Melamine vs. Ceramic: How to Choose Outdoor Dinnerware
Entertaining out in the fresh air calls for break-resistant outdoor dishes. Bringing ceramic dinnerware outdoors may result in breakage, especially if guests need to carry plates or cups around with them. Acrylic and melamine outdoor dinnerware is made for the outdoors. It’s durable, shatter-resistant and just as beautiful as your favorite ceramic pieces. At Pottery Barn, we love to entertain outdoors. Learn more about the different outdoor dinnerware materials available to you and select the perfect pieces that meet your needs.
How Will You Use Them?
If you’re having a sit-down meal around your patio dining table, this reduces the chances that plates and glasses will break. Guests aren’t up and walking around with their dinnerware. In this situation, use ceramic plates and bowls, or go for melamine just to be on the safe side. If you’re hosting an outdoor gathering where paper plates just won’t do, and where there’ll be lots of running back for seconds and refills, choose a more stable type of dinnerware. Melamine plates and acrylic drinkware will be your best bet.
Melamine’s Safety
The first question you may ask is whether or not melamine or acrylic dinnerware pose a health risk. Because melamine is a type of plastic, you may be concerned that it could seep into food. Melamine doesn’t transfer anything from the plate to the food, according to the FDA – unless you heat an acidic food to an extra-high temperature. When you use your melamine dishware correctly (meaning out of the way of extreme heat, as you’ll learn below), it won’t pose any health dangers.
Acrylic is an extremely safe and food-friendly material. It’s also plastic, so it also doesn’t like heat. Happily, many of the modern melamine and acrylic dishes and drinkware out there are made BPA-free, giving them an important extra layer of food safety.
Melamine’s Strengths
Melamine is a tough material. It’s the most break-resistant dinnerware, after all. It won’t shatter or chip if dropped on a rock or hard outdoor surface like brick, stone or slate. It’s lightweight, too. If a melamine plate or cup does drop outdoors, it’ll more than likely tap the ground and bounce. The same is true if a melamine plate falls into your pool. It’ll most likely float, or sink slowly to the bottom rather than shattering from impact, which makes cleanup a whole lot easier. Plus, acrylic glasses are ideal for floating pool drink caddies. Lightweight also means easy to carry around a yard or patio, especially when piled high with grilled burgers and a mound of potato salad.
Melamine’s Limits
Melamine isn’t meant for use as everyday dinnerware. It can’t always take the frequent washing that ceramic dinnerware can. Melamine also needs to stay out of microwaves and other sources of heat that could warp or melt the material. It’s not indestructible. Though it’s tough, it can chip and crack eventually, as well as fade over time. Always inspect your dinnerware and immediately toss out any melamine items that are structurally damaged.
Melamine’s Maintenance
Plastic melamine dishes need to stay out of dishwashers most of the time because of the appliance’s extreme heat. Instead, use a non-abrasive sponge (never steel wool) to hand-wash plates, bowls and cups for best results. Pre-soak plates and drinkware to get rid of stubborn stains. If you want to use a dishwasher, put your melamine dishes and serveware on the top rack, where the spraying action is gentle. Avoid using serrated knives and other sharp utensils on melamine plates; they may scratch and nick the surface. Keep melamine plates and acrylic drinkware stored safely away when not in use. Use a lidded linen-lined basket to store items, or simply keep them in a dry drawer or cabinet with a door. Before storing away after seasonal use, make certain the plastic is dry to avoid warping.
Melamine’s Beauty
Melamine plates can be crafted in vibrant colors that mimic the look of glazed ceramic. It can also be made to look translucent, in any color, which hints at glass dinnerware. Some melamine even mimics the finished look of earthy stoneware with printed designs. Mix melamine with colorful or clear acrylic plates and bowls that look like translucent glass dinnerware. Coordinate your outdoor plates with matching melamine serveware to enjoy all the comforts of serving dinner outdoors.
Enjoy a beautiful meal outdoors any time of year. Stock up on melamine and acrylic dinnerware in colors and patterns that you love to create a cheerful al fresco table setting.