Bowls

Bowls for eating and for serving: porcelain and ceramic soup, cereal and snack bowls, acacia serving bowls, pedestal fruit bowls and party-grade plastic.

What sizes do what?

Roughly: 5 to 6 in for snacks, dips and desserts; 7 to 8 in for cereal, soup and pasta; anything above 10 in is a serving bowl rather than a personal one. Pasta bowls are wide and shallow rather than deep, which is why they hold more than they look like they will.

Which bowls go in the microwave?

Plain glazed ceramic and porcelain generally do. Anything with a metallic rim or a metallic lustre does not, and wood never does. Check the stated care for the individual piece rather than assuming by material.

Do I need a dedicated serving bowl?

One large one, yes. A pedestal or footed bowl earns its place by staying out on the table between meals, which no stacked bowl in a cupboard does.