How to Choose a MacKenzie-Childs Serving Platter Size for Thanksgiving

Most platter mistakes at Thanksgiving come down to a few inches. The bird looks cramped, the carved slices slide onto the tablecloth, or the pie sits on a pedestal whose flat center turns out to be smaller than the pie. This guide lays out MacKenzie-Childs serving platter sizes side by side, using the dimensions MacKenzie-Childs publishes for each piece, so you can match a platter to what you are actually serving. We are Dekado Home Decor, an authorized MacKenzie-Childs retailer in Brentwood, Los Angeles, and every piece mentioned here is one we carry.

The short answer

For a whole roast turkey, look at the large enamel oval (17.5 x 22 inches) or the large ceramic Courtly Check platter (16 x 22 inches). For carved turkey, stuffing or a cheese board, the 16-inch round enamel platter is the most flexible piece in the range. The medium oval (14.25 x 19 inches) suits a small bird, a turkey breast or a ham. The small oval and the 11 x 16 ceramic platter are side-dish and appetizer sizes. For pies and cakes, go by the flat surface inside a pedestal’s rim: 10.5 inches on the large, 8 inches on the small.

MacKenzie-Childs serving platter sizes, side by side

The last column is our own arithmetic, offered as a planning figure. It subtracts 1.5 inches of rim on every side, which is roughly the margin that keeps juices and garnish off the edge. It is not a measurement of each platter’s well, and the actual flat area will vary a little between shapes and between enamel and ceramic.

Start with the bird, then choose the platter

The simplest way to size a turkey platter is to measure the inside of the roasting pan you plan to use. The bird fit there, so a platter whose landing area is at least as large as the pan floor will hold it with room left over. Compare your pan against the landing figures in the table and the choice is usually clear.

Shape matters as much as size. A whole turkey is longer than it is wide, which is why ovals are the traditional choice. A 16-inch round has plenty of total surface, but its usable circle of about 13 inches runs out in the direction a bird needs most, and the extra width on either side goes to waste. If you carve in the kitchen and bring out sliced meat, the round becomes one of the best options in the range, since slices can be fanned in a ring with the dark meat in the middle.

Retailers that sell turkey platters generally point hosts toward an oval of about 16 inches or longer for a whole bird, and something smaller for sliced meat. In the MacKenzie-Childs range, that means the large oval or the large ceramic platter for presenting the whole bird, and the medium oval or the round once it is carved. For a very large turkey, trust your pan measurement over any general rule. Before ordering a 22-inch platter, also measure your sink and the shelf where it will live.

The enamel ovals, from whole bird to side dish

The ovals are built like the rest of MacKenzie-Childs enamelware: a heavy-gauge, hand-glazed steel underbody with hand-painted checks and a bronzed stainless steel rim.

Large oval, 17.5 x 22 inches

This is the whole-bird platter. The Mocha Check Large Oval Platter reads warm next to fall linens and wood tables, and the Rosy Check Large Oval Platter is the same size in a softer palette. The rest of the year it suits a whole fish or a roast.

Medium oval, 14.25 x 19 inches

The Mocha Check Medium Oval Platter and the Sky Check Medium Oval Platter are the in-between size. At about 11 by 16 inches of landing room, a small turkey or a bone-in breast fits comfortably, and it holds a generous amount of carved meat without piling slices on top of each other. If you host a smaller Thanksgiving, this may be the only large platter you need.

Small oval, 11 x 15.75 inches

The Mocha Check Small Oval Platter is for the supporting cast: roasted carrots, a relish tray, cranberry sauce with a few sprigs of rosemary.

The 16-inch round, for everything after the carving

Of the platters in this guide, the 16-inch round enamel serving platter comes in the most patterns, so it is the easiest place to start a collection or bring a second pattern to the table. The Courtly Check Enamel Serving Platter is the classic black and white. The same size comes in Mocha Check, Rosy Check, Sky Check, Sterling Check and Emerald Check.

On Thanksgiving, use it for carved turkey, a mound of stuffing or the cheese course before dinner. One reviewer on the MacKenzie-Childs product page called it the perfect size, “not too big, not too small,” which is a fair summary of where it sits in the range.

Ceramic Courtly Check platters, and when handmade is worth the extra care

The ceramic platters are a different object from the enamelware. They are handmade and hand-painted in Aurora, New York, with a fluted rim and gold lustre details, and they read as more formal than the enamelware. The trade-off is practical: the only care instruction MacKenzie-Childs gives is “hand-wash with care,” so plan on washing them by hand at the end of the night. Neither the ceramic nor the enamel product pages list a weight, so we cannot offer a reliable comparison there.

