Wednesday, May 31, 2017

In My Kitchen: Platters

A fish-shaped platter which I used for a salad of smoked trout with fresh vegetables.
In my kitchen I have many platters and serving pieces, which I try to use in making food look beautiful without overdoing the "plating" as seen on TV. No tweezers for me! During the month of May, I cooked all the food depicted on the platters here -- either in my own kitchen or (as noted) at my daughter Evelyn's house in Fairfax, VA. It's been a busy cooking month in my kitchen and those I visited.

Roasted salmon on another fish-themed platter (the fish pictures are hidden by the salmon in this picture).

Filled buckwheat pancakes on a black and white platter next to my griddle.
Fried dumplings on a very plain white platter.
Grilled lamb chops and edible pea-pods on a white ironware platter that I
long-ago bought at an antique market for a few dollars.
The same ironware platter with turkey patties and rice, along with some condiment dishes with apple & chutney.


Detail of the ironware platter: the china pattern is "wheat."
Cucumber salad in a plain glass bowl.
Tuna salad in a larger version of the glass bowl. Bowls are from Ace Hardware.
I have the same bowl in larger and smaller sizes as well.
Cherries in a bowl made by Ann Arbor potter I.B.Remsen.
I've had this for quite a long time. He's still making ceramics, but has
moved on with new glazes and new styles.
Three slab-built platters -- the work of two members of the Ann Arbor Potters' Guild.
Quesadillas on the square slab-built platter shown above.
I wouldn't exactly call my platters a "collection," but I am really tempted to add to my crowded shelves whenever I go to the Ann Arbor Art Fair, the Ann Arbor Potters' Guild sale, or a well-stocked shop specializing in craftwork. Many mass-produced serving dishes and platters at Ace Hardware, at a local store called Downtown Home and Garden, and at a few other stores can also be very appealing.
Broiled steak and vegetables on a black hand-made platter. I bought it at the Ann Arbor Art Fair many years ago.
In our family we're all admirers of well-made pottery. We especially admire the work of the potter Scott Frankenberger, whose studio is in West Lafayette, IN where my sister lives. Here are a few examples from my kitchen and Evelyn's kitchen, which we've been acquiring from time to time.

Two small platters, one 8-sided and one 5-sided, which belong to Evelyn.
The vegetables and garlic toast were accompaniments to a Beef Bourguignon.
You can see in the corner that she has a set of his dinner plates as well.
A deep and rather large platter, used here for Monte Cristo sandwiches.
This platter also belongs to Evelyn, who has many of Frankenberger's works.
This is my very large Frankenberger platter. Since I rarely use it any more,
I should give it to Evelyn! I put a full-size tomato on it to show how big it is.
A deep platter of Evelyn's, in plain white, used for meatballs with
mushroom gravy. I think it came from Bed Bath & Beyond.
In My Kitchen is a once-per-month blog event currently hosted by Sherry from Brisbane, Australia, at the blog Sherry's Pickings. I enjoy seeing the kitchen posts of participants in this event at blogs from quite a few countries.

My great-grandmother's turkey platter, the oldest one I own.
Many of the In My Kitchen bloggers have new things to share each month, but I have so much in my kitchen that I can't fit in very many new ones. So I usually choose to write my post about a theme, such as these platters and serving pieces, which I've been acquiring for years and years. Until I started taking photos, I had no idea what a large number of them I own. I only included the ones that are in my kitchen -- I didn't even get to the dining room!

14 comments:

Kitchen Riffs said...

Impossible to have too many platters! They're so useful, aren't they? You have some good ones -- thanks for sharing. And making us envious. :-)

Sherry's Pickings said...

hi Mae
lovely to see all your platters. how wonderful to have your great-grandmother's platter too. I have heaps but i seem to keep buying more. love the look of those turkey meatballs. yum! oh and that glass salad bowl with the tuna salad is the same as one i have, or pretty close to it. i like to support local potters too - i think they call themselves ceramicists these days. so i keep on buying more beautiful things for my already overcrowded shelves. ah well it is nice to have beautiful things around one isn't it?

Amanda said...

I love your collection of platters - and the food on them looks pretty amazing too!

Tina said...

That's a nice look at your platters. I agree, you can't have too many.

Kari said...

What an impressive set of platters! Both the food and the plates :)

jama said...

Enjoyed seeing these. I'm a big fan of ceramics too. That last turkey platter looks like a nice heirloom piece.

Anonymous said...

What an array of delicious food... would mind being a helper in your kitchen. The patters look lovely :)

Kirsty said...

Lovely theme Mae. Platters are such a beaut way to present a dish to the hungry hoards. I had to Google what a Monte Cristo sandwich was! Talk about yummmm! Thanks for the insight into your kitchen this month, cheers Kirsty

Beth F said...

How fun! I love collecting kitchen and serving pieces.

SeattleDee said...

Mae, what glorious platters - functional art, for sure. I love your themed posts, a reminder that it doesn't always take something new to inspire satisfaction/happiness. That said, I'm always on the lookout for a new platter or bowl for my kitchen.

Liz said...

Never too many platters of various sizes, and I adore the variety for every mood and food type. You have been doing a lot of cooking, what fun! And it all looks delicious.

Unknown said...

Platters are always welcome, there can never be too many in one's cupboards! ;) Did you know we have the same bamboo/cane placemats!? I found mine at an op-shop a couple of months ago, how long have you has yours?
https://missfoodfairy.com/2017/06/07/in-my-kitchen-june-2017

Sandra (Ladyredspecs) said...

I had to limit my platter collection for lack of storage space, but it's nice to admire your handmade treasures. It's nice to have choices when it comes to serving time. I treasure the things I inherited from my Grandma so I know hoe special the turkey platter must be

Kim Bultman said...

Mae, all of your platters are eye-appealing! The one with the tomato "to scale" is HUGE and I love the colors. I also love the food you served on the rest! Your steak is done to perfection and your smoked salmon salad looks so tasty. So does everything else! Really a lovely assortment you've gathered over the years, including your Grandmother's platter.

I didn't post this month (crazy busy, out of state for a week, leaving again in two weeks) so I'll see ya round the block in August. Take care, xo!