When a magnificent celebration is planned, it is very important to properly arrange the cutlery. This refers to the ability to properly set the table, so many people attach special importance to this.
In fact, there is nothing complicated about the arrangement of forks, spoons and knives. But even here there are some subtleties and peculiarities. Many people encounter difficulties precisely at the moment when they should arrange the forks, because the knife should always be on the right side, but it is not clear what to do with the fork, because most people are right-handed.
Where you should put the fork, what to do if there are several of them, and what to do with additional products - later in the article.
Serving sequence
Follow the layout algorithm when you set the table:
- place a piece of thick fabric on the table that will prevent the dishes from knocking;
- lay a clean, carefully ironed tablecloth in a neutral color scheme;
- arrange the plates;
- arrange forks, knives, spoons, starting with those located closer to the dish;
- arrange glasses from largest to smallest, wine glasses, glasses;
- set napkins;
- decorate the table (for example, with a vase).
Placement of cutlery during meals
While lunch is not completed, and you want to go away or have a drink, the cutlery is lowered with its handles onto the surface of the tablecloth. This situation indicates that it is too early to remove the plate.
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How to arrange cutlery
Proper serving of cutlery will help you make a good impression and pay attention to your guests. Use 1 set to ensure the designs match. Consider the purpose of the items used, make a choice depending on the dishes offered. Consider which knife is not served when setting the table, do not use unnecessary cutlery.
During meals
Before starting a meal, you must place your fork on the left side of the plate, tines up. The larger one is placed closer to the dish.
The knife, teaspoon and soup spoon should be on the left. The blade is directed towards the dish. If more than 3 dishes are served, all cutlery should not be laid out at once. They will be removed as needed. The used ones will be taken away.
The dessert fork and spoon are placed opposite the eater. The distance between adjacent objects should be 1 cm. The gap between the cutlery and the plate is the same.
After meal
Separate rules on how to place a fork and knife exist to complete a meal. Using cutlery, you can leave a message for the waiter. If the items lie parallel to each other, the guests liked the service and food. In situations where the cutlery is placed crosswise, the visitor was dissatisfied. To show that the meal is not completed, there is no need to take away the leftover food; the spoon and knife are placed with the end on the edge of the plate and the base on the table.
How to properly place dishes on the table
Source: @ta__diana
- If the appetizer dishes are large, they are placed in the center. Fish is served in an oval bowl, and meat in a round one.
- The more guests, the more gravy boats, pepper shakers, and salt shakers there should be.
- Bread bins should be placed at the edges of the table.
- The tureen must be large and very beautiful, because from it the hostess pours the dish into each plate. Or this function is performed by a waiter.
- The hot dish should also be in the center and placed on a large platter. During dessert, there are cakes in spacious plates, sugar bowls, bowls of fruit and plates of pastries.
Placing dishes
The layout depends on what meal you are planning. Prepare everything you need for the meal in advance, find out how to put the prepared food.
For breakfast, a large plate containing the main dish is placed in the center of the tabletop. Around are placed cold cuts, salad on one side, a carafe of clean drinking water, salt, sugar on the other. The main plate is placed 2 cm from the edge of the tabletop.
A container for porridge is inserted into it on a linen napkin. Then a knife and fork are placed on the sides. You are allowed to place a teaspoon near the cutting object. A cup and saucer is placed above on the right, and a glass of water is placed on the left. A bread basket is placed near the fork.
For lunch, small flat plates are set out, in which bowls for soup are placed. The cutlery is laid out in the same way as during breakfast. Salt and pepper are placed in the center of the table. Next to them, for beauty, you can place a small vase with artificial or natural flowers. If wine is consumed during the meal, the bottle is opened in advance and glasses are placed near the plates. Additionally, you will need glasses for water. Place the butter on a separate saucer. It comes with a special knife intended for all diners.
When serving formally, the diner, fish, and dinner forks in that order are placed to the left of the plate. The soup container is inserted into the one intended for hot dishes. The oyster fork is folded to the right. Then lay out a tablespoon, fish knives, and table knives. A saucer intended for pies with a special knife placed on it is placed on the top left side. On the right is a glass for water, glasses for white and red wine. When lunch or dinner is over, the table is set to serve desserts. Depending on the number of treats, the number of plates is selected.
Additional decorations for serving
The decor should not be conspicuous; it complements the serving of dishes. Inappropriate:
- high compositions;
- vases with huge bouquets blocking the view;
- strong-smelling bouquets; guests may be allergic to them.
Decorate with napkin holders and candlesticks. Originally folded fabric napkins are an ideal option for decorating a formal table. Flowers from vegetables and fruits, edible compositions are appropriate for any dinner, they have a place on the dessert table.
A win-win option is to use flowers. Usually they are placed in the middle of the table - it can be a bouquet or composition.
Knowing the secrets of serving, you can turn a traditional meal into a wonderful meal, where everyone will enjoy not only the food, but also the contemplation of the feast. It's so easy to give joy to your loved ones! Make every family lunch and dinner special.
Common mistakes
People often forget which side they put their oyster fork on. This is the only fork that should be placed on the left.
People may choose the wrong utensils (for example, serving a fish knife instead of a table knife). Items should not be used for other purposes.
A mistake is considered to be the wrong choice of tablecloth. For breakfast or a formal reception, white is best. Lunch and dinner should be on a product of a neutral shade. Colorful and patterned ones are allowed to be used only for children's parties.
Don't forget about napkins. Their number should be equal to the number of guests. Linen products should be used. Paper ones won't work.
Often the knife blade is directed in the direction opposite to the plate. This arrangement is considered incorrect.
