I really like my Mikasa stoneware. Actually, I'm starting to think it has lasted a little too long... ;-)

TJ

Here is a link that might be useful: Mikasa.com / Stoneware / Swiss Coffee

I love my Fiestaware & have yet to see it scratch from being stacked in my cabinets although that is a possibility. I do see them scratched in stores quite a bit. The darker colors will tend towards more noticable scratches than the lighter ones (since it's the shiny top coat of glaze that gets scratched & looks white). The lighter ones are prone to utensil marks ("pencil" lines which come off easily with a little cleanser). Still, my dishes look great and I don't baby them.

Fiesta is heavy but it's also very durable & resistant to cracking & chipping ( haven't done it once in 5 years and I've really got to stop saying that!), also oven safe & a dream to clean (no dishwasher in my house).

Just wanted to chime in :-). No other everyday dishes appeal to me like Fiesta does but there are some gorgeous patterns out there. Good luck!

Nina

The trouble with Mikasa patterns, is they discontinue them after after a couple of years and you have to buy replacements at "Replacements" for an arm and a leg. Ask me I know!! LOL!
I would be looking at Waechestersbach, not as light weight as Correll, but lighter than Mikasa stoneware, and more durable than Fiesta.....and I just love the stuff!!
And if you have a discount coupon from Kohl's you can really get a deal!
Linda C

Here is a link that might be useful: Fun factory

Fiestware scratches come off easily with a little Barkeepers Friend.

I just got new everyday dinnerware when we finished our kitchen remodel in April. I needed something nicer in my glass cabinets than the 27 year old half broken set of dishes my mother in law bought at the grocery store for us when we got married.

I got Mikasa stoneware - Arabella. I looked for a long time and finally settled on this. I wanted something reasonably priced, that doesn't chip easily, has the right style of bowls and cups, and can add pieces if needed due to breakage. Of course also looking for a certain color scheme and I wanted something that would work with a bunch of other miscellaneous serving pieces I'd accumulated over time that I still like.

So far I really like these - 8 place settings for around $100 from homeclick.com - which was much cheaper than the local Mikasa outlet store.

I also have to give thumbs up for Fiestaware! I had Mikasa stoneware for about 12 years, but they started to look dated, plus one by one my set was diminishing. Fiestaware is durable, heavy, doesn't go out of style, and colorful. Amazon usually has some good deals.

Gibby3000, I have to laugh. My grandmother-in-law bought me a set of grocery store dishes about 30 years ago. They are my "good" dishes still! Replacements are available on ebay. Those must have been popular dishes.

Socks, yours sound like they might be "fancier" than mine if they are your good dishes! I gotta say they served me well. She got twelve place settings and every imaginable additional serving piece including casseroles, bowls, platters, etc. They weren't bad - beige with blue and brown trim at the edge. We had run seriously low on bowls though and a lot of other pieces missing or chipped - plus you get really sick of looking at the same dishes nearly every day for 27 years.

I really like my new Mikasa stuff - such a refreshing change and it is holding up well - no chips. I bought some cute dishes at Target a couple years ago - man, those things seemed to chip without even being touched! I saw so many reasonably priced, cute dishes but I was afraid they'd be like the ones from Target.

Hopefully the Mikasa stuff won't be discontinued too soon. I might buy a few more pieces and would like to be able to get replacements if I break something. However at this point it hasn't been that big of an investment so if I have to switch to something else in a few years I won't feel as bad.

Socks....your dishes have to be Liberty Blue!....My mother bought them for my daughter.....and I have filled her out to 24 dinner plates and lots of cups and saucers and dessert/salad plates.
The trouble with buying something that comes in a "set" and not open stock, if you break something....you either can't find any more or have to pay a lot for replacements.

I picked out my dishes 48 years ago....and I am sure not sick of them and they are still being made.....and are readily available on ebay.

My daughter had Liberty blue from one grandmother....again readily available, and Johnson Brothers Country village from the other Grandmother, also available.
My DIL picked out Mikasa Axiom....and after 18 years there are several broken plates and not many bowls left....and it can't be found anywhere.....and she loves it and would buy more if there were any for sale.
That's one of the reasons I recommend Wachestersbach....or Fiesta....I think they have been bought out and out to be good for a lot of years...
But I don't recommend a Mikasa pattern unless you are willing to pay for replacements at an inflated price....
Another bit of advice....pick something classic....so you won't get tired of it......
Linda C

I keep seeing nice looking, reasonably priced dishes at Target. I tend to buy stuff like that because we do break them on the tile floor and I am fickle. I get to buy new dishes every 7-10 years. The last ones I got were at Pier 1 Imports outlet store, and although I love the look (white, oversized, simple) they have a wierd finish that seems to like to hold on to food film. I have to scrub each one before putting it in the dishwasher. They are also starting to chip, and I am happy about it. Another year or so, and I will be shopping for new dishes at Target and the remainder of these will go to the Goodwill store.

