by Christopher Jones
While you can enjoy pasta in any kind of receptacle, something that isn't too well known is that there exist bowls that are specifically designed for enjoying pasta or any other kind of italian dish.
This is especially true if you have made said pasta from scratch. You will notice a significant difference when using a pasta bowl for this particular pasta.
Even if the pasta you are enjoying is not made from scratch, you will still notice a difference in flavor and even texture if you place it in a bowl that is created specifically for pasta.
Even though the concept is universal enough, no pasta bowl is the same.
The differences among pasta bowls begin with what base materials they are made of.
Of these materials, there are two that are the most common: Ceramic and melamine.
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While it isn't difficult to find solitary pasta bowls that yield a large capacity, it is certainly difficult to find a set of pasta bowls that yield a large capacity. Most of the time, you'll be tasked with either having to acquire several of the same bowl or settle for small bowls.
This issue is a thing of the past with Y YHY's set of pasta bowls. With each bowl in its 6 piece set having an impressive 30 ounce capacity, you'll be able to use them for more than just pasta. You'll be able to use them for soup and salad as well. They are perfect for serving large portions at a dinner table, but if you really want to, you could probably eat out of them as well.
The bowls in Y YHY's set are made of porcelain, which is a variation of ceramic that is not nearly as durable as ceramic is. Something else that holds them back is that they are very plain looking. You'll need to look elsewhere if you are in need of a set of pasta bowls that are durable and more presentable.
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Most prepare their dishes in a standard mixing bowl, not knowing how much this compromises overall flavor and texture. Even those who do know this don't know that there are alternatives out there that can be used.
Such an alternative exists with Dowan's pair of serving bowls. Each bowl has an impressive and overwhelming capacity of 2.8 quarts, giving you all the space and room inside the bowl that you need to mix whatever you want. Of course, you can also use Dowan's pair of bowls to serve. In fact, you won't really need anything other than them when it comes to serving, given their size.
As you might have guessed, the only thing that Dowan's pair of serving bowls specializes in is size. You'll be able to mix in them, serve in them, and that's about it. The porcelain it is made of also makes it less durable than you might want it to be.
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Sometimes you need a pasta bowl not just for serving, but also for eating from. Unfortunately, most pasta bowls allow you to do one or the other, never both. They are either too big to eat from or too small to serve from. Dealing with this is very frustrating, especially if you have multiple things to serve.
Your search for versatility has ended with Sweese's pasta bowl set. With each bowl in the set of 6 having a capacity of 22 ounces, you'll be able to serve decent portions out of them if necessary and you'll also be able to use them for dining. Unless you really need to serve massive portions, you will be set with Sweese's pasta bowl set.
Probably the only thing you might want to watch for with the bowls in Sweese's set is its material. Being made of porcelain, they are not nearly as durable as you might want them to be. You also might have wanted more bowls to be in the set, but this is more a matter of preference than anything else.
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It is an unfortunate and inconvenient fact that no salad bowl is truly versatile. While some of them do make an attempt to be bowls you can both serve from and eat from, very few are actually able to do this effectively.
All of this decisively changes with Koov's pasta bowl set. Each bowl in the set has a capacity of an impressive 46 ounces, allowing you to serve whatever you need from it without much difficulty. They are also shaped like a standard bowl that can be eaten from. This makes them just as easy to eat from as well.
Another fantastic thing about Koov's pasta bowl set is that they are made of pure white ceramic. This makes them much more durable than most of their porcelain counterparts.
The only thing you might not like about the bowls in Koov's set is that there are not enough of them. As useful as the four bowls in its set are, you'll probably wish that it came with four more bowls.
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Nearly all pasta bowls are depressingly boring looking. With most of them being just one solid color, there is no way that you'll ever be able to impress anybody at the dinner table with them at all. If there are pasta bowls with designs on them, you won't be able to use them for much without the designs being negatively affected.
Certified International has solved this issue for good with its piazzette style of pasta bowls. Each bowl in the set contains hand painted designs that look much more impressive than the boring designs you'll find on other pasta bowls. You would think that it would be difficult to clean Certified International's pasta bowls, but that is not true, since they are also dishwasher safe.
The only thing you might want to watch for with Certified International's pasta bowls is that the size is very unwieldy. Being over 9 inches in diameter, you'll need to make sure you have a clear path for them when bringing them to the dinner table.
