing as well.
What About The Lids?
Since not all of my Pyrex, glass, and ceramic serving dishes have lids, then lids must sometimes be purchased separately.
Saran Wrap works well a lot of the time, but I hate the idea of using something once and throwing it away.
Smart Lidz eliminate that issue. These one-size-fits-most vacuum-seal lids take some getting used to, but they allow you to store serving dishes with food in them. That way, you’re not moving the food to yet another container before storing it.
Parties & Special Occasions
Not every serving dish needs to be practical. There are some serving dishes that a home must have for no other reason than the beauty of it.
In these cases, I am partial to plain white dishes with an Asian flair.
For example, this Pagoda Warmer is a beautiful decorative piece that is great for family parties and buffets. It’s created to work as a chafing dish that keeps the food warm with the help of a tea light candle. Well, I guess that makes it kind of practical after all!
My favorite mis-matched dishes. Yes, quality dinnerware comes in fun colors too.
I have been a certified tightwad since I became pregnant with my first child and decided to find a way to stay home with him. I enjoy sharing my experiences in my journey back to financial health and planning for a future — which will include sending 2 kids to college and early retirement.