To plate it in the kitchen rather than let people serve themselves?

[IggyPoppers]

If you're having a family meal do you plate it straight from the whatever it was cooked in onto plates and then carry those plates through or do you decant the food into a serving bowl and carry that through? AIBU to not want even more dishes and to just plate it from the hob?

On programs like come dine with me they almost always plate, because the presentation of the plate is part of the enjoyment. I do think there is no right or wrong and a place for plating, even when you have guests.

I think "comne dine with me" is for me similar to eating out. Obviously I then get my food put on a plate for me.

Even DD learned to serve herself from a serving bowl at nursery (from pre school onwards) for potatoes/rice/veg. Only meat/fish was given to them. Easy way to teach children to take only as much as they think they can handel and ask for seconds.

I think the idea of given a plate and then having to finish it is the best way to teach children to overrule their own hunger instincts. Or you have lots of waste.

I always felt this was a bit generational or budget related.

Growing up my food was plated, because we had no money. So a certain amount was cooked and then given to you. The issue was I had to eat everything on my plate, so I had little say in the matter. Even if I didn't want it, I had to sit there till it was eaten as we didn't waste food.

So I took the opposite with my child. Food should not be something controlled or a battle zone, meals should be fun, and we have always used serving dishes, I shove it out in thr centre of the table and there is more than enough for everyone. I even do it with sandwiches.

My daughter does eat everything on her plate, but not because I ever suggested it, simply she takes as much as she wishes, finishes it, and if she wants more will have seconds or pick as we are chatting.

Our friendship circle is the same, nothing is plated, hence I thought there was a generational element to it also.

My mother in law was the same, she plated, but they had no financial issues, but curiously. both sets of my grandparents didn't, they were Italian and feeders, and food was always in the centre of the table to help yourself to.

Dinners at their houses was always a lot more joyous with chatting and sharing, than the miserable as fuck "there's your tea, eat it" scenario we had going on at home.

Plate up everything except roast or something like tortillas. If it's a meal with salad as a side dish, the salad is put on the table for people to help themselves.

Plate up and carry through. If anyone wants to whinge about it in this house then they can do the bloody extra washing it it entitles

Dinners at their houses was always a lot more joyous with chatting and sharing, than the miserable as fuck "there's your tea, eat it" scenario we had going on at home.

Surely that’s down to attitude rather than how the food is served?

I always thought MIL was slightly odd for plating up and saying "this one's so and so" with no obvious difference in plates.

Then I hosted a late Christmas dinner and greedy git of BIL managed to corner about 1/4 of the meat when there were seven people at the table, and I learned her wisdom! At theirs, she only allows him to pick extras after she's given a fair amount to everyone else.

8 around the table. I plate up modestly and extras on the table. Not much room to be honest.

There's no extra washing if you put the pots and pans on the table straight from the stove.

What's with all the need for serving dishes or plating up?

I've just had dinner with different components, and no extra washing at all.

Always plate up, why dirty unnecessary dishes etc!?!

On programs like come dine with me they almost always plate, because the presentation of the plate is part of the enjoyment. I do think there is no right or wrong and a place for plating, even when you have guests.

Although presentation on the plate is slightly above my level of entertaining

I plate up as when we have guests my husband tends to invite loads and if I left them to plate up there wouldn't be enough... his friends are greedy nuggets and I'm not cooking extra so they can stuff their faces....sounds mean but he used to invite people all the time and I got fed up with it

Wouldn't dream of putting food on guests plates. Recently went to dinner at a friend's house and was presented with an enormous plate of food. It was incredibly embarrassing as she'd gone to lots of trouble to cook but it wasn't my favourite sort of food and I would have managed a small portion had I been left to serve myself. Instead I had to leave most of a meal which I knew she could ill afford.
I don't even put food on my 5 year old GS's plate anymore unless it's a simple sandwich. I think it teaches children portion control

I plate up as when we have guests my husband tends to invite loads and if I left them to plate up there wouldn't be enough... his friends are greedy nuggets and I'm not cooking extra so they can stuff their faces....sounds mean but he used to invite people all the time and I got fed up with it

Why are you serving them?
Get your own food and for your children (if you have them) and let them battle it out. [win]

I don't really mind. With roasts I usually plate the meat and let everyone else take what veg they want. I think it's a helpful exercise in some way, as it teaches children to think of others and do a bit of mental maths when they consider how a bowl of potatoes might divvy up. I get really fucked off at people who don't naturally do this - it shows lack of breeding.

At dinner parties I will generally plate the meal as I go into Masterchef mode, like a nobhead.

Other meals like curries I would probably plate the curry and sides would go into a dish.

I don't give out loads of meat/curry in these scenarios, and would leave people to go up for seconds if they'd like.

95% of the time it's plates in kitchen because I don't want to be faffing with extra dishes and carrying stuff through. We might put salad and bread out to help selves if we have it but generally in kitchen. My table isn't big enough with lots of extra things on

Neither, I bring the pots and pans in for everyday meals (or takeaway/ microwave containers). No extra washing up (except a couple of serving spoons) and everyone can take what they want.

Toddlers get served, because they are unable to judge what they might eat or what might be a fair share.

Agree with pps, when did "serving" become "plating up" or is it just a local thing somewhere?

With the 3 of us, i plate up.
All others, I say help yourselves.
I prefer bbqs though. He cooks and plonks the tray of meats in front of us and we dig in. Salad etc is in the kitchen for all to help themselves.

Because I cook in the house... and I like to do it. So I make sure there's enough to go round. We don't have as many guests as before because i dont want to do it all the time or have people round all the time... if I let him dish up half the house would starve!

lwejj

With just us who live here we cook what we know we will eat and put it on the plates.
With guests we cook extra “in case” and so put serving dishes out and expect there to be seconds and left overs.

It depends what the meal is.

At my mum's when everyone is there it's all put on the table for ppl to help themselves.

This used to only happen at Christmas but now there's 9 adults, 2 children and a baby this is how it's done now. This is a roast, BBQ, pizzas, chicken/salad/pitta type meal.

If only a few of us are there and we're having chops, veg & potatoes for instance, this gets plated in the kitchen.

At home with me and dp, it depends what it is. Chops/fish, veg, potatoes etc is plated in the kitchen. Pizza is brought out to the table. Lasagna is usually plated in the kitchen but sometimes brought through. Mussels are brought to the table in their cooking pots with bread & butter on the table.

Is anyone else reminded of the thread where the DP plated up one potato each and half a steak? I wonder what the outcome of that was.

For midweek meals, whoever cooked plates up in the kitchen, the other three of us hang around and say how much we want, if we can bothered. We generally know how much everyone usually wants. For roast dinner on Sunday the plates and serving dishes are warmed in the oven. I put meat on each person's plate until they say stop, everyone helps themselves to veg.

Agree with pps, when did "serving" become "plating up" or is it just a local thing somewhere?

😂😂 local to mumsnet maybe...? But tbh I've never come across any actual angst about this IRL.

If we have guests main course is plated up & then served guests in order of importance - most senior female gets served first, with host coming last. Vegetables may be passed around the table, or sometimes served up with the main course from the sideboard.