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Most pasta bowls can be used only for pasta dishes and maybe a few other dishes. Most of the time, you'll need to look for a different kind of bowl if you need to use one for other food items, such as soups, salads, burritos, stews, or any other kind of dish that warrants a large receptacle such as a pasta bowl.
AnBnCn's set of pasta bowls are your answer if you are looking for pasta bowls that you can use for other food items other than pasta. Being nearly 2 inches deep, 9 inches wide, and having a total capacity of 30 ounces, you'll be able to put nearly anything in them with confidence. They are good for serving as well as for eating from.
Most pasta bowls that have this kind of capacity are not nearly this wide, and this is one thing that you'll need to watch for when using AnBnCn's pasta bowls. The increased width does make them unwieldy looking and they can be uncomfortable to hold. Highlighted features:
You need to be careful with most pasta bowls that have a large capacity, especially if your dish contains a lot of sauce. There is a good chance that said sauce could fall right off of the bowl, especially if the bowl is very wide and not very deep. This issue is more common than you might think, and there are not many alternatives out there.
You'll find such an alternative when using Le Tauci's bowls. Each bowl in the set is much deeper than most other bowls that have a similar capacity. They sacrifice a little bit of width for a lot of depth and this is what allows any food inside of it to stay inside and not spill as much. You'll want Le Tauci's pasta bowls if you know you use a lot of sauce.
Because Le Tauci sacrifices a little bit of its width for depth in their bowls, you'll need to adjust things accordingly. This is probably the only thing you'll need to be aware of. The food items and dishes that you could place easily in other bowls may not fit so perfectly in Le Tauci's pasta bowls.
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Most pasta bowls are nothing if not boring when it comes to their appearance. Most of them are solid white in color, which really does not look impressive. While this may be acceptable in most situations, you'll be out of options when you know that you want to impress others at the table. Even worse, any pasta bowls that do look impressive and stylish are often not nearly as functional as they need to be.
All of this changes with Farielyn-X's pasta bowls. With each bowl in the set having its own pattern design, you'll finally possess pasta bowls that actually stand out in a good way. Even better, Farielyn-X's pasta bowls contain all the properties that their counterparts contain: You can put them in the microwave, dishwasher, and they have a decent capacity of 27 ounces per bowl.
As you might have guessed, Farielyn-X's pasta bowls are not nearly as functional as their counterparts, as they compromise a little in terms of not only capacity, but their overall shape. They are not very deep, meaning they look more like plates rather than bowls.
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If most pasta bowls are not boring in their appearance, they are tacky. You can see this with pasta bowls that have overwhelming design patterns on them that can make you dizzy by looking at them. Finding an impressive looking pasta bowl that you can use for most kitchen and dining situations is not easy at all.
Teocera provides an answer to this with their set of pasta bowls. Each bowl in the set has a matte black design, making them a little more presentable than their white counterparts but not over-the-top like their patterned designed counterparts. You'll find them useful if you are looking for pasta bowls that are just a little more presentable than the ones you already have.
There isn't much that sets Teocera's pasta bowls apart in a significant way when it comes to functionality. Each bowl in the set has a 35 ounce capacity, and this is an industry standard among most pasta bowls. They are also only a little more than 2 inches deep and this can limit what you can put in it. They are not designed for soup, stews, or anything that can spill.
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Most pasta bowls are stand-alone pieces, meaning they aren't really designed to be part of a set. This is what makes it so frustrating to complement them to your other pieces of dinnerware. It is what makes them stand out in a really bad way, especially if they are solid white or if they contain over-the-top patterned designs.
Euro Ceramica's Zanzibar Collection provides a creative solution to all this. You get not only pasta bowls with the set, but you also get teacups, dinner plates, and salad plates. This makes the pasta bowls in the Zanzibar Collection one of the only pasta bowls that actually complement everything else you put on the table. You will want it if you are looking for not only a pasta bowl set but a full dinnerware set that will truly impress a crowd.
As you may have figured out, the Zanzibar collection does sacrifice some of its functionality. While they are dishwasher and microwave safe, you will need to be careful about what kinds of temperatures you use in this regard. The pasta bowls are well under average when it comes to capacity, being only 24 ounces. Look for a different set if you expect a significant degree of functionality.
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Pasta bowls come in all shapes and sizes and are suitable for all kinds of situations.
Because of this, you must consider a number of things before setting out and buying a set.
If you consider the following things, you'll be sure that you are in possession of the right set of pasta bowls.
This is the first thing to consider and most other considerations will revolve around it.
The pasta bowls that are used for the home are much different than the ones that are used for an establishment.
