Trays: materials, forms and design

The most popular and important attribute in every home is a tray. This accessory has also found wide distribution in catering places, so it can often be found in canteens and cafes. In addition, many hostesses prefer to use the tray as a decorative element, originally complementing not only the design of the kitchen, but also the living room, hallway or bedroom.

Trays are a universal device with a flat surface and special sides (raised edges), which greatly simplifies the transportation of various types of dishes and protects them from falling.

Today the market is represented by a huge assortment of trays. They may differ in size, shape, design, price, but they are united by certain functions.

• With the help of this product, table setting with appliances and utensils is greatly simplified. In this case, the tray can be either round with a lid, or mirrored with handles, or just plastic.
• Allows more presentable to bring to the table ready meals. To do this, usually use the serving type of product. Beautifully looks silver oval or rectangular painted tray made of wood. They are often used for effective presentation of various desserts, fruit, berry cuts, cakes and cakes.
• Thanks to this device, removing the table, you can bring a lot of dishes to the sink at one time.
• Ideal for organizing breakfasts, light dinners right in bed. No coffee and tea ceremony is complete without this product. It can also compactly arrange various sweets, snacks and conveniently lie down on the couch, watching your favorite movies.
• The original addition to the interior of any room. Thanks to the chic design and a huge selection of models, trays easily cope with the decorative function. Devices with high sides can be placed in the home library, study or on the coffee table in the living room for accurate storage of letters and other correspondence. In the hallway, it is useful for storing such trifles as a notebook with a pen, keys, and so on. These things will always be in one place and not get lost.

In addition to all of the above, many housewives use the tray as beautiful supports for flower pots. They can accommodate not only indoor plants, but also independently create unusual compositions of candles and dried inflorescences.

Trays must meet the following requirements: be hygienic, functional and ergonomic. A huge role is also played by their decor, which allows to add to the house a special color and unusual atmosphere. If the tray meets all the above characteristics, then it will be the most useful thing in the house and can never stale on the shelves of the cabinet.

Each hostess knows that it is not enough to cook a tasty and sumptuous dish, it is still necessary to present it beautifully to guests. This can help such a device as a tray.

These "kitchen tools" are conventionally divided into two main types.

• Trays for domestic use. Bypassing the invited guests and distributing drinks with snacks can not do without the use of this device. For these purposes, they usually acquire light, roomy and comfortable models. Too small and large trays are not suitable for everyday life. If the gadgets will be inconvenient to hold in their hands, then everything will simply fall down or fall down.

• Trays used as decorative decorations. They can have various fancy shapes and hang on the wall or stand on a chest of drawers. Traditionally, in each house you can find a wicker, metal (stainless steel) or wooden tray with a painting (Khokhloma). The tray-plate on a soft pillow, Gzhel and a rotating (rotating) version, looks unusual in the interior of the room. Extravagant are square and octagonal trays or a combined model, as well as painted and decorated with fancy patterns.

These kitchen appliances differ not only in shape, but also in size.

A classic and versatile tray is up to 35 cm in diameter. It is perfect for cutting, baking, and meat dishes. If a special reception is planned and many guests are invited to it, then a large oval-shaped tray will come to the rescue. On it, even the most simple dishes will look amazing.

These devices can be produced with or without handles. For example, in the classic coffee and tea trays handles are provided. They allow you to comfortably and effectively serve guests hot drinks.

As for the material of manufacture, the trays can be made of various materials.

This tradition has been preserved in our time in those countries ruled by monarchs. For daily use, they usually purchase a plastic tray, although it is much inferior to stainless steel products. Well-proven and aluminum models, they have many forms, are characterized by durability, wear resistance and are not exposed to the negative effects of high temperatures.

No less popular are products from plywood and wood., they are especially appreciated among lovers of folk and ethnic styles. Wooden trays not only elegantly decorate the kitchen, but also add a certain national flavor to the feast.

As a rule, trays are made from certain types of wood.

• Oak. It is considered a real king, because he has no equal. Oak trays can be used for a long time, they are not afraid of cuts with sharp objects and are resistant to humidity and temperature changes.

• Hevea People learned from wood not only to extract rubber, but also to make stylish trays. Its wood is characterized by low humidity, which does not exceed 10%, and smooth smooth surface of a warm shade. Products from the Hevea have high strength and serve for a long time. In addition, these trays are pleasant to the touch, do not absorb extraneous smells of food and moisture, are not afraid of high temperature.

• Bamboo. This is one of the most durable materials used in the manufacture of boards. Bamboo trays are lightweight, have antimicrobial characteristics and do not absorb food odors.

• Acacia. It is an exquisite tree that hails from southern countries. It is characterized by a delicate aroma and a gentle warm color. Acacia trays are often decorated with paintings.

• Ash. It has an original texture and deep rich color. Not only trays are made of ash, but also plates, cutting boards, and tables.

Wooden trays are usually used to serve those products that benefit from the neighborhood with wood. Fish, leafy salads, cheese cuts, pickles, spices, desserts and fruits are perfect for this. Since products made of natural material are expensive, as an alternative, you can buy trays of high quality durable plastic. Though they are cheap, but according to external data they are in no way inferior to stylish products from the array.

They can also be found in fast food chains. These trays have their advantages.

• Low thermal conductivity. Due to this property, food placed on a tray does not lose its serving temperature, which is especially important during the cold season. Therefore, plastic products are generally recommended for serving hot meals and drinks.
• Original design. Since plastic can take on a different look, it can be painted in any color. Often manufacturers of trays put on their surface flower drawings and beautiful ornaments, which cannot be done with metal products (they need to be covered with a thick layer of paint, and this decor will last only a few weeks). Aluminum trays should not be decorated in this way either, since permanent oxidation problems are possible after painting. Plastic trays open wide opportunities for the implementation of any design ideas.

Before you buy such an important kitchen accessory as a tray, you need to take into account many features.

Going to buy a tray, you should pay attention to certain indicators.

• The size. To choose it correctly, you need to take into account not only the category of guests you plan to serve, but also the overall design of the dining room or kitchen. In addition, the kitchen accessory should fit easily in the locker, taking up little space. It is important that after the purchase of this product it was possible to place it in the dishwasher or on the stand for drying.
• Appearance. Depending on the purpose of the tray, you can choose a variety of models. For example, for primary schools, hospitals and other institutions, models with sections are excellent, they provide for the separation of dishes into portions. If you plan to serve many different dishes, laid out in plates, it is best to give preference to flat models. Many restaurants serve the table in such a way that the dining table is as full as possible with dishes, while having enough free space. To do this, use trapezoidal models that can be bought for hotels, schools, hospitals and small restaurants.

For convenient transportation of dishes use special trays, which have several cells.

To cool dishes with their subsequent serving it is recommended to purchase trays and inserts. Given the appearance of the product, you should pay attention to its design, which should be in harmony with the overall situation in the room.

• The material of manufacture. It is desirable to choose models from high-quality, durable and ecological raw materials. For example, well-proven products made of wood and fiberglass. The only thing is that in comparison with plastic trays they are limited in coloring and have only a trapezoidal and flat shape. If the service life of the product is important, then it is best to opt for accessories made of metal.
• Colour. Choosing this indicator, you should consider the style of the kitchen, dining room and personal preferences. To date, trays of all colors and shades are on sale. It is advisable to buy products that are combined with the general style of the room.

An overview of the plastic tray, see below.