Do you have a food purist in your house? Not sure what a food purist is? Most kids go though phases when it comes to foods, how they want them served and even what they will eat during the same meal. Two of my boys refuse to eat food if it touches another food item – to those without kids this might seem completely silly or that the kids are spoiled. All of the boys went through some type of “food crisis” – be it Macaroni & Cheese for four months straight or “nothing red on the plate” or the best [so far] – peanut butter and banana sandwiches with every meal. No, I am not raising them to be like Elvis but as long as they are getting all the nutrients they need I say let them bend the rules a little.

My youngest son still has a bad food phobia. He’ll eat pretty much anything under the sun but it has to be separated. This poses a real problem when serving most foods since eventually – something will end up touching something. He usually starts with one food, finishes it and moves on to another – which is what he likes so I don’t try to force him to eat a different way. When he outgrew the Tupperware sectional plates I was in for a rough time – and there was no way I was serving him dinner on different plates. Strolling through the aisles of my second home [Wal-Mart] I saw a cool looking tray that had divided areas – something that my son almost immediately pointed out to me. I tossed one in the cart to give it a test at home and didn’t think about them running out of them. A few weeks later the rest of the brood asked if they could have their own tray since I let them eat on the floor in the game room on Tuesdays and Thursdays [science club night].

It wasn’t until a month later that we ended up finding the divided trays were restocked but with a different design. The first tray had three small rectangular pockets, one large rectangular area, a section for a bowl and the side silverware slot. The second one has two small square pockets, a large square corner pocket, rectangular main section and cup holder. The boys didn’t really care about the placement of the section or that the current ones were different than the first one – they were just happy to have something that “looked cool”.

But Freak, This Looks Kinda Cheap

Ever hear the saying don’t judge a book by its cover? The same can be said for this divided tray. The first one I purchased has stood up to a tremendous amount of abuse – including having the dog steal it off the floor every chance he gets. Even so, there are only a few minor scratches to it. It hasn’t warped, cracked or bent and considering the amount of wear and tear it gets – it is holding up like it was made out of metal rather than plastic.

The Sections

Some people might think that this is overkill but I think that this is very important information so if you get bored with the dimensions and breakdowns – please feel free to skip to the next section. Looking at the tray with the largest section on the bottom right hand corner I’ll cover the sizes of the sections of the tray. The largest one is 8 x 6 and is perfect for the main part of the meal. Since this is only three quarters of an inch deep you can use a little visual trickery and make it seem like there’s less food on the plate than there really is.

To the left of the main section is one of two small pockets. This is great for a half slice of bread, pudding, fruit cocktail or any side item. Above that is the mid sized pocket that we love to use for mashed potatoes, half ears of corn or french fries. The round section will hold most small plastic tumblers or 12 ounce cans of soda. The last pocket is the top right – the same size as the bottom left. We usually use this for ketchup, tartar sauce or ranch dressing since it is out of the way and you won’t end up catching your sleeve in it.

Arrow Plastics has an older tray [that I still use for my dinners] that had a very nice silverware section on the left hand side. If I had to voice one complaint about this newer version it would be that there really isn’t any place to put your silverware or napkin which makes it a pain when eating on the floor or in front of the computer.

Who Needs This

Kids seem to really like having their own tray – at least mine do that is. Parents of food purists will more than likely flip over these but make sure you have enough room in the sink to clean them because they are on the large side - 14.5 x 11.5 to be exact. If you or your kids eat away from the dining room table this is a great way to make sure that accidents are kept to a minimum. These trays are also great if you want to surprise someone with breakfast in bed. If you have kids you know that eventually they get sick, if you don’t already have a tray to serve them food on this will fill the bill nicely.

I find these extremely valuable when preparing lunches for my boys. Each of them have their own little eccentricities and quirks about which foods “work well” with other foods and having the ability to whip out four lunches in a matter of minutes saves me time and hassle. These are also great when company shows up around meal time and smaller kids want to sample a variety of foods. I can put a little bit in each section and let them make the choice of what they want more of without having to dirty ten plates or bowls in the process.

Care & Cleaning

As with most plastic tableware – caring for it while keeping it clean is a chore. Avoid using any rough scrubbers on this to prevent marring and never use any type of powder cleanser. That is a sure fire way to literally ruin the surface of it. Since it is plastic most foods will come off of the surface with hot water and a quick wipe of the sponge. Macaroni & Cheese, potatoes and cheese, pizza, spaghetti with meat sauce and even dried ketchup are simply no match for this tray. I’ve only had to toss out one tray and that was when it “accidentally” got shoved under the couch in the livingroom and when it was found – let’s just say it was more of a science experiment than a week old meal. I have no doubt that I could have cleaned it – but I really didn’t want to clean it.

If you want to purchase multiples of these but are a little short on space I must say that these stack nicely. I like to put a few napkins or paper towels between them in case they get pressed together or there are trace amounts of water after cleaning them. I store mine on top of my kitchen cabinets so I can simply look up and see how many are clean and how many are missing in action.

Is It Dishwasher Safe?

This is the confusing part. Some of the trays came with a cardboard over wrap that said that it was not dishwasher safe – this could be due to the overall size and the fact that it might prevent the rest of the dishes and plates from being cleaned properly. It’s made of a high grade plastic but still, if you have a powerful hot water tank or have added a booster to it to super heat the water you might want to really think twice about putting this in there. Washing it by hand is simple providing that you have a sink that will accommodate it. The glossy sheen to the plastic pretty much means that nothing will stick it to [unless it’s been sitting for a long time and has a funk to it] so very little work is needed to hand wash it.

The Bottom Line

When you look at the suggested retail price of this tray [between $2.00 and $2.50] and all the effort, time and aggravation it can save you in the kitchen – it’s a very sound investment. For parents or care givers of those with a finicky palate this tray allows a child to have a little control at meal time and saves you the work of washing extra plates and bowls. I’ve had the best luck finding these at Wal-Mart but they are also available at other stores that carry the Arrow Plastic line of products. The current colors include blue, green, yellow and red but Arrow is always adding new colors to the line up as well as seasonal themes so be sure to check the house wares section of your favorite store to see what’s new.

These trays are exceptionally sturdy, easy to clean, inexpensive and I consider them a great value. Two thumbs up to Arrow Plastics for creating a product that is not only useful but lasts for more than a few months. If you think that this tray might be something you are interested in you can browse the website for other items that work well with this tray such as the Arrow Plastic Primary Fork & Spoon Set, Anyware Plastic Tumbler and variety of serving bowls and storage containers.



As always, thanks for the visit!

~^V^~ Freak ~^V^~

© 2004 Freak369



Other Arrow Plastic product reviews ...

Arrow Plastic Sippin' Safari Bowl
Arrow Plastic Pack-A-Snack
Arrow Plastic Primary 16 Ounce bowl
Arrow Plastic Anyware Cutlery Set
Arrow Plastic Trick Or Treat Tub
Arrow Plastic Primary Fork & Spoon
Arrow Plastic 7 1/2" Divided Plate with Cover
Arrow Plastic Halloween Sip-A-Mug






Recommended: Yes