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?

If it's a one pan meal or a curry with rice then it's serve yourself.
If it's sausage, mash and beans then I plate up.

I cook it, I dish it up and yell at everyone to come and get it unless I was hosting a dinner party or huge Xmas meal. I am not giving everyone choices. I wont give people food they don't like but if I am doing carrots with dinner and you usually eat carrots thats what you are having or you go without.

I hate playing up, it feels like someone controls how much I am allowed to eat.

We put food in serving bowls or put the pot onto the table itself.

I do have a dishwasher though and DH washes up what doesn’t fit/doesn’t go into the dishwasher so I am not that concerned about any extra plates/bowls.

I would never do anything other than put food on the table for people to serve themselves.

I prefer it to be dished up, serve yourself only works well if you’ve cooked to have lots leftover, otherwise like a pp i’m always worried about not taking more than my fair share and there’s always someone who goes round cleaning up on seconds before i’ve finished my first small portion.

If it's just me and dh, I'll usually plate it.

Anyone else, except maybe little Gdcs,, I let people help,themselves.

I still shudder at the memory of a massive plateful of something I didn't really fancy which a relative once put in front of me - and she was the sort of person who'd take offence if you didn't eat it all.

If I’ve done a cookathon I want lots of leftovers!

Here everyone grabs a plate and helps themselves to whatever is in the saucepans/pans in or around the range/cooker. We then take our plate to the table or wherever we are eating that day. There is always plenty to go around and anything leftover is put in tupperware for lunch next day.

When I used to visit my mum in England I found it odd when she was putting food on plates for us, especially for my husband. It's like she was saying 'you can only have this much'. I also think pouring gravy over someones grub or putting things on the plate they might not like is rude.

It's much easier to leave things in whatever you cooked them in and let people help themselves. I just put a serving ladle or whatever in each pot/pan and stand back.

Partly depends what it is, but mostly I put in on plates. Less washing up, plus I know pretty well what quantities each of my family eats. I have plenty of space for serving dishes etc but mostly only use them when guests are here.

For me it depends, general evening meal like I serve every day I plate it in the kitchen. Meals where we have guests I get people to serve themselves at the table. Reason being I know the likes and appetites of everybody here but wouldn't necessarily know for guests.

I'm too poor to put it on the dining table. I'd need:

• serving dishes
• a second oven to warm the serving dishes
• a bigger dining table
• extra food which would then go to waste

Do consider that when you are saying how much you absolutely hate your food being served already on a plate your host might have no choice.

purpleartochoke oh how I agree with you! I hate the serving dishes in the middle of the table! As you say, some are too heavy or too hot, and then there’s the palaver of no one wanting to go first or asking other people what they want etc, it drives me mad, cos all this faffing about means the food is getting cold!

Kitchen plater.

I am very careful about portion control, to minimise waste.

Also it's easier. And my Mum does it that way.

I hate plating up. We might do for the little ones but asking how much they want, but even my kids are allowed to be more or less hungry and chose their own portion size.

It's never too early to teach them not to pile up their plate with food and ask for seconds instead if they are hungry.

I do have a dishwasher, so it doesn't create any more washing to have serving plates. since reading the thread about genius posters having 2 dishwashers, I am very tempted to get a second one

I always let guests help themselves from the cooking pans or (if posher event) from serving dishes. This prevents giving ppl too much or too little, giving ppl things they hate, etc.

from the cooking pans? I really wouldn't like that at all, I must say.

Either dish it up or stick it in a serving dish.

Guests always serve themselves, DH and I depends on the meal, although more often I'll use serving dishes. I'm making tuna nicoise for dinner tonight, I'll plate it in the kitchen

I don’t do extra food - I don’t understand this. I trust my family not to take all 8 sausages or whatever. Actually DS might but I can tell him not to!

Never from the cooking pans (only exception I can think of is something like a tagine)

I do serve from pans, I’m lazy and they’re quite nice. I cook nearly everything in nice colourful cast iron pans. Rice I put in a dish and potatoes. Veg too actually. But the main curry or stew or whatever stays where it was cooked!

Depends, sometimes I plate sometimes i decant sometimes I put the saucepan on the table.

pretty much plate up and carry through, but with some meals there'll be optional extras: garlic bread, more salad, coleslaw, and maybe any of the sauce if there's any left.

Food always in dishes so everyone can help themselves, my mum always did this and my sisters and I have followed suit.

from the cooking pans? I really wouldn't like that at all, I must say.

why ever not? Some cookware is actually designed to do both, cooking and serving!

No one would like it in a restaurant, but in a private home, it doesn't matter. Some people are more formal than others, it doesn't change the taste of the food.

Depends on the meal. Never if we have guests. Sometimes I plate up a midweek meal because its very easy to predict what everyone's going eat and I can't be bothered with extra meals. Always plate up spaghetti because I haven't worked out how to put it in a bowl without it going sticky.