When buying a pizza plate, consider the type, size and style that would work best for your home. You may want a big decorative plate with a pizza theme or a set of individual, pizza-like triangular serving plates. Microwavable and dishwasher safe qualities may or may not be important in the pizza plate you choose. While pizza-themed, colorful plates can be fun to use for a variety of snacks, plain platters may also work well for serving foods other than pizza.
For parties and entertaining, a large transparent glass or white porcelain pizza plate can double as a serving platter for appetizers or cupcakes. If you'll have a use for this type of plate other than for pizza, it could be a versatile addition to your kitchen cupboard. If you'd rather have individual triangular pizza plates, these tend to make great individual serving dishes for snacks such as vegetables with a dip or for desserts such as a wedge of fruit pie. However, if the triangle plates you choose are designed to resemble a pizza slice, you may only want to use them when serving pizzas.
Triangle pizza plates are sold in a variety of styles from old fashioned designs to contemporary pieces. You may want to have a set of individual triangle plates plus a large pizza plate. The individual serving plates can hold each person's pizza slices taken from the large plate. Depending on whether you'll be using the different plates together for pizza only or for other foods as well, you could store them together or in separate cupboards in your kitchen.
Be sure to check the washing instructions for the pizza plate you're considering buying. Some metal pizza plates aren't dishwasher safe and may rust if washed that way. A hand-painted ceramic plate may also not be able to be washed in a dishwasher. If you want to reheat pizza slices or other foods in a microwave oven, make sure the plate you're considering buying is microwave-friendly. If you're looking for a plate to hold a large size pizza, be sure to get one big enough.
Most pizza plates sold today tend to be medium or large in size, but smaller types are also available. Aluminum plates are lightweight and are often available in sizes suitable for serving small pizzas. Large hand-painted ceramic pizza platters have the benefit of being decorative, but also tend to be heavy. A porcelain pizza plate is often plain white, yet many of these are sold with a warranty against chipping.
