625032 Wed Jun 03 21:34:44 -0700 2009 11 29 Not About Food 0 4741097 I received some amazing chargers (you know that go under plates) for my birthday. But I have never used and am sort of flummoxed as to how to deal with them. are they used with placemats, in place of place mats with a table cloth? Are they removed when dinner starts or do they stay until the dinner plate is removed? Seems to me in the restaurant the charger is removed after we order and they set for dinner, but frankly I never paid attention and here I am. Help (she says in a wee small voice)! Wed Jun 03 21:34:45 -0700 2009 137755 Sal Vanilla 1 4741106 I'm not an expert, but the chargers are supposed to be removed once the plates with food are served. I thought to use them as "place mats" but was told no-no, still they look nice under the appetizer plate, so I think you can do what you like, unless Emily Post is coming to dinner (out of her grave). Wed Jun 03 21:39:22 -0700 2009 4741097 180942 meinNYC 2 4742332 Well, no expert as following protocol or proper etiqutte. I do what I like. I use them with a table cloth, I've also used them with placemats, I used them with a tablecloth and a table runner. I have left them under the plates and I have removed then. Desert for my group is usually relaxed so then it is removed like Page mentioned. If it looks good and not in the way ... Why not leave it. I love the appearance and it adds warmth and charm to the table. I hate start tables that are too clean and perfect. I love using my antiques sometimes and having all different setting with unique plates and flatware, it add some unique fun. I do the standard table but I always add lots of candles, flowers, color to make it feel warm and comforting. Do what you feel looks best, but desert, usually not. Enjoy your new present and have fun entertaining. I used some a few weeks ago for a very informal lunch on my porch, waterproof tablecloth due to it being out side not completely under cover, the chargers, but my wedgewood china, all different antique wine glasses, white wine, soup and paninis. Why not just have fun. Some fresh flowers and it was a great lunch and ice cream floats for desert. Thu Jun 04 10:19:34 -0700 2009 4741106 232829 kchurchill5 1 4741243 Sal: The following is from "Manners International": The charger plates should be on the table when the guests are seated. The soup, fish or salad course are served on top of the charger. It is customary for the charger plate to be removed prior to the serving of the entree or dinner course. Some people however, prefer to leave the charger plate on the table during the entree because they enjoy the appearance of the charger. Regardless of if you remove the charge after the soup, fish, salad or entree, the charger plate should always be removed before the dessert course. Maybe too much info but hope it helps nonetheless. Page Thu Jun 04 00:27:30 -0700 2009 4741097 129240 GPage 2 4742302 Exactly what I would do. During several dinners a year with a certain group of friends, the chargers remain for the initial courses, and are sometimes removed for serving the main; sometimes not (depends on who's hosting). Sometimes the dessert is also plated and those plates are put on the chargers (again, depends who's hosting) and sometimes the chargers are removed. Thu Jun 04 10:08:37 -0700 2009 4741243 10532 LindaWhit 1 4741360 and one group of exceptions is when the dining surface is unforgiving GLASS ,MARBLE , GRANITE etc. chargers help protect fine china and cut down on the clatter we have two 40" round tables (1pink marble & 1frosted green glass)chargers really help protect from scratches plate bottom rings can cause Thu Jun 04 04:39:49 -0700 2009 4741097 203919 lcool 1 4743540 I come down solidly in favor of "It Depends". Your home is not a restaurant, so using restaurant protocol is not required. Are you serving plated food? a buffet? Is there a server? Each of these situations will have a different charger-removal-system. Some of my handpainted, informal chargers are quite handsome and I like them to remain on the table for the entire meal since other pieces of china work well with them. For a formal meal, using the silver chargers, I remove them with the main (plated) course. (We don't do a lot of these formal meals currently. I've used the silver chargers informally with Mexican Talavera plates and I thought it set quite a handsome table.) Tablecloth or placemats? Yes! I even put them straight on the wood at times, it depends on the meal, setting, food, etc. For family-style meals, passing platters, I have the dinner plates set on the chargers when I set the table so that it looks lovely (and "finished") when we sit down. Sal Vanilla, why don't you use these as you'd like to. Your home should reflect your tastes and I cannot see how you would offend even the most etiquette-conscious guest. This isn't like mis-setting the table with knives on the left and no glassware. Enjoy your lovely birthday gift. Thu Jun 04 17:34:36 -0700 2009 4741097 15743 Sherri 1 4745615 I love my chargers. They are a complimentary color and pattern to my other plates; in my china, every plate is different so the charger is sort of important to the overall look. That said, even though they look good with the dessert plates, I usually remove them before dessert is served. DEPENDING. Because: sometimes I use a tablecloth and sometimes I don't. The wood on my table (1820s) is really gorgeous so I like to leave it exposed for two reasons: 1) it's pretty and adds another reflective surface, and 2) people often assume that there are pads under a tablecloth and I haven't had pads made for the table so I've found they're more careful about things like putting a bottle of sweating white wine on the wine coaster. So in that case, I use round cork trivets (from Ikea) under the chargers to protect the wood from scratching. For some reason, some people scoot their plates around on the table and the cork impedes that. I used to use the thin foam plate separators but found that after the first attempt at scooting off the cork, which is thicker, and clanking the plate on the table, they stopped fidgeting with their tableware. ANYWAY, I don't like the cork being exposed, so usually I take the cork away with the charger and hope people don't scoot their dessert plates around. But it sort of exposes the man behind the curtain so to speak, so sometimes I leave the charger. The general issue is that you don't want gravy spots on the chargers next to your tart or whatever, so if everyone has clean chargers, sometimes I leave them. Fri Jun 05 10:56:36 -0700 2009 4741097 39731 Sallie 1 4746356 In Casa Jfood the chargers are on the table through at least the entree. They are removed for dessert in most cases. BTW - no placemats under the chargers. Fri Jun 05 13:59:04 -0700 2009 4741097 11290 jfood 1 4747441 The charger plates are great color accents for the table and I would keep them there for the entire duration of the meal -- no harm, no foul, right through dessert. But hey, that's just me. Fri Jun 05 21:35:14 -0700 2009 4741097 10609 Cheese Boy 1 4747455 Thank you all so much. I never really thought about it because I never had them. I know it is just at my house, but I did not want it to be weird or squirrely. I trust my Chowfriends and now I am in full dinner part planning mode so I can lay out a cute table. Between the new chargers and the flood of gorgeous peonies and roses... tons of fresh veggies in the garden... and a more relaxed hostess - I am so excited! THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH! Fri Jun 05 21:49:06 -0700 2009 4741097 137755 Sal Vanilla 1 4747761 Charger (table setting) From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Charger plates are larger decorative plates used to dress up dinner tables at parties, weddings, and other special events. While charger plates have been around since the 1800s, they returned to popularity in the late `90s. Since food is not actually served on chargers, they are often called underplates or chop plates. Charger plate etiquette and use varies among caterers and restaurants. Some professional catering companies remove the decorative charger plate as soon as the guests are seated. Often a decorative charger plate is left on the table as a large coaster for the soup and salad courses and then removed for the main entree. Others keep the underplate, charger or chop plates together until the end of the entire meal. Sat Jun 06 06:19:28 -0700 2009 4741097 135229 thew