ALESSI Mattina Red Butter Dish: Serving and Care Guide
By Cutipol: The Shape of Tomorrow’s Cuisine | Official Store | Published: 2026-11-02
Category: Buying Guides
A practical buying and care guide to the ALESSI Mattina butter dish in red: check the 21 cm footprint, plan for its porcelain and stainless-steel lid, and decide if it fits your table.
Quick answer
Buy the ALESSI Mattina butter dish in red if you want a lidded porcelain dish that keeps butter at serving consistency and you have roughly 21 cm of counter or table space to spare. If you need a smaller footprint or a fully ceramic lid, choose a different dish.
What the 21 cm length means on a real table
The Mattina measures H7 x W9.5 x L21 cm, so it is a full breakfast-table accessory rather than a tiny butter keeper. The 7 cm height includes the lid, which gives you room to lift it without scraping the butter. Before buying, place a 21 cm ruler on your table beside the plates and bread board; if the gap is tighter than that, this dish will crowd the setting.
The 0.7 kg weight is light enough to move from kitchen to table one-handed, but it also means the dish is not designed as a heavy, clamp-down storage vessel. Treat it as a serving dish that returns to the kitchen after breakfast.
Porcelain base, colored steel lid: the trade-off
The base is porcelain, while the lid is 18/10 stainless steel colored with epoxy resin. That combination gives you a wipe-clean, opaque lid and a classic white base, but it also means the two parts need different care. Do not assume the lid can go wherever the porcelain base goes; the epoxy-resin color is the part to protect.
Because the catalog does not state dishwasher or microwave suitability, do not treat either as guaranteed. Hand-wash both parts in warm water with a soft sponge, dry the steel lid promptly, and keep the dish out of the microwave unless the manufacturer confirms it is safe.
When a red dish helps and when it fights the table
A red butter dish earns its place when the table already has warm tones, white porcelain, or stainless flatware. It also makes butter easy to spot on a busy breakfast spread. In a strictly neutral or cool-toned table setting, the red lid becomes the loudest object on the table, so decide whether you want that focal point.
The dish is sized for a standard breakfast service, not for bulk storage. If you buy butter in large blocks and want to keep several days' worth on the counter, a larger covered dish will serve you better.
Decision rules before you buy
- Measure the serving gap first: Place a 21 cm ruler where the dish will sit. If the space is shorter than 21 cm or the dish would overlap a dinner plate, choose a shorter butter dish. Space is the first filter; style comes second.
- Match the lid material to your washing routine: If you rely on a dishwasher for everything, confirm suitability with the retailer before buying, because the colored epoxy-resin lid is the part most likely to need hand care. A dish that needs hand washing should be one you actually enjoy washing.
- Choose red only if it has a job: Pick the red version when it ties into existing warm table colors or when you want butter to be visible on a shared breakfast table. Otherwise, a neutral dish will be more versatile. Color should solve a table problem, not create one.
- Decide between serving and storing: Use the Mattina as a breakfast serving dish that holds a practical amount of butter for the meal. If you need to store a large block for several days, buy a larger covered keeper instead. Serving size and storage size are different buying criteria.
Product facts that affect your decision
- ALESSI Mattina - Butter Dish red: Porcelain base with a lid in 18/10 stainless steel colored with epoxy resin; H7 x W9.5 x L21 cm; 0.7 kg. The mixed materials and 21 cm length determine both how much table space you need and how carefully you must wash and dry the lid.
ALESSI Mattina - Butter Dish red
Who should choose this dish
Best for
- Households that serve butter at breakfast and want a lidded dish that moves from kitchen to table
- Tables with warm tones, white porcelain, or stainless flatware where a red lid fits the setting
- Buyers who are willing to hand-wash and dry a mixed-material dish
Not for
- Small kitchens or narrow tables with less than about 21 cm of clear serving space
- Buyers who want a fully dishwasher-safe or microwave-safe butter dish
- Anyone who needs to store several days' worth of butter in one vessel