The ones you use for your home might actually need higher or lower capacities depending on your situation and this is also true for the ones you need for an establishment.
Capacity is probably the most important thing to consider in a pasta bowl since it is almost directly related to what kinds of food items you intend to put in the pasta bowl and how much you intend to put in it.
While you can err on the side of too much capacity over too little capacity, there are times where you could stand to use pasta bowls with less capacity.
Most pasta bowls are designed for containing a lot of food, giving you something that you can easily serve food out of, but some can function as a bowl or even a plate.
Something you'll need to determine is which of these functions your pasta bowl will assist with the most.
You can make a solid decision from there.
Pasta bowls are truly a utility receptacle as you can use them for not only pasta, but nearly any kind of food item.
In fact, certain pasta bowls are specifically designed for food items other than pasta.
If you do intend to use your pasta bowl for food items other than pasta, you might want to seek out some of the pasta bowls out there that have a decisively large capacity.
It's these pasta bowls that are designed for other food items, not just pasta.
As mentioned earlier, ceramic and melamine are the two most common types of pasta bowls that you will find.
While other types of pasta bowls exist, they are not nearly as common and most of the time the differences between pasta bowls tend to come down to this fundamental difference.
Ceramic is the material that is associated with pasta bowls that look more elegant. While ceramic is durable, it is not nearly as durable as melamine.
However, because they have a stone base, ceramic is a lot more presentable in that it is possible for manufacturers to create more designs and patterns on them.
Melamine is actually a variation of reinforced plastic, which makes it much more durable than ceramic. While melamine is not shatterproof, it is certainly shatter resistant, something that ceramic is not.
Something that ceramic holds over melamine is that ceramic is more resistant to extreme temperatures. You'll be able to bake with ceramic bowls and plates. This is not possible with melamine materials.
Now that you know about the basic types of pasta bowls, it is now time to explore the best ones you can find.
A: Ceramic bowls are made of more than just ceramic. Being a form of stoneware, they are also made of the same kinds of things that any kind of stoneware is made of. Most ceramic bowls are made from a combination of ceramic itself, granite, and porcelain. Most ceramic bowls that you'll come across are made of some kind of combination of all three of these materials.
A: In terms of temperature resistance, ceramic bowls are probably one of the safest bowls you'll ever come across. They can resist decisively hot and decisively cold temperatures very well, and most of the time, you will never need to be concerned with them cracking or breaking under intense temperatures. However, ceramic bowls tend to be a lot heavier than they should be. There are definitely lighter bowls out there and this does take away from the safety factor of ceramic bowls a bit.
A: The three main types of ceramic are earthenware, stoneware, and porcelain. Porcelain is by far the most common of these, but they are also the most durable. Earthenware is made of materials that are natural while the other two are made of manufactured materials. However, it is the least durable. It is not easy to design earthenware or porcelain, but it is possible to create a good amount of designs on stoneware.
A: Most foolishly believe that ceramic bowls are only used for food preparation and food service types of tasks. This is not true, as ceramic bowls can be used for other kinds of things other than those. Ceramic bowls can be used for storage and even gardening, depending on the kind of ceramic bowl that is being used.
A: Although ceramic is designed to withstand very intense temperatures, it will crack when certain temperatures are reached. Most ceramic will begin to crack when temperatures reach either under 32 degrees Fahrenheit or 500 degrees Fahrenheit. While ceramic won't begin cracking the second after these temperatures are reached, they certainly will begin cracking after being in these temperatures for too long.
