With any company dealing in the foodservice industry – whether it be catering, banquet halls, golf courses, restaurants trying different plating options, hotels with meeting space or party rental companies – picking the right platters for food presentation is important. You want to ensure you’re presenting aesthetically pleasing food while ensuring your inventory / material costs for the platters doesn’t affect your bottom line. Add in the breakage, potential stacking or transporting issues and it can be a bit overwhelming.
This article presents an easy to view list of the pros and cons of melamine platters vs. porcelain platters.
Melamine Platters:
- Durable
- Break resistant
- Can scratch with use of sharp objects on the surface (like knives)
- Commercial dishwasher safe
- Lightweight
- Can withstand temperatures from 32°F to 220°F (0°C to 120°C) – ruling out baking / food preparation in them
- Non-microwavable
- Potential long term health risks (jury still out)
- Easy to stack
- More expensive to purchase due to material cost
Porcelain Platters:
- Durable
- Breakage occurs more frequently due to the nature of the material
- Scratch resistant
- Commercial dishwasher safe
- Heavy in comparison to melamine
- Oven safe to 400°F
- Microwave safe (unless porcelain contains metal detailing)
- Can become cumbersome to stack
- Less expensive to purchase than Melamine
- Can look better longer
As you can see, porcelain platters and melamine platters both have their place at a buffet or party; neither one can be ruled out as “better” than the other – it generally comes down to how the purchaser plans to utilize the platter and personal preference.
For more information on the platters & bowls offered by National Event Supply, download our tabletop catalogue.