Serving rules and choice of dishes
There is no need to invent the obvious when thinking about what table setting items should be purchased, how to use them and arrange them. The norms of etiquette in matters of festive and everyday serving are a practical system that has been worked out over centuries, and which is easier to use at home than it seems.
Tips for everyday table setting:
- use coasters. They look elegant and protect the tablecloth from unnecessary stains;
- deep plates for first courses are required;
- Place a plate for the side dish under the container for the first dish;
- arrange your utensils in advance. This will save you from unnecessary fuss at the table;
- don't forget about napkins. Use both paper and fabric ones for serving.
Festive table setting
In what order are the dishes served?
Consistent consumption of food affects appetite, enjoyment of food and communication with people. You should not get too carried away with a certain category of dishes; you need to leave room for the rest of the food. You can determine the approximate amount of food by the number of cutlery.
Standard sequence of serving dishes:
- Cold appetizers.
- Hot appetizers.
- First course.
- The second hot dish is fish.
- The second hot dish is meat.
- Dessert – sweet snacks.
- Fruits.
Snacks are also arranged in a certain order: fish, meat, vegetables and mushrooms, dairy.
The menu may be different, but the sequence should remain the same. It is allowed to remove unwanted items. In this case, the rest of the food is served in the same predetermined stages (i.e., if the hot appetizer is removed, it will still be followed by the first course).
About the sequence of serving dishes in the video:
What rules must be followed daily?
There are a number of basic rules that must be followed every day. What is uncivil to do even in the company of close friends and relatives?
- Open your lips while chewing food, slurp.
- Suck liquid from a spoon or glass.
- Talk without chewing food first.
- Lean over food (you need to sit up straight).
- Reach for the dish (it is recommended to ask another person to pass it).
- Avoid napkins. They are needed by both adults and children.
It's not tasty!
Sometimes the taste of a dish upsets and spoils the mood of going to a restaurant. To show your dissatisfaction, it is not necessary to make a row and swear. A cultured and educated visitor will give a sign. He will place the cutlery crosswise, inserting the tip of the knife between the tines of the fork. If a restaurant values its reputation, then the staff will ask what exactly they didn’t like. If the assessment is objective, then perhaps they will replace the dish or offer a small treat as a sign of “apology”.
Table manners
Table etiquette rules govern behavior before and during meals not only at home, but when visiting various establishments. It is important to remember the following rules of restaurant behavior:
- Women sit down at the table first. The man who is nearby or the waiter should help them with this.
- Cutlery should not only be correctly laid out on the table, but it should be able to be used for its intended purpose.
- You should eat dishes in the order in which the waiters bring them. Snacks are eaten first, then fish and meat dishes.
- It is important to use the set of cutlery that is closest to your hand. You should not eat the next dish with cutlery used with the previous dish.
- The waiter should be given the opportunity to take away a plate with cutlery that is no longer in use. Each fork and knife should be used exclusively for its intended purpose.
- You should not keep the snack set for yourself, and if there is butter, apply it only with the special knife attached to it. For these purposes, use a table or snack knife.
After finishing the meal, it is necessary to correctly fold the cutlery, which will serve as a signal to the waiter and cooks.
Dessert table utensils
The third course is eaten using a triple set. The dessert knife is shaped like a spatula, but smaller than a fish knife. It is held in the left hand to pry small pieces and cut large pieces of fruits and berries. Cakes and pastries are eaten using a snack fork and knife. Select berries from compotes with a dessert spoon.
Dessert table utensils also include spoons for:
- coffee - with a narrow, sometimes oval, handle and a shallow cup-shaped part;
- sugar - popularly called tea.
A coffee spoon and a teaspoon lie on the right side of the saucer with a mug. When stirring drinks, avoid glass clinking.
Serving for a large breakfast with hot dishes
Let's look at the situation with fried eggs and toast, although there may be porridge instead, which will require a different plate shape and an additional tablespoon. The main plate is placed in the center of the intended location. A bread (pie) plate is placed at the top left; its size is usually 18 cm in diameter. A tea (coffee) pair is placed at the top on the right side. Please note that a teaspoon is placed on the edge of the saucer, a sandwich knife on a pie plate.
Arrangement of hot breakfast equipment
Fork etiquette
A fork is an indispensable part of etiquette. It must be used correctly. There are several types of devices of this type:
- for oysters;
- lobster;
- fruit;
- for ice cream.
These products are served at the table only if the listed dishes are present. The answer to the question of how to place a fork is simple, as when serving with other dishes.
Cutlery.
How to eat food with a fork
There are two ways to properly hold a fork:
- like a ballpoint pen to make it convenient to scoop up food;
- with your thumb and middle finger to apply pressure with your index finger. Soft products are taken by lightly pressing on the edge, and hard ones by pressing with the teeth.
Traditionally, according to the rules of etiquette, the fork is placed in the left hand and the knife in the right. This is not entirely convenient for the average person, but it just takes a little practice. However, the rules change the meaning slightly and allow the fork to be placed in the right hand if a knife is not needed when eating.
How not to use a fork
It is believed that any other methods of use than those described in the previous paragraph are unacceptable. But there is a rule - when using tableware, you cannot use the equipment in such a way that unnecessary sounds are heard.
How to properly bring a spoon to your mouth?
It is important to eat any first course with a tablespoon. The table is initially set so that this spoon is on it. If not, then when the soup is served, the device itself will be brought.
When eating, you need to bring it from the side to your mouth, with the pointed part forward. It is best to scoop soup by scooping from yourself or from right to left.
The important thing is that you need to take in an average amount of food. It is much better not to scoop with a spoon, as there is a risk of spilling the contents.
How to place a fork and knife according to etiquette after eating, we will figure out further. It must be remembered that at the end of a meal, spoons must be placed near the lower utensils, but not left in the plate.
