Eleven to thirteen inches in diameter! “Since 1960 the overall surface area of an average dinner plate has increased 36 percent. The average dinner plate we commonly use today measures 11 or 12 inches across. A few decades ago plates measured 7 to 9 inches.
In Europe, the average plate measures 9 inches while some American restaurants use plates that are around 13 inches in diameter.” (How Big Are Your Dinner Plates and Why It Matters)
Why is this an issue? Aside from the fact the obesity rate in the U.S. is too high, many kitchen cabinets I’ve unpacked were not tailored to hold 11-to- 13 inch dinner plates, both old and newly renovated cabinets.
I had a busy summer helping clients unpack in their new homes. A number of times I’ve noticed that I couldn’t close the cabinet doors once the dinner plates are in. So why are the stores selling 11 to 13 inch dinner plates anyway?
This has prompted me to have conversations with clients about alternative solutions. Do they use the dinner plates daily? If not, would they be ok using the lunch plates for all meals instead? If they do use dinner plates daily, then we explore storing alternatives.
Sometimes the solutions have to get very creative. Other times, clients are rethinking what they want to use on a daily basis and some even decided to let go of the dinner plates for good. Some clients store their dinner plates in a storage room to take out for holiday/special occasions and use the lunch plates for every day.
If you need a hand helping the kitchen flow better, feel free to reach out. Thanks to Right Path Fitness and Eat Out Eat Well for their insights and statistics.