The secret to successful hosting is something other than the special ingredient in your grandmother's marinara sauce: It's the white plate.

Classic, clean and simple, "white dinnerware offers a blank canvas for the artistry of food presentation," says Turtle Creek, Texas-based events planner Joanne M. Kersten, of Le Glacé Events. Furthermore, white is versatile; it dresses up or down to suit the occasion.

"White is always a classic choice and can last for generations," says Claudia Saber, a buyer for retailer Sur La Table. With white, Saber says, your tabletop is assured to never go out of style.

"The traditionalist, the modernist and everyone in between buys white ware," she says.

Saber suggests setting the table with a monochromatic look, such as white linens accented with polished metals. Kersten, on the other hand, prefers the bare, polished wood of the dining table decorated with "a plethora of candlelight."

Dean Driver, a Dallas designer and events planner who has worked for tabletop companies such as Rosenthal, Lalique and Haviland & Parlon, says the clay mineral kaolin is the secret to porcelain's pure-white color and durability. Until the 17th century, when kaolin deposits were discovered in France and Germany, Europeans imported white porcelain, a pricey and desired commodity, from China. (Porcelain was introduced to Europe by Marco Polo, Driver reminds us.)

For those of us living in the 21st century, white dishes, from porcelain to pottery, continue to inspire.

"White allows you to see the forms and shapes of the dinnerware. Sometimes, with color and pattern, you overlook how beautiful and creative they've been in creating shapes," Driver says, referring to tabletop designers.

Any way you use it, white is versatile, says Driver. "I think, sometimes, people think all-white means casual, but it doesn't necessarily. It can be very special to have all-white."