How do you usually Serve your Meals?

[Fairy Dust]

One of us, DH or me, just serves straight from the pots/pans and plates the meal up in the kitchen.

Do you always use serving dishes?

The only time we ever use serving dishes is for a special occasion, or if we have guests over.

 

[SavvyMom]

Us too. My mom transfers everything to serving dishes for special occasions. I just fix a plate and have them sit at the table. Lately, they take their plates and watch TV. I know, that's horrible

 

[Keli]

When my dd was home for dinners I used to always put everything in serving bowls on the table but I've found that now that it's just dh and I that I tend to plate the food at the stove, right out of the pots and pans.
It just feels a lot more casual with just the two of us for some reason. Partly though it's probably because I know dh could care less and I'm not trying to raise him right, lol.

 

[rcraw45425]

I put things into serving dishes and place them on the table. I don't want the kids scraping up my good cookware with spoons, plus I don't want to damage the table with the pots and pans. With the hours DH works there are a lot of days that he is late for dinner, it's a lot easier to have the serving dishes in the warming drawer and the pots and pans already washed and put away when he comes in.

 

[lemondog]

I plate the food for my kids right from the pan and serve them. I then make myself a plate. DH's makes his own plate because I never know how much of everything he'll want.

 

[momrek06]

It is just DH and I, boys are away in college. I put everything in serving bowls and place on the table. Easier than getting up and going back and forth to the stove or oven.

When the kiddos lived home I served their plates from the stove (much easier and less messes)!

 

[MomofKatie]

Most nights, I fill the plates from the pots and pans in the kitchen, then carry them to the table. If DH wants more of something, he gets it himself. If DD does, I get it for her.

If I make a cassarole or have something similar that will be easier to serve at the table, I transfer things to serving dishes. We had a baked Fettucine Alfredo last night, and it came out of the oven and right onto the table (on a trivet, of course) in its nice cassarole dish to be served. I also always put bread, rolls, or breadsticks in a cloth lined basket on the table.

 

[disykat]

I chose 'transfer to serving dishes and let them serve themselves" even though I don't always transfer them - depending on what pan it's cooked in. My kids are teens now so they serve themselves. When they were younger, I dished at the stove.

 

[Nynaeve]

I do both, at the same time.
I'll plate up the meat and starch (if we have one) at the stove, but set the veggies on the table. Don't really know why, it just usually ends up that way. Maybe because the veggies are in small bowls already, I don't have extra dishes to wash. I'm strange.

 

[CEDmom]

When it's just the 3 of us I leave everything is what it was cooked in and plate it. However, if DH wants more he gets it himself. I'll get more for DD. When it's just immediate family over I'll let everyone help themselves out of the pots and pans. If anyone else is over I'll put the meal in serving dishes and serve buffet style.

 

[slo]

We leave everything in the pots and pans, and then serve the family

 

[Chattyaholic]

I voted leave everything in the pans and everyone serves themselves.

We did it this way when the kids were old enough to help themselves, before that I would put it on their plates but we didn't use serving dishes at the table when they were little.

Serving dishes are for special family get togethers, like Christmas.

I don't enjoy cleaning up the kitchen enough to use serving dishes at each meal.

 

[Disney Doll]

Depends. If it's just DH & I, we usually go right from the pots. If we have people over, we do serving dishes.

 

[gina2000]

If we eat in the miniscule kitchen we have, I leave the pots on the stove and serve everyone. If we eat in the dining room, I always transfer everything to serving dishes. I never put a pot on the table.

 

[JVL1018]

We had a similar poll here last year I think and I was really surprised to learn that everyone didn't transfer to serving dishes.
I have never even thought of serving from the pots, but apparently it's more common to do that. I even polled my friends as well.

I continue to transfer into serving dishes, for the most part. Last night we had chili and I dished it up out of the crockpot, but that's the only time I've done it.
I admit I'm a little anal about table "rules" No paper plates EVER for dinner, unless we are outside eating hamburgers or hotdogs.
I won't even use a paper plate myself for lunch.
No paper cups, and no bare table, has to have place mats or a tablecloth.

 

[MAKmom]

We like our food hot & serving from the pots keep it hot. It is a waste of water to wash a pot & serving dish every night for something that is going to be used for 5 min. I use corning ware for vegetables so that can go on the table. Meat I transfer to a plate.

This is not the way I was raised. Dinner was served family style the table set perfect. I hated it, since I did most the work.

 

[Stitchfans]

I leave everything in the pots and pans and let everyone help themselves. A lot less waste cause they know how much they want better then me.

 

[powellrj]

Most nights, I fill the plates from the pots and pans in the kitchen, then carry them to the table. If DH wants more of something, he gets it himself. If DD does, I get it for her.

If I make a cassarole or have something similar that will be easier to serve at the table, I transfer things to serving dishes. We had a baked Fettucine Alfredo last night, and it came out of the oven and right onto the table (on a trivet, of course) in its nice cassarole dish to be served. I also always put bread, rolls, or breadsticks in a cloth lined basket on the table.

Thats how we do it too. We don't have a dishwasher, so everything is hand washed, so I really don't want the extra dishes is why I don't use serving dishes. We eat in the dining room so thats why I fill the plates at the stove. Its just easier for me to fill the plates and then if people want more, they can go out to the kitchen and help themselves.

 

[kinntj]

I serve my family out of pots and pans. I don't want the children near the hot pots, so I serve them and DH (he'll get 2nd's himself) and put the plates on the table and then call them for dinner. Less clean up after.

I do put in serving dishes when we have company for dinner or someone sleeps over. I always use serving dishes for everything at holiday dinners. I don't mind doing the extra dishes then.

 

[Amapola]

It's just DH and I. We eat together every night, but we don't always eat the same things, as we both have weird eating habits . We'll be in the kitchen at the same time fixing our respective dinners and serve ourselves there. Sometimes if I do cook something that we will both eat, I'll serve him, but even then most of the time he serves himself. Seems more practical and efficient to me for everyday purposes.

If we do have people over, I use serving dishes. But the last time we had people here for dinner was Thanksgiving 3 years ago . We're not very sociable people