What is a charger plate?!
What is a charger plate?
Answers:
A charger plate is larger than the dinner plate, yet smaller than a platter. Most commonly used at a formal table, the charger plate is placed at each place setting and generally removed when the main entrée is served. Therefore, all first courses are placed directly on the charger plate.
(Do not ever put food directly on a charger plate. That's a warning that is on the back of one I have.)
Source(s):
http://www.bedbathandbeyond.com/faqs_ep....
A big one.
I just yahoo'ed it. It looks like a plate especially designed for weddings.
It is the over-sized plate that is at each place setting when you sit down to a formal table. The plates your courses arrive on are set on it. It is purely ornamental.
Cheers
DWorld (above) is correct.
A charger plater is a very large flat plate that is brought to the table with your dinner plate resting on top of it.
The original reason was so the waiter serving your meal could carry the charger plate and not touch the plate that your food was served on.
An ostentatious waste of money that is very heavy to lift and carry. Another trendy habit these days.
But good question.
the fab gold, silver one under the main plate, then salad plate on top...............you never eat off the charger plate, for decoration ONLY
A charger is a decorative plate or dish which goes under your primary plate. Chargers are primarily decorative, however, you can also use them for platters.
The charger plate usage in restaurants depends on the formal setting, there is no right or wrong. Some restaurants will remove the charger once everyone is seated, prior to any meal. Others will remove it after the appetizer or salad is served. It is a decorative piece that adds to the ambiance and presentation of the table setting.
In homes, it is used as a decorative piece, however, most hosts will retain the charger on the table throughout the meal and not remove it after the appetizer or salad is served. The functionality is that if a guest spills, it is less likely to spill on the table or tablecloth.
Personally, I use our chargers for practicality; we generally have more guests than we have table seating for, the charger gives the guests a way to set the food on their lap and balance it without concern of it falling when they are sitting on a sofa or chair.
They are inexpensive, I purchased mine well under $10 for 8.
Adds festivity and formality,depending on use.
It's a fancy plate holder shaped like a plate and if used correctly it can make your table setting look really gorgeous.
Crikey...why do people answer questions with guesses? there are sooooo many crap answers here. A charge place is a plate shaped.....er plate, that sits on the table at your setting. I say plate shaped because it can, and often is, made of wicker, wood etc.It is larger than a dinner plate. Your dinner plate is then placed on top. It is for decoration only and does look very nice.
It's a fancy metallic place setting where other plates are placed, for retention of heat and for show. It's very pretty and better than using a tablemat. You can see lots of these in any Woolworths store. It's an enlarged plate and comes in many colours. If you see an oversized, and possibly flat, plate then this would be a charger plate.
I hope this helps.
:-)