Types of Coasters for Hot Dishes by Purpose and Materials

Last Updated: March 1, 2022

There’s nothing more satisfying than taking a delicious hot dish out of the microwave and enjoying it on a nice wooden table. But the hot surface of the dishes can lead to stains on the surface of the table. Coasters can come to the rescue. These kitchen table coasters are an easy way to protect your precious surfaces and also add a useful decorative element.

Coasters vary in shape, diameter, and material. You can decide what works best for pots, pans, plates, tea and coffee mugs. Check out the wide range to find the perfect one for yourself or as a gift. Guests will always be delighted as this accessory comes in handy not only at home but also in the workplace.

Types of Hot Food Coasters

You can buy stands for all tastes and colors, but you need to pay close attention when buying not only the external appearance, but also on the practicality, based on the purpose and specifics of use.

According to their purpose, there are several varieties of coasters :

The pan stands and ceramic pots for the table setting are heat resistant and highly insulating.
Under glasses, tea and coffee dishes — lightweight, small in size, quite thin, can be round, square or shaped.
Stands for pots, pans, kettles — for them it is very important that the accessory is able to withstand not only high temperatures, but also the weight of the hot dishes.
Under plates are round, rectangular, square, fashionable and shaped. They are made mostly of thin material. Adhere to the table surface very tightly and will not slip during the meal.

Coasters are necessary not only for hot food, but also for cold food. Glasses with cold drinks in a warm room are covered with evaporation. To keep the surface of the furniture from getting wet, it is necessary to put a cloth that does not absorb water and is not afraid of it at all. Only two-glass thermos cans don’t fog because the outer wall is insulated from the inner wall.

Material - How to Make the Right Choice

To protect furniture, stands should be made with insulating materials. By absorbing the heat of dishes, they reliably preserve the surface of tables and nightstands, in addition to protecting them from the resulting moisture.

Advantages and Vulnerabilities of Wood

Wooden coasters are considered a classic of the culinary genre. They are lightweight, environmentally friendly, look great in the kitchen, do not scratch the furniture and perfectly harmonize with dishes in any color style. They are available as solid or sawn, prefabricated, solid or lattice. The advantage of the latter option is its lightness and provision of air access from below — as a result, the dish cools much faster.

But there is a pitfall here too — moisture can accumulate at the bottom of the dish, which through the holes will end up on the surface of the table. If we are talking about polished furniture, it is likely to stain.

Wood is used to create solid and prefabricated products. In prefabricated, small parts are joined together with heat-resistant clear glue. It is important that when heated, the glue does not emit odors or harmful chemicals in the process.

At the same time, you need to be sure that the elements will not come apart before the appointed time. But this problem can be solved by repairing the stand.

Not all types of natural wood can withstand high temperatures, so be sure to consider the composition of the product when buying it. Currently, the most popular and inexpensive wood is juniper. Since it is not only not afraid of high temperatures, but also produces in the process of exposure to heat aroma oils — it is pleasant and at the same time for the benefit with a soothing effect.

Rosewood looks quite interesting in the interior, its noble wood looks expensive and solid. Rugged and hard-wearing oak is highly valued. Oak «circles» are striking for their ornamentation — rings, with which many people are happy to count, trying to establish the age of the tree.

For serving items, there are excellent cork coasters with a decorative front surface. A moisture-resistant laminated surface is used. Laminated product surfaces can be used for mugs and glasses, but they are not suitable for heated metal.

Alternatives to Wood

The next most interesting natural forest material is willow. Thanks to its flexibility, willow branches allow you to make original wicker stands for hot dishes or tea utensils. The creation of wicker products are engaged in craftsmen and small businesses. They perfectly harmonize with such styles as rustic, country and retro.

Bamboo hot dish coasters last a long time, and the line includes woven napkins and stiffer mats made from pieces of stems. Bamboo is most commonly used to make tea and dinnerware products. This type of wood material is not afraid of exposure to moisture and mold formation, such accessories can be washed directly in water.

For frying pans, there are products with a reinforced design, as well as with the addition of a metal insert. As for the more inexpensive price segment, there is a very large number of stands made of plywood. Made of plywood products are cut out in the form of various figures and decorated by firing.

