Serving Trays You Don't Have to Polish

Glass and Crystal

• Serving with crystal trays adds a fine touch to your holiday celebrations. These come in all shapes. You can find cut crystal in clear, blue, green, gold, red and other colors at some of the higher end stores or order direct from renowned companies online. The temptation with crystal is to avoid covering the beautiful designs, but just do it. That's what they're for. Once the hors d'oeuvres are consumed, the design can be enjoyed or refilled with new delicacies. Glass trays can work also, and are good for many events. You can sometimes find these sold in groups, but also look at craft fairs for unusual offerings.

Ceramic and Porcelain

• Throw an English-style tea party with fine porcelain or China trays. You can find exquisite designs that reflect the beauty of an English cottage garden or simpler plain white ones. Use with an entire set, or find a single platter to use when surprise company drops by. For a rustic feel, many different types of ceramic clay trays can be found at craft fairs, kitchenware shops and department stores.

Plastic

• Plastic is a useful tray style for informal settings, such as barbecue grilling outdoors and picnics in the park. They come in solid colors and in various designs. You also can locate seasonal variations with summer or Christmas themes. Plastic trays are good for traveling with, too, especially for serving sandwiches to your family at rest areas. These are usually quite inexpensive, so you can purchase a number of different types; look for the sales.

Wood

• Wooden varieties of serving trays are made from many types of wood. In Hawaii, families often use monkeypod wood for serving at luaus and other events or just to dine with at home. Acacia and mahogany are other types of wood used in serving trays. Get a large cutting board to serve cheese with bread or crackers. It will typically also have room for small bowls of olives, cherry tomatoes and other small delights.