Y YHY Pasta Bowls 30oz, Large Salad Serving Bowls, White Soup Bowls, Porcelain Pasta - Walmart Link
DOWAN Vibrant Color Pasta Bowls, 8.5'' Large Salad Serving Bowls, 34 Oz Porcelain Pasta - Walmart Link
ZONESUM Pasta Bowls with Handles, 35 Ounce Pasta Bowls Set of 4, Large and Deep Salad - Walmart Link
Y YHY Pasta Bowls and Plates,20 Ounces White Soup Bowl Set of 4, Porcelain Bowl Set for - Walmart Link
Y YHY Pasta Bowls Set of 6, Christmas Thanksgiving Large Salad Serving Bowls, Porcelain - Walmart Link
Y YHY 9.75" Large Pasta Bowls, 50 Ounces Big Salad Bowls, Ceramic Serving Bowl Set of 4, - Walmart Link
Farielyn-X Large Salad Pasta Bowls Set of 6, Wide and Shallow Porcelain Dinner - Walmart Link
DOWAN 9.5" Large Serving Bowls, 2.8 Quart Big Salad Bowls, Porcelain Pasta Bowl Set, - Walmart Link
Sweese 112.001 Porcelain Salad Pasta Bowls - 22 Ounce - Set of 6, White - Walmart Link
KOOV 46 OZ Pasta Bowls Set of 4, Ceramic Bowl, Large Bowl For Eating, Large Salad Bowl - Walmart Link
Certified International Corp Piazzette 9.25" Soup/Pasta Bowls, Assorted Designs, Set of - Walmart Link
AnBnCn Porcelain Pasta Bowls - 30 Ounce - Large, Set of 6 - Walmart Link
LE TAUCI Large Salad Bowls, 45 Ounce Pasta Bowls and Serving Bowls, Soup Bowl, 8.5 Inch - Walmart Link
Teocera Pasta Bowls, Large Salad Bowls, Porcelain Bowl Set, Wide and Shallow, Microwave - Walmart Link
Euro Ceramica Zanzibar Collection 16 Piece Dinnerware Set Kitchen and Dining, Service for - Walmart Link
Y YHY Pasta Bowls 30oz, Large Salad Serving Bowls, White Soup Bowls, Porcelain Pasta - eBay Link
DOWAN Vibrant Color Pasta Bowls, 8.5'' Large Salad Serving Bowls, 34 Oz Porcelain Pasta - eBay Link
ZONESUM Pasta Bowls with Handles, 35 Ounce Pasta Bowls Set of 4, Large and Deep Salad - eBay Link
Y YHY Pasta Bowls and Plates,20 Ounces White Soup Bowl Set of 4, Porcelain Bowl Set for - eBay Link
Y YHY Pasta Bowls Set of 6, Christmas Thanksgiving Large Salad Serving Bowls, Porcelain - eBay Link
Y YHY 9.75" Large Pasta Bowls, 50 Ounces Big Salad Bowls, Ceramic Serving Bowl Set of 4, - eBay Link
Farielyn-X Large Salad Pasta Bowls Set of 6, Wide and Shallow Porcelain Dinner - eBay Link
DOWAN 9.5" Large Serving Bowls, 2.8 Quart Big Salad Bowls, Porcelain Pasta Bowl Set, - eBay Link
Sweese 112.001 Porcelain Salad Pasta Bowls - 22 Ounce - Set of 6, White - eBay Link
KOOV 46 OZ Pasta Bowls Set of 4, Ceramic Bowl, Large Bowl For Eating, Large Salad Bowl - eBay Link
Certified International Corp Piazzette 9.25" Soup/Pasta Bowls, Assorted Designs, Set of - eBay Link
AnBnCn Porcelain Pasta Bowls - 30 Ounce - Large, Set of 6 - eBay Link
LE TAUCI Large Salad Bowls, 45 Ounce Pasta Bowls and Serving Bowls, Soup Bowl, 8.5 Inch - eBay Link
Teocera Pasta Bowls, Large Salad Bowls, Porcelain Bowl Set, Wide and Shallow, Microwave - eBay Link
Euro Ceramica Zanzibar Collection 16 Piece Dinnerware Set Kitchen and Dining, Service for - eBay Link
Pasta bowls are an absolutely necessary tool in anyone's kitchen.
If you are even considering taking on any kind of large-scale food related project, you will probably need at least one pasta bowl.
Don't think that pasta bowls can only be used for pasta. There are several other food items that you can use pasta bowls for and those who have the most experience in the kitchen know this.
Pasta bowls can be used for serving as well as eating from and it isn't uncommon to see one set of pasta bowls being used for both functions.
You can also use pasta bowls to store food items in a much more organic manner than their plastic counterparts. Instead of keeping what you just cooked in a plastic container, you can use a pasta bowl as a container. All you need to do is wrap aluminum foil around your bowl.
Do your due diligence and explore what pasta bowls have to offer. Once you incorporate them in your kitchen, you'll wonder why you haven't done so.
About Christopher Jones
Chris is a true globetrotter. He has been to many destinations and tried different types of food from all over the world, yet he still loves finding new places and tasting their specialties. Chris has always had an entrepreneurial spirit and so he decided to go back to school at age 24 for his MBA at University of San Francisco so that he could have a better understanding of business strategy in order to start his own company. His favorite motto is “how can one live well, travel well, and work well without having good food every time?”
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