Everyday Systems

I love ice cream. I only eat it on S days, but I love it. I am totally willing to eat it in small reasonable portions (I enjoy it more if I don't go overboard anyways). But whenever I put a reasonable portion in my bowl, it always looks sadly small, because I only have the big soup-sized bowls that came with my dishes. Great for soup, not for ice cream. Don't get me wrong, the small portions are actually plenty, they just look sad.

To fix this, I'd like to buy some small dessert sized bowls. Only I can't seem to figure out where to buy them - mostly all I can find are big bowls.

Any ideas?

I know exactly what you mean. I used to have a set of dishes that had smaller bowls and they were great. Dinnerware has been supersized, too, and I really don't like it. The bowls with my current set of dishes hold at least 3-4 servings. If you put a serving of cereal (or ice cream!) in them, it does look pathetic.

Try Target or Wal Mart. I've seen some small ones there.

You can find lots of ice cream bowls here:

http://www.nextag.com/ice-cream-bowls/products-html

I like to eat ice cream out of stemware. It's just the right size and feels elegant and special.

Except, of course, when I am eating it out of a waffle cone, which feels indulgent and decadent.

Mmmmm.....ice cream!

I second the ice cream and stemware thing.

But I also use custard cups.

What I REALLY recommend? Checking out the local dollar store. Generally speaking you can find pretty glass stuff for very cheap and you can pick out decent sizes.

I'd buy some pretty vintage ice cream bowls on Etsy.

Oh, check Crate and Barrel, too. They're one of my favorite sources for dinnerware and glassware. Most of what I have right now has come from Crate and Barrel -- and it certainly wasn't expensive. The nosh bowl sounds perfect for ice cream.

Go to Walmart and look for little salsa bowls. Cute. Tiny. Cheap.

I got some mini martini glasses from C&B (2oz). I like very strong drinks like a martini, but the full-sized ones are a bit much every single day. A friend had given me a tiny cocktail glass Christmas ornament this year. As a joke I had an appletini out of one and realized that these "Teeny 'Tini" glasses were awesome, so I had to get some for every day.

(I'm very strict and vanilla about glass ceiling. A glass is a glass is a glass. But two glasses of wine from a normal wine glass and two martinis are very different propositions. Hence the teeny 'tini).

It occurs to me that these would be cool for "dessert shots".

Are you near a thrift shop? I find older style dishes there. You can't find a proper 4 oz. juice glass in the big store anymore.

I use pyrex custard cups for TONS of things - bought in a sets of 4 at the grocery store. Filled up, they hold a cup. Filled to the halfway point (marked by a decorative ring) it's half a cup.

I use them when I make tapioca (a family favorite) or other desserts that portion out into small servings. We use them for ice cream, for yogurt, etc. They are amazingly useful.

The other option is coffee cups - not the big mugs I actually drink out of, but the smaller ones that came with my plates. They're a good size too. I serve soup in those quite often.

Blithe Morning wrote:You can't find a proper 4 oz. juice glass in the big store anymore.

You can, but it's not easy. You really have to search for them!

Oh, another suggestion. A restaurant supply store. Lots of good things there for often not a lot of money. The little dishes that many restaurants use for side dishes are extremely versatile in a home kitchen.

I also use the Pyrex custard cups. They are a great size, and are very reasonable. I also sometimes use little 1/2 cup plastic storage containers. Not very elegant - but just the right size, even when ice cream is piled high and round over the top!

Are there any local potters where you live? I have some lovely tiny hand made bowls from a potter. They are the right size for small portions, and are pretty enough to make everything I eat from them seem special.

Also, as others have said, you can get pretty little dishes in second hand or antiques shops.

Attractive small bowls can also be found in shops which sell Japanese or Chinese crockery.

Wow! Lots of great ideas. I really like the idea of checking out thrift shops or using stemware. I don't own any martini glasses (when I drink at home, it's almost always wine), but having martini glasses around for guests wouldn't be a bad idea, so they could do double duty.

Thanks guys!

I agree with the Pyrex custard cups. I even have 2 sizes of those. Not only do they fill the need for small ice cream or dessert bowls, but I use them for mise en place when I cook. So, double duty!