This Is the Only Plate You're Not Supposed to Eat From

A beautifully set table holds many different types of plates: ones specifically used for salad, bread, dinner, and dessert. Most people know about the most common ones, but there are a few kinds of plates that some aren't familiar with and may not know what they're used for. 

One of the most mistaken plates is the charger. You're not alone if you are wondering what a charger plate is. TikTok personality jordan_the_stallion8 recently posted a video wondering the same thing. But no, it's not a plate used to charge your electronics or a "souvenir plate" to take home after events.

While it is, in fact, part of the formal place setting, a charger is not used for eating. So, what in the world is it for?

What Is a Charger Plate?

If you’ve ever been to a fine dining restaurant or a fancy gathering (say, a wedding) where you want to impress guests, there’s a good chance you’ve seen a charger plate. This is the decorative plate that sits below the actual dinner plate that holds your food. 

It’s smaller than a serving platter, but a charger plate is larger than a regular dinner plate. This allows them to be visible once the dinner plate is on top. 

While a charger plate is used to jazz up regular ol’ dinnerware, it also has other functions. A charger plate helps hold the heat of your meals while protecting tables from something that might be too hot to place on its surface. These larger plates can also catch spills so the table (or the tablecloth) doesn’t get messy. 

Why You're Not Supposed to Eat From a Charger Plate

A charger plate has many functions, but putting food on it is not one of them. Besides being frowned upon, these plates are usually not safe for food. Since these plates are decorative, the paint and coating used to make them look nice can carry certain toxins that are unsafe if ingested. If you want or need to serve food on a charger plate, look for ones coated in a safe material. 

Lastly, you can risk chipping the paint on these decorative plates if you eat from them. Your everyday utensils can scratch the decorated paint and chip away at the coating, shortening the overall usability of the chargers.