Features of Metal Models

The coasters are made of high-quality stainless steel, a water- and corrosion-resistant material. Modern steel is suitable for all purposes, however, it is a metal that heats up very quickly when handled. Contact of red-hot stainless steel with pieces of furniture will cause damage.

In order to ensure air flow and to avoid steel contact with the surface of the table, metal stands for hot dishes are made on legs with rubber pads. As a working plane is mainly used lattice form — made of round rods. For table service, unfortunately, metal grids are not suitable.

After all, they are not particularly comfortable and can slip. However, it is quite appropriate to use them for a kettle, a ladle or a pot. This is not the best option, nevertheless, it is liked by some of the customers.

Solid cast iron coasters are used for hot and heavy pots and pans. In most cases, they are forged, resulting in intricate openwork patterns. However, do not place cast-iron coasters on pieces of furniture that cannot resist contact with hot objects. Cast-iron stands work well with countertops made of artificial or natural stone, rough wooden tables.

When Does Silicone Fit

Silicone makes modern, strong and durable products that can withstand high temperatures. It is used in the production of molds and baking mats, and it is sure to do its job of insulating. Silicone coasters for hot dishes, they are weightless and flexible. The product is resistant to damage, lasts a long time, holds its shape perfectly, is not afraid of cleaning agents and moisture.

In terms of design, a huge variety of shapes, colors and patterns. Products come in round, rectangular and shaped models of different sizes. Smaller ones are for a cup, larger ones for a plate or a pot. Suns, bunnies, dogs, cars — it is very easy to choose a souvenir or gift for yourself.

There are also on sale flowers, musical plastics in the retro style, crochet openwork napkin likeness. At your discretion, you can choose the appropriate theme for coffee, tea, meat dishes.

Silicone coasters are suitable not only for serving hot food, but also for glasses with cold drinks. Thanks to the temperature contrast, they protect the table surface against drops of moisture.

In addition, they can be used as gloves to conveniently remove the hot lid, take the mold out of the oven, or move the hot pan from the stove immediately after cooking to the table.

Glass and Ceramics

Heat-resistant glass is used for making coasters and for serving the festive table. Both transparent and colored glass with a pattern on the surface looks especially beautiful. It is not recommended to buy glassware for hot pans and kettles that have just been taken off the stove.

The sudden change in temperature can cause the glass to crack with a crack. But they are great for coffee pots, plates, and baked goods that have already had time to cool a little.

Ceramic coasters for hot dishes look spectacular, providing the necessary protection for the surface of the table. You can find a variety of models for large dishes, soup bowls, pots and forms for baking. If there is a special hole for hanging, the accessory can serve as a wall panel in the «free from the feast» time.

Products made of glass and ceramic should not be exposed to the risk of falling due to their fragility. In the case of a blow to the floor with a high probability all end up splattering shards. If there are babies in the house, glassware is more reasonable to use for the holiday meal.

How to Make a Stand with Your Own Hands

To make a coaster for a mug or a saucer with your own hands, you do not need to be skilled in needlework. The simplest is quite realistic to make from felt, which is a material that does not need to be treated the edges and is not slippery on the surface of the table. Those who are good at crochet can knit coasters; they look similar to napkins, but denser.

The main thing here is to choose the right yarn, so that it won’t melt and won’t stick to the furniture surface. The next very attractive option is paper, or rather, tubes of it, from which you can weave beautiful accessories for the house. This kind of material is suitable for cups and plates, but moisture scares it, and it is completely unsuitable for a hot pan or kettle.

Do not ignore the materials available for creativity. You can use computer disks, decorating them with fabric, felt, saw cuttings of branches. Creative people create real masterpieces with wooden clothespins, corks from wine and champagne, branches of trees.

For making dry objects suitable wool or textiles. For example, you can sew a patchwork rug from scraps. Or cut out figures from the felted wool.

Hot dish coasters, also called hot dish mats, are coasters that can be used to protect the surface of the dining table. They are usually shaped like coasters and have a non-slip surface to comfortably hold hot food or drinks on the dining table. The best thing about buying these items individually is that they can easily be replaced when you need additional coasters.