Silver dishes: types, benefits and harms

Silver dishes have been known since ancient times. Today it has a special status, not everyone can afford to have such a set on the table due to its high cost. But is silver so useful and does it harm if served in it?

Silver was of great value and aesthetic appeal in many ancient cultures, where it was used for the manufacture of jewelry, dishes, figurines, ritual objects. Silver mines were discovered in countries such as Greece, Spain, Italy. Often they became the cause of a warrior.

The use of silver as utensils was most common between 1840 and 1940. During this time, the production and trading of silver products expanded significantly, so traders could meet the growing demand.

In the Victorian era, silverware was an indispensable part of the exquisite dining table. It was definitely used when serving during the official meal in the USA and Europe. Collections of silver utensils were very much appreciated and often made to order. In one such set sometimes there were up to 100 devices.

Formal dinners in the late 1800s and early 1900s were long, sometimes they included 10 or more dishes, each of which was served in its silver bowl. It was not unusual to use forks, spoons, and knives made of precious metal.

Silver made large forks, cake knives, chopping knives, soup spoons and gravy ladles. In addition to its pleasant aesthetic properties, its light weight and unique silver composition made the metal an ideal solution during a festive serving.Often products were decorated with hand-carved and ivory inserts.

Silver dishes have unique beneficial properties for humans.

• Lack of bacteria. Silver can adversely affect bacteria, during wars they were disinfected with water. That is why it is advised to give children food and drinks from such dishes. Moreover, caring for such cutlery is easier.
• Increases immunity. It is said that when hot or warm food is served on a metal, its molecules pass into products. Silver, having an antibacterial effect, helps to boost immunity.
• Non toxic metal. Silver is non-toxic, so there should be no fear when eating food from such dishes.
• Preserves and restores the freshness of water and liquids. No wonder it is known from history that water and wine retained their taste and did not deteriorate if stored in silver containers.
• Cools the body. Silver is able to cool the body, so the water in it seems cooler. In addition, most of the bracelets for the feet from edema are made of this metal.

Doctors recommend using silver jewelry to those who have problems with the cardiovascular system. Also, they will not be superfluous in identifying eye diseases, frequently recurring headaches, depression, excessive sweating. In contact with the human body, the metal transfers positive ions to it, which give an imperceptible impulse to the cells.

With the advent of science, most myths about the benefits of silver to the human body were generally dispelled, including the fact that it was able to keep water clean for a long time. It all started from the time when the main weapon against the enemy was poison. Then the alchemists began to produce sulfide poisonous substances that could be detected by contact with silver.

Even if a person was poisoned slowly, poison accumulated in his body, jewelry made of precious metal began to darken in this case, that’s why she decided to use silver as the base metal for the production of dishes. However, today scientists have proved that metal ions, together with medicines, enhance their positive effect on the human body.

Like any heavy metal, silver can accumulate in the body, which can cause poisoning.

This also applies to the uncontrolled use of "silver water", which leads to an overdose, and subsequently to:

• metabolic disorders;
• Depression
• nausea and headaches.

Metal is found in certain foods that humans already consume. Among them:

• dill;
• cucumbers
• pumpkin;
• cabbage;
• meat.

In the selection process, the buyer must immediately determine for what purpose he purchases a set of silver utensils. If you intend to use it for serving dishes, then you need to look for the necessary product not in the jewelry store, but in the crockery.

Those that stand on shelves in jewelry stores are only suitable as a gift or decorative item. When identifying the composition of the alloy, it often turns out that heavy metals are present in it, respectively, such a cutlery cannot come into contact with food, otherwise it can be poisoned.

Even when buying silver dishes, you will need to ask the seller certificate of quality where the composition of the alloy used should be indicated. There can be no talk of any impurities and additional metals - they are harmful.

The higher the sample of purchased silver, the better. Pay particular attention to the coating, which can only be gilded.If it is varnish, rhodium or blackening with enamel, then the product in question can only be used as a souvenir or interior decoration.

Manually cleaning silver tableware takes as much time as washing other kitchen utensils. First, fill the sink with warm water, add soap to do the dishes. Particular attention should be paid to water temperature, especially if there are plastic handles on large dishes.

Silverware is placed in a sink with soapy water and allowed to lie down a bit. Then wash off the dirt with a soft sponge. If there are adhering products, then the devices should lie down in water for about ten minutes. You can not use an iron brush, sponge, since silver is a soft metal, which from rough exposure will lose its attractiveness. After cleaning, rinse the dishes under the tap and wipe with a soft towel. Silver plated dishes are also cleaned.

It is allowed to wash silver items in the dishwasher, but first, leftovers should be removed from the plates. Do not use cleaning agents with acids in the composition. If there is a drying function, then cutlery can be dried inside the dishwasher.

Often you have to deal with the problem of stains and stains on silver plates and forks. They can be caused by mineral deposits or appear when silver is stored wet.

A good way to restore your attractive look and clean it from black at home is to dip a rag or kitchen towel in olive oil and rub it on the surface of the dishes.

You can use vinegar instead of oil. The rag should not be wet, just well moistened in vinegar, which does not need to be diluted with water. After the utensils, you can rinse with regular soap and water.

Another effective way to remove stains is to use soda, which in fact acts as a versatile and cheap cleaning agent. It can be replaced with vinegar, only you need to slightly dilute the powder with water.

It is necessary to bring some more tips from experts on how to care for silverware.

• First of all, metal products cannot be wrapped in plastic film. Silver care specialists say that although this method slows down tarnishing, plastic that sticks tightly can damage the finish, resulting in black spots that are then almost impossible to remove.
• You can not use elastic bands to fix the wrapper on silver. Rubber can corrode metal, even if several layers of paper or fabric separate it.
• With constant use, patina will appear on such devices - a hallmark of antiques.
• After use, cookware must be washed, wiped and cleaned immediately.
• In some sets, silver knives have stainless steel blades. You need to be careful when cleaning such products, since when these two metals come in contact, an electrolytic reaction occurs.

See the next video about the benefits and dangers of silverware.