Plates

Everyday plates in ceramic, porcelain, stoneware, glass and plastic — dinner, salad and dessert sizes, sold singly and in sets of six.

What sizes make a working set?

A 10 to 11 in dinner plate and a 7 to 8 in side plate cover nearly every meal. A third, smaller plate is useful but not essential. Buying two sizes in quantity beats buying three sizes in pairs.

Porcelain, stoneware or ceramic?

Porcelain is fired hottest, so it is the thinnest, hardest and least porous — the most formal of the three. Stoneware is heavier, holds heat longer and takes a reactive glaze well, which is why it looks handmade. Ceramic is the broad term covering both.

Coupe or rimmed?

A coupe plate has no flat rim, so the food sits in a shallow curve and the plate looks more contemporary. A rim gives you somewhere to rest cutlery and frames the food, which suits a formal setting.