Purchasing Crockery For a Hotel or Restaurant

Types of Crockery

There are a number of different types of restaurant crockery available, each with their own benefits and disadvantages. Choosing the one that’s right for you can be tricky, and you should definitely consider more than just how far your budget will stretch.

Bone China

Sophisticated, elegant and remarkably strong, bone china is the hallmark of quality. Made from at least 45% bone ash, bone china has a far higher strength than most other forms of restaurant crockery, meaning that its manufacturers can make it very thin. This gives it a refined, delicate appearance, making it very well suited to use in the finest restaurants. As bone china is very light, it also allows waiters and waitresses to carry multiple plates at a time. One aspect to take into consideration when buying bone china is that it is made with animal bones, and so is unlikely to be suitable for anywhere serving vegan and vegetarian cuisines.

Porcelain

Porcelain is usually hard, white and slightly translucent. Porcelain often has a smooth glazed finish which may be plain or patterned. Traditionally, porcelain has been a popular material for potters to work with, meaning that a very wide variety of designs and styles are now available. The vast majority of porcelain items are dishwasher, microwave, oven and freezer safe, so no matter whether you're looking for restaurant crockery or some new crockery for your home, porcelain will make an excellent choice.

Earthenware

Earthenware was among the first forms of pottery ever made. Usually thick and coated with a simple glaze, earthenware (sometimes also known as ceramic ware) is normally quite heavy, making it the ideal material for a wide variety of cookware such as tagine pots and roasting dishes. While its basic sturdiness makes it excellent for making simple, robust items, earthenware is slightly porous, and is best suited to handwashing as it is not particularly chip-resistant. Earthenware is, however, suitable for use in the freezer, microwave, dishwasher and oven.

Stoneware

As defined by the EEC, "Stoneware, which, though dense, is impermeable and hard enough to resist scratching by a steel point, differs from porcelain because it is more opaque, and normally only partially vitrified. It may be vitreous or semi-vitreous. It is usually coloured grey or brownish because of impurities in the clay used for its manufacture, and is normally glazed.”. An ideal material for making bakeware, stoneware will heat up slowly and evenly in the oven, ensuring your dish cooks evenly. Stoneware has the added benefits of being chip, stain and scratch resistant. Stoneware often has quite a coarse feel to it, although when glazed, it is smooth and fairly shiny.

Alumina

Alumina enriched crockery can normally be spotted due to its creamy colour. Alumina is an oxide of aluminium which is added to the clay to give it additional strength. Though the addition of alumina makes the crockery more expensive than standard porcelain, it is generally cheaper than bone china, making it a popular alternative.

Melamine

Melamine is a strong, lightweight and hard thermosetting plastic. Melamine is used as an ideal hygienic and durable alternative to china as it is virtually unbreakable so can meet the tough demands of everyday use. As well as being robust it resists scratching and staining, and is dishwasher safe.

Terracotta

Terracotta is a traditional Spanish material that is often used as oven to tableware. Terracotta has unique properties that react with acidic foods such as tomato sauce, giving a natural sweetness to the meal being cooked. The colour that terracotta possesses is instantly recognised by many and is often associated with Mediterranean cooking.

Terminology

Thermal Shock

Thermal shock relates to how much change in temperature a piece of crockery can withstand. For example, a plate with low thermal shock resistance will not be suitable to go from the freezer straight into the oven, whereas a piece with high thermal shock resistance will.

Vitrified

Fully vitrified crockery is fired to a very high temperature, meaning it is non-porous, scratch resistant and very durable, which makes is deal for busy restaurants.

Rolled Edge

Crockery with a rolled edge is stronger than regular crockery. During the manufacture process, the edge of the clay is literally rolled back onto itself, making it stronger and helping it to resist cracks and chips.

Glazed Foot

Crockery with a glazed foot is excellent for use in the catering industry. When this type of crockery is stacked, the glazed foot will greatly reduce the amount of abrasion which occurs between the plate and the one below it. A glazed foot can easily be identified as the foot of the plate will have the same appearance as the surface of the plate.