These are awesome plates and plasticware. Sturdy plastic with a real metal paint edging. We purchased them to use at Thanksgiving and for some other family functions. We found out that there is a real metal paint stripe around the edge when someone tried to microwave a plate of food. Our Thanksgiving guest keep asking us if they should be throwing away the plates (like you would a paper plate). We decided instead of throwing them away, we would wash and use them again. They are holding up well.UPDATE: Two weeks later and we have been using the same few plates and plasticware at family breakfast and dinner and washing them. We decided we would keep them until the paint came started to come off the plates. Initially I figured a couple of hand washes in hot water would do it, but they are still going strong. A couple plates have cracked around the edge, so we discarded them. A few forks have broken, but believe it or not, We have been able to use these as our "every day plates". TIP: While the look of the striping is very elegant, if you are in a situation where you need to re-heat food on this plate, opt for the plain white.