Salad bowls: what materials are they made of and how to choose them?
Salad bowls are needed to serve salads on the table. Such dishes are used both everyday and as a holiday, often serve as decoration. Housewives often have several different salad bowls, which come in sets or separate varieties.
Features of salad bowls
The rules of etiquette involve the distribution of salad immediately in portioned plates. At home meals or during a daily meal, we ourselves impose our favorite salad from a common salad bowl. A large spoon or special tongs are left in it for these purposes.
The salad bowl often plays the role of table decor. A simple salad, beautifully laid out in this dish, will look very appetizing. It is customary to place several salad bowls on the table, but they combine their own characteristics.
For example, when shopping for salad bowls, it is important to pay attention to the pattern, color and diameter. A set of new salad bowls should match those already used in everyday life. Perhaps, you don't necessarily need a lot of salad bowls, just a couple is enough, everything is related to the number of dishes being prepared.
Features of salad bowls allow them to be used for other dishes, for example, aspic from fish or meat. Recently, small salad bowls that look like ordinary cups have been popular. They serve a la carte salads or desserts. Large salad bowls are often used as a candy bowl or as a baking dish.
The salad bowl often plays the role of an elegant gift. A properly selected salad plate will decorate even the most modest feast.Special dishes draw attention to culinary talents, so salad bowls are often simply the main meal of the feast. High aesthetics is ensured by the compatibility of salad bowls with other dishes. Dinner sets are often selected according to the theme of the event.
The salad bowls on the table add a cozy, caring and warm atmosphere. Salad bowls help to give food the desired shape, effectively harmonizing with the interior of the festive table. In this case, the dishes can be both deep and shallow, with wide or low walls. The shapes of salad bowls are varied, but these dishes are united by the following qualities:
- lack of tendency to oxidation;
- lack of food odors;
- inability to absorb fat.
The material of the salad bowls must be environmentally friendly, safe for health, practical to care for, and durable in use. Many brightly designed products are not durable.
Let us examine in more detail the materials of manufacture and aspects of the choice of salad bowls.
Materials (edit)
Salad bowls can be made of iron, glass, faience, porcelain, ceramics, crystal, even plastic. The most common are glass salad bowls of a minimalist style. The second most popular metal cookware, which ideally matches the high-tech trend.
Porcelain salad bowls are especially elegant and beautiful. In addition to the elegance of design, they have one more advantage - excellent retention of the temperature of the dishes. Porcelain tableware is considered an environmentally friendly but fragile material. In addition, it is not recommended to put porcelain in the dishwasher, especially if there are subtle patterns or gilding on the surface.
Crystal salad bowls are especially beautiful when combined with the rest of the interior. Crystal requires special, careful care. Cookware should absolutely not be used for hot meals.
Heat-resistant tempered glass is a multifunctional material from which various types of tableware are made. Glass bowls are not afraid of high temperatures. They are dishwasher-safe and durable. If the salad bowl is made of high-quality tempered glass, it can be used under hot dishes, and you can cook it in the salad bowl.
Glass salad bowls in combination with silver jewelry look very stylish. Silver edging lends elegance and appeal to regular salad bowls.
The latest generation of stainless steel salad bowls are elegant furnishings. In addition to a presentable look, these dishes have superiority: strength, resistance to chemically aggressive substances, the ability to be used in a dishwasher. Modern steel used in dishware does not rust or oxidize.
Ceramic cookware is multifunctional. For example, salad bowls can be simply served, or you can reheat dishes in them in the microwave. Quality ceramic types can be used for oven or hob use. Negative quality of ceramics: the possibility of cracking, loss of appearance.
Wooden salad bowls or bamboo dishes are used as a serving element. For example, wooden specimens can be used for baked goods, pizza, or fish dishes. When using such salad bowls, it is worth remembering that they are demanding to handle, while contact with liquid is extremely contraindicated for them.
Enamelled salads are often a set of bowls of various sizes.that are used daily. Bowls can have different shapes, are often decorated with decor, and there are no decorations. Such bowls are not used for serving on the festive table.
Recently, plastic dishes are gaining more and more popularity. Such products are very practical, they are characterized by unpretentious care. In terms of cost, they are one of the most inexpensive. Another advantage of plastic salad bowls: the variety of colors and shapes. They are transparent or multi-colored, faceted or have a beautiful pattern. There are plastic bowls on sale without any decor, but they are not devoid of an attractive appearance.
Variety of shapes and sizes
The classic salad bowl is shaped like a deep bowl without handles. Modern designers offer the consumer a wide variety of shapes. For example, on sale you can find salad bowls in the form of a shell or rosette, in the form of a trapezoid or a square vessel.
A large or small salad bowl, made in the shape of a hemisphere, differs in capacity. Shallow varieties have a diameter of 12 cm or more and are usually used for finely chopped vegetables or fruits that hold their shape well.
Salad bowls from 15 cm in size are considered deep. Suitable for use with large-leaved slices and stringy salad dressings. Smaller types are called bowls, they are on a leg and are used as individual devices. The crockery portion is ideal for a gala evening or event for a couple of guests.
On sale there are also portioned dishes that differ in shape. It is chosen depending on the purpose of the item. For example, flat bowls are great for snacks, bread, or portions. Dishes with lids and handles are used for hot meat or fish delicacies. Moreover, the round shape of such a dish is good for cold snacks, and the oval shape is for fish, rabbit or duck. Beautiful openwork salad bowls are used only for sweets.
On sale, these table setting items are separate or in sets. Kits can include a couple of pieces or 5-10 pieces of different sizes, but the same color or design. A set of salad bowls is usually matched with an externally suitable table service.
Selection Tips
The search and purchase of salad bowls must be carried out taking into account the types and shapes of dishes already used in the house. For example, a salad bowl can fit exactly the shape of the plates. The main forms that are on sale:
- round;
- square;
- oval;
- rectangular.
Ordinary glass salad bowls are suitable for serving an extraordinary feast, and for a romantic dinner or spiritual celebration, it is better to choose more exclusive porcelain or crystal options.
Although the range of glass bowls is on the market in a wide variety. For example, Luminarc cookware made of impact-resistant tempered glass, patterned, environmentally friendly, safe, differs from porcelain in high practicality.
For example, crystal corrugated dishes can be very difficult to clean after a celebration, especially if they were used for a salad with mayonnaise... The kits must be soaked in very hot water using a suitable, gentle cleaning agent. All the dirt and grease sometimes disappear only after an hour of exposure in the solution.
Caring for porcelain salad bowls should also be timely, without rough exposure to chemicals. Porcelain bowls also require careful storage.
It is not for nothing that modern restaurateurs choose laconic, no-frills tableware for serving. The strict and straight lines of the salad bowls do not distract the guests' attention from the inner content. For example, ordinary glass bowls will add spectacularity to a family celebration, and in everyday life they can be used for ice cream, cream, mousse, and chopped fruits.
A salad bowl can serve as both a useful item in everyday life and a stylish accessory as an interior decoration. A properly chosen salad bowl will definitely prove to be a necessary and multifunctional item. Various manufacturers offer quality glass or plastic salad bowls at affordable prices.
Next, watch the video review of Krauff ceramic salad bowls.