Table Utensils Defined

 

Best Dressed Table: Utensils

As an etiquette expert, I am frequently asked about the multitude of utensils and which glass is used for what.  Some table settings can be a bit daunting, but they shouldn’t be.  There’s rarely an excuse to set more than three of any one type of utensil on the table at any time.  Plus, for very formal meals, the utensils are set in the order of the courses.  So, it is easy to choose the correct one.  Just choose the utensil that makes the most sense from the outside. 

Say your current course is a soup.  Pick up the spoon from the outermost left of your place setting. 

What follows is the basics of what you might find on a nicely set table.  

Utensils

There are three basic utensils: fork, knife, and spoon.  If there is ever a question of which one to use, just ask yourself if you need to stab it, cut it, or scoop it.

Fork, Spoon, & Knife

Forks

Dinner Fork: all-purpose, used for the main course, salad, and fish.  

• May be used for removing butter from your bread plate for food on the dinner plate.

Salad Fork: smaller than the dinner fork, and many times has one tine that is broader than the others.  

• May be used as dessert fork or fish fork.

Oyster Fork: small with short tines.  

• Used to eat seafood on the half shell or seafood cocktails.

Fish Fork: about the same size as a salad fork with broader tines.

Fruit Fork: small, narrow fork used with a small knife—not used much anymore.

Spoons

Teaspoon: multipurpose, used for cereal, dessert, coffee, tea, and soup in cups.

Soup Spoons:  traditionally, the round bowl is used for clear soups and the oval for cream or hearty soups.  

• Most people today use these for either soup.  
• Traditionally, clear soups were served in cups or deep-sided bowls, while hearty or cream were served in rimmed soup plates.

Dessert Spoon:  larger than a teaspoon, but most people use the teaspoon.  

Demitasse Spoon:  small spoon used with after-dinner coffee served in small demitasse cups with saucers.

Grapefruit Spoon: small, sharp spoon, pointed bowl, and usually a serrated tip.  

Iced-Tea Spoon:  long-handled, used for stirring iced tea. 

• These are quite common in some parts of the country.

Knives

The knife is the oldest utensil besides our fingers.

Dinner Knife: the most common, also called the place knife.

• These are used for everything on your plate.

Steak Knife:  sharp-bladed with a serrated edge, used for cutting dense cuts of meat.

Fish Knife: wide blade used to cut around bones easier.

Butter Knife:  small, broad blade used to take a portion of butter from the butter plate to transfer to the edge of the bread plate or dinner plate.  

• Butter the bread with your own butter spreader or dinner knife.  

Butter Spreader: small, blunt, used to spread butter, jam, or anything else on bread.  

• It may be used as a cheese spreader during the cheese course.

Fruit Knife:  small, sharp, used for cutting fruit at a formal meal.  

• Quarter the fruit, remove the core and seeds and eat fruit with fingers.  
• If there is a fruit fork use the two utensils to cut and eat one bite at a time.

And...

• A luncheon service is slightly smaller than a dinner service and may be use for dinner.
• Stainless steel is fine for every day and very versatile.  
• Always consider weight and how it feels in your hands.
• Sterling silver is beautiful, can be used for any meal, including formal meals, and nothing looks better on the table.

Continue

China & Glassware   

Linens & Centerpieces

How Do I Eat That?

Excerpt From:

Entertaining Skills 101: The Etiquette of Entertaining Our Guests by Rebecca Black