I agree with sunnyco. I tend to buy new everyday dishes every 7-10 years. With lots of moving around, and normal breakage, we just needed new dishes that often. However, I did buy a set of Johnson Brothers Summer Chintz about 13 years ago. I had loved the set, and was desperate for something new. I had loved the pattern, but I always thought it was too expensive. Then, one day, the store I was in happened to have a 3 hour sale that had the sets at half off. I bought 12 place settings for about $100.00. When we lived in England, I added some pieces to replace some that had broken or was chipped. I love that china. Everyday, when I open my cabinent, it makes me smile. While I didn't buy it for a life long commitment, I probably have one with it. Check out Ross-Simons for some of their clearance stuff. They might have something you like fairly cheaply. Sign up for e-mail alerts. Sometimes they have great deals on china, plus good shipping rates. Remember, the one who dies with the most china, wins!!!

Sunnyco - beware of Target dishes - the ones I had chipped terribly. They weren't even the dishes I used every day. I would say by the time I'd used them 10 times, I had twenty chips out of various plates without banging them into anything or any other kind of abuse. They are probably not all that way but it turned me off from buying more. I can see buying some new ones in five years or so if they're inexpensive but these were unacceptable for use after less than a year.

I've gotten away from using stoneware for everyday. It just chips too doggone easily and it also tends to mark up -- and I'm not inclined to spend the time to whip out the barkeepers friend to keep it looking sparky. A decent quality porcelein is the way to go IMO. Much more durable than stoneware.

I'm with ya Mary....but what to buy?
I have been "commissioned" to buy new kitchen dishes for my DIL.....She tends to be more modern in style.....and I sure think porcelain is great! Light weight and strong
But what???
Linda C

Linda, are you familiar with Finland's Arabia porcelain? Arabia and Rostrand are now part of iittala. Their lines include some classics of 20th century design and the stuff is unbelievably durable and practical on top of being beautiful.

Forgot about Arabia!!....As I recall is't quite expensive though....but I will check in on it....that's the look I want...
Thanks!
Linda c

I like the Pottery Barn earthernware line - I have the Sausalito collection in three complimentary colors so I can mix and match at the table for some interest.

I just got rid of my Pfaltzgraff stoneware (chips way too easily) and got white porcelain dishes from Ten Strawberry Street (Classic). I also got a set for each of my daughters. Bed Bath and Beyond had all them on sale for 50% off. That was a GREAT deal! We now have 32 of each piece (between all of us). You can look at them on Cooking.com. They look very much like Apilco but don't have that price tag. And they are porcelain (very durable).

I love my Fiesta ware. The colors are so cheery and it is really durable. The new blue color is really pretty I think....have to get some.

MaryMD7, it depends on the stoneware. I have taken several ceramics classes, and after doing that for a while, I can tell the difference between high and low fire stoneware by the look, feel and sound. Most of the stuff in the stores is lower-fire, so it is not as dense and durable, unfortunatly. A lot of what places call stoneware, tecnically is not even stoneware.

Thanks for the warning, Gibby, about Target. I sure can't afford new ones every year! Maybe I will just keep checking out the pier one outlet. They do have great sales.

I have white corelle because all the food looks good on it. I enjoy all the patterns that are out there but not enough to give up my all white.

Gotta say I am still really liking my new Mikasa stoneware - probably because after looking for years the pattern just struck me as perfect for what I'd been trying to find. And I've clanked it pretty good a few times and NO CHIPS - yay! And 8 place settings for a little over $100 was a great deal in my opinion. Now if they discontinue the pattern and I then break something I will be a little disappointed as I did like the idea of being able to get replacement pieces for at least a few years if needed.

I just came across these Homer Laughlin dishes -- simliar to Fiesta.

Maybe they won't scratch? Since they're for sale on a food service site, I imagine they're durable. The price point is excellent.

Here is a link that might be useful: Acemart Restaurant Supply

Five years ago, I got a set of dishes from Williams Sonoma, "Brasserie", heavy, bright white porcelain with a deep blue band around the rim. They are microwave and dishwasher safe, but not oven safe.

They have held up exceedingly well, no serious chips, pings or zings. And I am a total klutz.

This is a reply to sweet bean's post. The Homer Laughlin China Company is the manufacturer of Fiesta Ware. Dillard's sells a 5 piece place setting for $24.00 when the suggested retail price is actually $43.00 a place setting. I work in the Home Dept. at Dillard's and sell these on a regular basis.

