Why Ina Garten Prefers To Serve Food On White Dishware - Tasting Table (2024)

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ByKaren Hart/June 25, 2023 8:50 am EST

It's no secret that when it comes to plating food, Ina Garten is a fan of using white dishes and serving pieces to enhance the appearance of the meal. Per CNN, Garten has expressed her penchant for simple dinnerware. "I definitely like white. The plate is really about what makes the food look best and I like it set against a white background. I never like plates that have patterns on them," she says in "Be My Guest With Ina Garten."

A simple scroll of her Instagram reveals the Barefoot Contessa walks her talk. She uses white dishes whether she is hosting a Fourth of July celebrations,showcasing a simple Caprese salad, or making a classic party snackin the form of a hot dog wrapped in pastry dough.

White dishes have a fresh look to them. They really are like a blank canvas that allows a cook to showcase his or her culinary artistic touch without being overwhelmed by intricate designs. Not to mention white dishes are easy to pair with other elements of your table. Using silver or pewter pieces with white dishes can make for an elegant table setting. Garten concurs and confesses she likes to display her white China alongside hotel silver. "I love to combine white china and old hotel silver on the kitchen shelves. It's not just lovely to look at, but I use it all!" she proclaims on Instagram.

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White dishes also give you a lot of freedom. Because they are so versatile, you have plenty of options when choosing what type and color of flowers you want to have setting on the table to meet your guests. Similarly, the simplicity of these plates means you can be truly creative with your napkin or placement selection, as well as any other colorful serving pieces you might want to use as focal points on your table or tables.

If you want to outfit your kitchen with dinnerware similar to the cookbook author's, Garten shares on her website that she gets some of her favorite serving pieces from the likes of Williams-Sonoma and Crate & Barrel. She writes, "They both have a huge range of white china. For example, my large serving bowls are Crate and Barrel brand, and my Pillivuyt and Apilco dishes are from Williams-Sonoma."