Marx Foods Palm Leaf Plates: Review

 

First things first: have you entered the PB Crave giveaway yet?? You have until Tuesday, May 29!

Now–it’s officially Memorial Day Weekend! I am so ready for some relaxing time. Our office closed at 1 this afternoon, so I am footloose and fancy free until Tuesday. Woohoo!

I’m sure a lot of you are planning on grilling at some point over the next few days. Visions of burgers, hot dogs, and delicious pasta salads have definitely been dancing in my head all week long. Chances are, though, if you’re going to be grilling, you want a setup and cleanup that are as easy and stress-free as possible. But did you ever think that you could be eco-friendly, too?

Marx Foods’s new line of palm leaf plates are biodegradable (compostable, too!) and made from natural, renewable resources. No trees have to be cut down to make these plates either–the leaves used are naturally discarded and collected from the forest floor. To reduce waste, plates of different sizes are cut from the same leaf, which has been washed, air dried, and flattened. Palm leaf plates come in round, rectangular, hexagonal shapes, and bowls, utensils, and picnic sets are available as well!

I tried to subject these plates to as realistic a test as possible so you could get the real scoop…and here’s what I thought:

Meal 1: Microwaved sweet potato and lentils

• The plate became very warm when microwaving (warmer than its equivalent plastic disposable plate would become). With that said, it still held up to the weight of a microwaved medium-sized baked potato.
• No palm fibers splintered into my food, which I had been slightly concerned about.

Meal 2: Leftover (defrosted) pasta and meatballs

• The plate had to be in the microwave for a longer period of time to defrost the frozen pasta, and it again got very hot when microwaving. Still, it did hold up.
• The thinner edges of the plate became bendy, though–I had to hold the plate from the bottom (which was hot, remember!) to feel secure that it wouldn’t collapse.
• The whole plate was a bit hard to hold until it cooled down a little.
• It was also a bit warped after all the food was gone, I guess from the heat.

Pros:

• I really like that these plates are eco-friendly. Especially for an event like a BBQ, when people are so inclined to dispose of the dishes and cutlery they use, it’s nice that we can be environmentally responsible.
• They look more “upscale” than the shiny colored plastic plates you might grab at the grocery store. These almost appear wooden, and they definitely would add an air of class to a backyard party.

Cons:

• I was a little surprised by how easily the plates snapped. I didn’t have to exert that much effort to break it. It certainly wouldn’t break if you dropped it on the ground, but they weren’t quite as sturdy as I was expecting them to be.

• These plates are pretty pricey–a 25-pack of salad plates will run you $31. That’s probably more than most people are ready to dish out (ha) for their disposable party supplies.

Overall, I was definitely impressed by the craftsmanship and intention that went into the plates. For typical BBQ use (which, to my knowledge, doesn’t involve constant microwaving!), I have no doubt these would prove their worth as bearers of delicious grill fare. It might be difficult for them to find widespread use because of their price point, but they’ll certainly glam up a ho-hum backyard party.

Disclaimer: I was provided with an assortment of Marx Foods Palm Leaf Plates to use and review. All opinions expressed here are 100% my own, and I was not compensated for this post aside from receiving the plates.