If you like Fiesta and live near WV, it would be worth a trip to the Flatwoods outlet mall to the Fiesta outlet. Several of us went together to buy a set of dishes for a wedding and got 10 place settings and 10 odd pieces (some of those were seconds, but you couldn't tell) for about $200 if I remember correctly. It was such a good price that we paid for gas, ate and got all the dishes and was still about to get some of the serving/odd pieces.

I just saw some brownish harvest colored yellow/gold and a reddish orange solid dish in corelle at Meijer's. I'm not into corelle but these looked just a little rustic and I liked them a lot.

I'd love to get some vintage Russel Wright dishes, but alas, they would not be microwave safe. I wonder if they can go in a dishwasher...

Here is a link that might be useful: Remember these from the 50's and 60's?

I bought Pottery Barn (Fiesta colors) dishes @ a resale shop. Service for 6 and I need more and can't find them. Help!!!

Emile Henri has a very nice line of solid color pottery dishes that are very sturdy. I got mine 13 years ago and have only had to replace a few. They still make the same styles so are easy to replace as necessary. They are dishwasher/microwave/oven safe.

don't let the picture fool you - the dinner plate is very large - 11"

Here is the red

Sorry that link didn't work. Let's try that again.

Emile Henry Tableware

I typed in a search to google re: "dishes that do not chip" and this forum came up. Is there anyone out there who is still paying attention to this? Any new insight? I have dishes from Target that have done nothing but chip and look terribly scratched. Got the dishes 4 years ago when I got married and am done, done, done with them. I have thought about FiestaWare and Mikasa and see others are happy with their sets. Thoughts???

Also post over in the Cooking forum. There are a lot of active posters over there, and I'll bet they can give you some more ideas.

Here is a link that might be useful: cooking forum

Never had any desire for "fine china"... seems most friends and family who have it (from wedding gifts/registries, etc) never seem to use it!?!

But I do like to change up my dishes. Have Stangl (Fruit & Flowers) for 8 that I got a million years ago as wedding gift from my Grandmother. When Stangl still was making thier stuff, they had an outlet in Peddler's Village, PA. It was all seconds and took us AGES to find 8 dinner plates, salad/sandwich plates, bowls, & mugs in a pattern with no chips. There are 1-2 pices with minor chips. ALso have a bunch of pieces in 1-2 other patterns. I have it packed up in one of those utility tubs now.

Bought a set of 8 at a Farberware outlet store... herbs/flowers. Got tired of that and ended up donating.

Found a HUGE lot of what I called "diner" dishes... heavy Pyrex stuff with a brown design around edges. Had everything from dinner plates to those little teeny plates that pats of butter used to be served on... before butter came in little wrapped things. SInce I payed very little... when I got tired of that, donated them, too.

Made a MAJOR yard sale find of Fiesta a few summers ago. Wasn't even into it much, but sister had just started buying sets... all different colors. Saw 2-3 bowls (like for sereal or soup) on a table and seller said $1 each. My first thought was... everybody can use more bowls!?! Seller said she had a LOT more?? Spent WAY more than I ever paid for a yard sale item BUT came home with 12 dinner plates, salad/sandwich plates, and mugs. Also 16 ceareal/soup bowls, cream/sugar set and gravy boat... all for $50. Most are bright colors but some are pastel. It has held up just fine. Haven't chipped any pieces. Only scratches... ya really have to LOOK for.

My sister has a rental place in WV mountains. She bought PLAIN WHITE dishes, bowls, mugs from a restaurant supply place near her. A broken piece is gonna happen, so it's easier to replenish supply is no pattern involved.

i bought the lenox "butterfly meadow" pattern at the lenox outlet for a song. have been using them for about 6 yrs. no scratches, chips or any damage. can go in microw. oven, freezer. so versatile. they sell them at home goods, tjmaxx, marshallsand the outlets of cours. love them and the pattern is so cheery..

hth

I'm glad to hear I'm not the only one using porcelain for everyday use. Back in the 90's I bought Noritake Brandywine. It's oven, dishwasher, and microwave safe. Never had a chip. It's stood up extremely well under every day use. Over the years we've broken a vegetable bowl, a coffee mug, and a soup bowl. Only the coffee mug was hard to replace since the pattern went out of production. I didn't realize it when I got the set that guests would be impressed by everyday use bone china, but they are. I like it much better than the Mikasa fine china we use on special occasions. The Mikasa, Memoir pattern, has a silver decoration which means hand washing...no microwave...no oven use. Go for the porcelain. I don't think you'll regret it.