I love, Love, LOVE, Dishes

When I was a teenager I went to visit an aunt in Wyoming. While playing in a out building on the property with my cousins I found a set of green dishes stacked on a shelf and obviously forgotten. When I showed them to her she smiled and said they must have belonged to the original ranch owners. Several months later a package arrived at my home in Arvada Colorado from this aunt. Much to my surprise in the box was this small set of depression glassware and the beginning of a LOVE of collecting dishes.

This is the latest addition to my collection.

I love to decorate with dishes for the seasons
This is a combination of the depression glass and my mother's china.

I love to get little plates for the Holiday's and take treats to my neighbors.
Entertaining and table presentations are important to me.
This is the same rack for a wedding with different plates to go with the color scheme.
Just after this wedding KUTV in Salt Lake City did a report on Lead Poisoning in imported dishes. I had purchased an entire set of these dishes at a local store.
Just a small sample of the many dishes I own.


After the report came out my oldest daughter and I decided to take a sampling of our dishes and have them tested. The complete set of dishes that I had recently purchased tested the highest levels of the day, yikes. I promptly returned them to the store and only received 50% back for them...I explained to them my concern for the lead content and even wrote to the manager, two years later those dishes are still sold in that store. Many stores import plates from China, Mexico and other places that are inexpensive but are not safe either.
Many people have this in their homes around where I live, this dish tested quite high as well. It now is only a place holder for the person on their special day and we no longer serve food on it.

As a cook and now a blogger I am always looking at dishes to serve on or take pictures with, for example the very first picture on this blog. When I purchased those there was a sticker with a code and the word passed on it. I was curious to know if legislation had been passed on imports of dishes from outside of the country and it caused me to do a little research only to find not much has happened since the story came out. I have tried to reach Jim Matheson to see where his investigation has gone but still haven't received any information.

Warning: This time of year there are many dishes that are inexpensive and so cute for the Holiday Season please be careful! I found these guidelines and thought that I would pass them along.

What do I look for?

The following hints are generally useful, but they are only hints. Certainty comes only from testing. Many manufacturers will have test records for the patterns they make. If you know the manufacturer, you should ask --

Potential risk factors include:

1. China handed down from a previous generation. These heirlooms were made before lead was recognized as a hazard.

2. Home-made or handcrafted china, either from the U.S. or abroad, unless you are sure the maker used a lead-free glaze or high-temperature, commercial firing practices.

3. Highly decorated, multi-colored inside surfaces (the part that touches the food and drink).

4. Decorations on top of the glaze instead of beneath it. Can you feel the decoration when you rub your fingers over it? When you hold the piece at an angle to the light, can you see brush strokes above the transparent glaze surface? Has the decoration begun to wear away?

5. Corroded glaze, or a dusty or chalky grey residue on the glaze after the piece has been washed. THIS TYPE OF CHINA COULD BE QUITE DANGEROUS. STOP USING IT AT ONCE. Any combination of factors 1 through 4 deserves particular attention. Factor 5, which could indicate extreme danger, is fortunately quite rare.

How do I minimize my risks?

1. Don't store food or drink in questionable china pitchers, bowls, etc. The longer food remains in contact with a china surface containing lead, the more lead can be drawn into the food.

2. Don't serve highly acidic food or drink in questionable china, especially to children. Acidic foods and drinks will leach lead out of china much faster than neutral foods like rice or mashed potatoes or neutral drinks like water or milk. Examples of acidic foods and drinks are: cola-type soft drinks; orange and grapefruit juice; applesauce and apple juice; tomatoes and tomato-based products like ketchup and spaghetti sauce; salad dressings with vinegar; tea and coffee.

3. Don't use a questionable piece of china in your everyday routine. Your favorite coffee mug, the bowl that usually goes into the refrigerator with leftovers, the everyday china your children use -- these are the pieces of china to focus on. China that you use only on special occasions is of less concern (particularly if you follow tips 1 and 2).

4. Don't heat or microwave in questionable china. Heat can speed up the lead-leaching process. These precautions aren't necessary, of course, if the china is lead-free or very-low-lead -- i.e., meets the stringent California warning standards. (California has a higher standard for imports than the national regulations!)