Courtly Check Serving Platter, 11 x 16 inches

The Courtly Check Serving Platter is the smaller of the two ceramic Courtly Check platters. At 11 by 16 inches it is sized for sliced breast meat, dinner rolls or a tart, and too small for a whole bird. The Rosy Check Ceramic Serving Platter is the same size, hand-painted in rosy hues with the same gold lustre.

Courtly Check Large Serving Platter, 16 x 22 inches

The Courtly Check Large Serving Platter matches the enamel large oval in length and is an inch and a half narrower. It is the one to choose if you want the whole bird on handmade ceramic.

Height for dessert: pedestal platters and serving stands

A pedestal is sized by two numbers, and the smaller one is the one that matters. The Mocha Check Large Pedestal Platter is 16 inches across overall, but the flat surface inside its raised rim is 10.5 inches. A pie out of its tin or a cake up to that width sits flat; anything larger rides up onto the rim. The Sterling Check Enamel Pedestal Platter, Large has the same published dimensions in hand-painted grey checks.

The Mocha Check Small Pedestal Platter is 12 inches across with an 8-inch flat, which suits a smaller cake, a tart or a stack of cookies. The Mocha Check Mini Pedestal Platter is 8 inches across and 3 inches tall; no flat-surface figure is published for it, so treat it as a piece for butter, candies or a few small sweets.

For more height, MacKenzie-Childs makes serving stands. The Serving Stand, Large is 13.5 inches across and 16.25 inches tall, in powder-coated steel and brass, and is sold without a bowl. Its product description lists MacKenzie-Childs enamel serving bowls, small ceramic serving bowls, ceramic dinner plates and flat rimmed dishes as pieces it holds. It does not mention the 16-inch platters, so we would not plan on pairing the two. The Check Serving Stand is the narrower option, 8.75 inches across and 15 inches tall in iron and brass.

Putting more than one pattern on the table

With this many patterns in the same shapes, mixing is the natural next step. Courtly Check is the easiest anchor, since black and white sits comfortably next to almost any other check; our Courtly Check guide has more on the pattern. A Mocha Check large oval for the turkey with a Courtly Check round for the sides keeps the table warm and neutral; MacKenzie-Childs itself suggests pairing Mocha with Rosy and Sterling Check. Rosy or Sky Check works best as a single accent, such as one round for the sides, rather than on every piece. For how platters fit alongside chargers, linens and centerpieces, see how to layer a MacKenzie-Childs fall table.

Care before and after the holiday

MacKenzie-Childs lists its flat enamel platters, the rounds and the ovals, as dishwasher safe, but for best results recommends hand-washing with mild soap and drying immediately. Do not microwave them. The enamel pedestal platters carry a different instruction: wipe clean with a soft, damp cloth, and if needed, hand-wash with mild soap and dry right away. For all enamelware, MacKenzie-Childs advises discontinuing food use if a piece becomes chipped, cracked or broken, which is a good reason to keep a large platter off stone counters and out of a crowded sink.

The ceramic Courtly Check and Rosy Check platters are hand-wash only, with care. The serving stands are wipe-clean pieces: a damp cloth and no submerging in water for the large stand, a soft dry cloth for the Check Serving Stand.

Shop the pieces in this guide

Oval enamel platters

• Mocha Check Large Oval Platter – 17.5″ x 22″
• Rosy Check Large Oval Platter – 17.5″ x 22″
• Mocha Check Medium Oval Platter – 14.25″ x 19″
• Sky Check Medium Oval Platter – 14.25″ x 19″
• Mocha Check Small Oval Platter – 11″ x 15.75″

16-inch round enamel serving platters

• Courtly Check Enamel Serving Platter – 16″ dia.
• Mocha Check Serving Platter – 16″ dia.
• Rosy Check Serving Platter – 16″ dia.
• Sky Check Serving Platter – 16″ dia.
• Sterling Check Enamel Serving Platter – 16″ dia.
• Emerald Check Serving Platter – 16″ dia.

Ceramic platters

• Courtly Check Large Serving Platter – 16″ x 22″
• Courtly Check Serving Platter – 11″ x 16″
• Rosy Check Ceramic Serving Platter – 11″ x 16″

Pedestal platters

• Mocha Check Large Pedestal Platter – 16″ dia., 5.75″ tall, 10.5″ flat
• Sterling Check Enamel Pedestal Platter, Large – 16″ dia., 5.75″ tall, 10.5″ flat
• Mocha Check Small Pedestal Platter – 12″ dia., 4.5″ tall, 8″ flat
• Mocha Check Mini Pedestal Platter – 8″ dia., 3″ tall

Serving stands

• Serving Stand, Large – 13.5″ dia., 16.25″ tall
• Check Serving Stand – 8.75″ dia., 15″ tall