There a lot of nesting prep bowls out there. Many of them (like these), are available in bright and strange colors. That's why I didn't buy any of the ones I saw at Sur La Table. These are available in 'Natural', which is a light tan.Also, the ones at Sur La Table all varied in size in order to nest. Which could be an advantage I guess, but I found the small ones too small. Although these nest well, they are all the same size, and perfect most of the time. There are definitely times when I need something much bigger, but there are plenty of other bowls in the cabinet for those situations. However, if you are always cooking for a crowd, you might find these too small.When you're cooking at very high temps, timing is everything. Plus, I like to get my prep done before guests arrive and we start drinking. These are great for that home version of Mis en Place. I've attached a photo that hopefully gives a better feel for the size.I love these! I think I need to get more.I prefer to cook and bake in stages. I often prep and then have to sit and wait a bit before preparing something. I have difficulty standing for any length of time. I use these for mise en place and they are just the right size. I also use them to put a side dish on my hubby's lunch plate ... applesauce, a tomato or cucumber salad, nuts. grapes, berries, etc.He once put one in the microwave and it looked slightly discolored. I gave him a little lecture, but once it was washed it looked new again and I couldn't tell which of the 4 had been microwaved.These are sturdy, well made, and it doesn't hurt that they're my favorite color.Bought for mise en place but the red is so charming and cute, it's doing double duty as a semi-decorative holding bowl for my garlic. Cleans easily even if oily stuff placed inside. The raised side is meant for holding but also makes a handy spout where pouring liquids.They're pretty but smaller and thicker than the Architec bowls I was trying to replace. My old ones were one of my favorite things in my kitchen.larger than expected, I thought I would use them for dipping sauce/condiment bowls, but they are big enough to use as iceream bowls, color is just like picture and very sturdy, they look groovy in my mid century modern kitchenI luv these bowls. We use them all the time. Got them to use as prep bowls which I do but also great for little snacks holding nuts and things like that . Great for individual dipping bowls, sauces , butter, I melted chocolate in them ,very versatileI initially bought these prep bowls to help with my mis-en-place cooking, but have since used them for all sorts of tasks (they help in a pinch when you have a large party and need extra bowls for ice-cream or other treats).They are durable, have a very pleasing texture and finish, and are a great addition to my kitchen. I previously purchased the smaller size, but found them too limited in use.These bowls were not what I expected, they are tiny and not very useful. I had previously purchased the Architec prep bowls which were wider and bigger much more useful either as small bowls for snacking or as prep bowls.It came chipped as soon as I took it out of the package, the material is more of a porcelain material.