CLASSIFICATION OF FOOD AND BEVERAGE EQUIPMENTS

Chinaware: China is a term used for crockery whether bone china Chinaware is made of silica, soda ash, and china clay, glazed to give a fine finish. Chinaware can be found in different colors and designs which are always coated with glaze. Chinaware is more resistant to heat than glassware. There is various classification of catering china. They are:

Porcelain: Porcelain is a ceramic material made by heating selected and refined materials, which often includes clay of kaolinite clay, to high temperatures. The raw materials for porcelain, when mixed with water, form aplastic body that can be worked to a required shape before firing in a kiln at temperatures between 1200°Cand 1400°C. The toughness, strength, and translucence of porcelain arise mainly from the formation of glass at high temperatures and the mineral mullite within the fired body.

Bone China: Bone china is porcelain made of clay mixed with bone ash. This is very fine, hard china that is very expensive. The decorations are to be found under the glaze only. The price of bone china puts it out of reach of the majority of everyday caterers, and only a few of the top class hotels and restaurants would use it. The range of design, pattern and color is very wide and there is something to suit all occasions and situations.

Earthenware: Earthenware may sometimes be as thin as bone china and other porcelains, though it is not translucent and is more easily chipped. Earthenware is also less strong, less tough, and more porous than stoneware, but its low cost and easier working compensate for

These deficiencies. Due to its higher porosity, earthenware must usually be glazed in order to be watertight.

Stoneware: Stoneware is a hard pottery made from siliceous paste, fired at high temperature to vitrify (make glassy) the body. Stoneware is heavier and more opaque than porcelain. The usual color of fired stoneware tends to be grayish, though there may be awide range of colors, depending on the clay. It has-been produced in China since ancient times and is the forerunner of Chinese porcelain.

Table ware: Tableware includes the dishes, glassware, cutlery, and flatware eating utensils (knives, forks, and spoons) used to set a table for eating a meal. The nature, variety, and number of objects varies from culture to culture, and may vary from meal to meal as well. Tableware may be categorized as follows:

1. Flatware: denotes all forms of spoon and fork. Flatware, especially that used by most people when they eat informally, is usually made of stainless steel

2. Cutlery: Cutlery refers to knives and other cutting instruments

3. Holloware: Hollowware refers to table service items such as sugar bowls, creamers, coffee pots, teapots, soup tureens,