Floral Grape by Corelle: A great dinnerware set for our family.
Written: Apr 28 '06
|
Product Rating:
|
|
|
Pros: Lightweight, durable, easy to clean and store.
Cons: Are there cons to Corelle?
The Bottom Line: The Floral Grape design with Corelle quality makes this a great dinnerware set.
|
|
|
| ivplay's Full Review: Corelle Floral Grape 16 Piece Dinnerware Set |
Dateline: February, 2006
Problem: Husband has no ideas what to get wife for V-Day, and it is fast approaching
Solution: Just give up and ask wife what she wants!
Yes, it is true. My wife is probably one of the luckiest and yet least surprised women in the world. She is lucky in that she generally gets exactly what she wants for birthday, Christmas, V-day, etc. gifts yet unsurprised as she gets this by telling me exactly what she wants. I know, I should be 'inventive' and 'exciting' and come up with my own ideas which will surprise her to no end, but I have learned by past history that the surprise is generally one of shock rather than awe when I am the one to choose the gift.
In the spirit of keeping up the tradition, I recently asked her if there was anything she truly desired for the day when we all buy excessive amounts of chocolate, balloons and the like to 'prove' to someone that we still love them; Valentine's Day. My wife quickly replied that she wanted something I never would have thought to get for a historically romantic day; a completely new set of dinnerware! If the truth be told, before she told me that this was the gift of choice, I would have equated it to getting her a vacuum cleaner for Christmas (which is actually a gift she requested a few years back!) We went online together to look at patterns and the like, of course starting with www.corelle.com.
Why Corelle?
We have a china set that we received for our wedding, and we do use this for special occasions. However, with three young boys in the house we want to use something other than a very expensive and fragile set of dinnerware, preferably something that is hard to break yet long-lasting. Corelle is composed of two compressed layers of glass which makes them lightweight yet durable, and the differing designs and lines makes it easy to find something that matches your home décor.
Perusing the website we found that Corelle offers several lines, and the design we ultimately chose was the Floral Grape. This is a set within the LifeStyles line with a yellow border on the plates and mug overlaid with a grape vine complete with fruit and flowers. The set that we chose is the 16 piece set as opposed to the 20 piece, as this eliminates the useless saucers and cups and replaces them with an actual mug. The 11 ounce mug is large enough to actually get a good-sized portion of coffee or tea as opposed to the mini-cups for sipping in a social setting. In addition to the mugs you will receive the large bowls with a solid purple rim and a 10 1/4" dinner plate with a 7 1/4" salad plate. Where the 10 ¼" dinner plate simply has the rim design, the 7 1/4" salad plate also has a bunch of grapes adorning the center. As you get four place settings containing all four items, the box is correctly called a 16-piece set.
Usage
Since we received the three 16-piece sets, this has become our high-usage dinnerware set. My wife and I use the larger dinner plates for our eating enjoyment while the smaller salad plates are just large enough for our three boys' meals. The 11-ounce mugs are perfect for morning coffee or afternoon water, and as they are larger than the cups that came with our last Corelle set we don't have to keep running back to the coffee pot for more lifeblood. The 18 ounce bowls are large enough for a grown-up's morning bowl of cereal or soup for dinner, and the boys don't have problems with them tipping over on them due the low and wide design. The plates have a nice shiny finish that is easy to clean with either the dishwasher or by hand, and the design is protected well without noticeable wear.
We have been trying to convince our boys that after they are finished eating there are a number things they must do before resuming play. First and foremost they must ask to be excused, then they can transport their plates, bowls and cups to the counter above the dishwasher, and finally they must wash their face and hands. With Corelle dinnerware we don't have to watch them like a hawk, as the occasional drop that does occur doesn't result in shattered plates. The plates and bowls have been dropped on occasion from various heights with no chipping or breaking, and we are able to teach our kids some responsibility as a result of this. Thank you, Corelle!
The proprietary process for making Corelle dinnerware results in a very hardy product. You can safely use the plates, bowls and mugs in a conventional oven or a microwave, although you want to avoid using them on a stovetop. The washing process is easily completed with a non-abrasive cleanser or an automatic dishwasher, and the design makes for space-saving stacking, taking up very little room in the cupboard.
Corelle offers a limited three-year warranty from cracks, breakage, chips or permanent stains so long as you use the dinnerware according to the stated guidelines. The guidelines can be found at this webpage:
http://www.corelle.com/index.asp?pageId=81
Overall
While a new set of dinnerware was certainly needed, this wouldn't have been a gift idea I would have conjured up. That being said, my wife got what she wanted for Valentine's Day, and our family has a dinnerware set that matches our home décor and should last for years to come. The lightweight, durable nature of Corelle is coupled with the beautiful design in the floral grape, and the two plates, one bowl and one mug fit our needs well. All in all, these plates are perfect for our family's needs and I recommend them to anyone who agrees with the Floral Grape design.
Recommended:
Yes
|
|
|
|
|
- Add to My Yahoo!: 
- Add to Google Homepage: 
© 1999-2009 Shopping.com, Inc.