How to properly put a knife and fork on a plate after eating according to etiquette

It’s so nice to bring family and friends together at the table, and you want the set table to look festive. Some housewives find it difficult to cope with this task. Questions arise about how to arrange the plates correctly, on which side the fork and spoon are placed. You just need to remember how to arrange your cutlery correctly.

Table setting - what you need to know.

How to use cutlery

Proper use of cutlery helps visitors correctly consume the served dish and makes the waiters’ work easier. Cutlery can be different; the distinctive parameters of knives and forks make them convenient only for use when eating a specific dish.

General devices

Not knowing how to use cutlery correctly, the visitor leaves the opinion of himself as an ill-mannered person who does not know the rules of etiquette. If we use cutlery correctly, we show respect for the staff and waiters. Common tools are the easiest to use. These are knives and forks intended for eating meat, fish, snacks and salads. When using such devices, it is important to follow the following rules:

The knife is in the right hand, and the fork is in the left.
You should hold the knife without placing your index finger on the blade. All fingers should be on the handle.
When eating meat, pierce a piece with a fork and cut off the necessary part with a knife. When eating salad, hold the fork with the teeth up and use a knife to help place the vegetables on it.
Snackware should be used exclusively for eating salads and appetizers, cutlery should be used for eating meat, and fish cutlery should be used for fish dishes.
Food should be consumed in the order in which the cutlery is located near the plate.
You should never put a knife near your mouth. The teeth of the fork can be completely in the mouth, and the spoon should be licked only if it is for tea, dessert or ice cream. You cannot take a tablespoon completely into your mouth.
Wine glasses should be held with all fingers by the stem or the main part of the glass. It is considered rude to touch other visitors' glasses or serve someone a glass (even to a lady).

For exotic dishes

Cutlery for exotic dishes is brought according to a pre-agreed menu. These could be lobster knives, lobster scissors, snail tweezers and forks. Given the exotic composition of the dish and unusual cutlery, it is permissible to ask the waiter to demonstrate how to use the tools. In this case, you should not eat the portion cut up by the waiter.

When using tools, remember that the dish is cut exclusively using the tools provided. You should not help with a table knife, a fork, or especially with your hands. These dishes are eaten without bread.

After using the cutlery, you should return it to the common plate on which the dish was served. Such tools should not be used for eating other dishes. Such devices cannot be passed from hand to hand. Each tool can only be used by one person.

Knife and fork

Knife and fork - what's special about these things? We use them every day, but when we find ourselves in a formal setting or a luxurious restaurant, many people are confused by the sight of several types of cutlery, do not know what to do with them correctly and literally feel out of place. Meanwhile, it is enough to know a few simple rules of etiquette and practice a little at home with ordinary knives and forks in order to feel free and relaxed everywhere and enjoy delicious food and communication without thinking about how to deal with an unruly steak or whole fish. KEDEM.RU “Culinary Eden” has compiled a selection of basic rules for handling knives and forks that any modern person should know.

We will not bore you with details about the arrangement of forks and knives on the table, about the types of forks and knives. If you see several cutlery in front of you to the left and right of the plate, remember a simple rule: first take those cutlery that are located further from the plate. As you change dishes, move towards the center.

How to hold a knife and fork

Today, table knives are used much more widely than before. With a knife you can cut pancakes, pancakes, meat and vegetable cutlets, chopped schnitzels, even dumplings and dumplings. Previously, using a knife for these purposes was considered indecent, because for such soft products a fork was enough. The influence zone of knives has not yet extended to fresh vegetables, spaghetti, noodles, hodgepodge, omelettes, scrambled eggs, puddings, jellies and fried brains - they are still eaten only with a fork or a fork in combination with a spoon.

The main specialty of the knife and fork at the dinner table is meat dishes prepared in large pieces. To deal with them elegantly, you should take the knife in your right hand and the fork in your left. These devices should not be held like a pencil, between the thumb and forefinger. A confident grip is required: grasp the upper part of the handles of the fork and knife with your entire palm, placing your index finger on the upper surface of the device. With this method, light pressure from your index finger will be enough to cut a piece of steak without any hassle. Remember that meat at the table should only be cut towards you, moving only with your hands, not your elbows. When cutting pieces of meat, it is recommended to hold the fork with the tines down, and its handle should rest against the palm - this will allow you to quickly and accurately prick the pieces onto the tines. If you're eating something that doesn't require much effort, you can hold the fork between your index finger and thumb and hold the tines up, like a spoon.

Remember that it is strictly forbidden to eat from a knife; for this purpose, you have a fork in your left hand. There is no point in moving a knife and fork from hand to hand. To make sure you feel comfortable eating with your left hand, practice beforehand.

If you need to drink water during a meal or interrupt for any other reason, do not place the fork and knife on the table or plate, but choose a middle position: the handles rest on the table and the work surfaces hang over the plate.

How to eat meat with a knife and fork

In the American tradition, it is customary to immediately cut a piece of steak or ham into small pieces, and then you can put the knife aside and calmly eat them, holding a fork in your right hand. European etiquette does not approve of this: it is better to cut off one piece, eat it, and only then cut off the next one. Choose for yourself which tradition is closer to you.

If you are served a meat dish with a side dish of vegetables, do not let go of the knife and fork, even if the pieces do not need to be cut - you can always get a large piece, and you will have to transfer the fork to your left hand and grab the knife.

When eating dense meat with a side dish, another question arises: how to combine a cut piece of meat with a side dish? Of course, you can alternately put meat and mashed potatoes or vegetables in your mouth - this is the easiest way. A more complicated option: cut off a piece of meat, holding it with a fork, using a knife, put a little mashed potatoes on the meat and put it in your mouth. Aerobatics is to treat meat and small vegetables beautifully, for example, green peas, which cannot stay on it. In this case, the action plan is as follows: cut off a piece of meat, pricked on a fork, turn the fork over and put peas into it, as if into a spoon, helping yourself with a knife.

If a salad is served with a meat dish in a separate plate, foods from the plates must not be mixed. You need to alternately prick meat and vegetables on a fork. Large lettuce leaves should not be cut with a knife. It is better to carefully cut the leaf with a fork or roll it around the fork and eat it whole.

Cutlets and meatballs should be broken with a fork, but it is acceptable to cut with a knife, especially chicken Kiev. It happens that sausage rings and salami are served unpeeled. According to the rules of etiquette, they need to be peeled using a knife and fork. Pates should be eaten with a fork; spreading them on bread is permissible only in an informal setting.

How to eat poultry with a knife and fork

Not long ago, it was believed that it was acceptable to eat poultry with your hands if you couldn’t remove all the meat from the bone. Modern etiquette is categorically against this - only a knife and fork! It is better to let some of the meat remain on the bone, but you should not lose face by picking up the bone and gnawing it. Such behavior is acceptable only in the family or among close friends. If the chicken is served in broth, in addition to a knife and fork, you will also need a spoon: eat the broth, then start eating the chicken using a knife and fork.

How to eat fish

Fish dishes, with the exception of herring, are supposed to be eaten without a knife, using a special spatula. This spatula is held in the right hand and is used to separate the bones by holding the piece of fish with a fork. Not all homes and restaurants have special fish spatulas, so fish dishes may need to be served with two forks. In this case, we take a fork in each hand and with our right hand we separate the bones and divide the fish into pieces, and eat it with our left hand.

If you are served a whole fish, then we also do without a knife, and use a spatula or a second fork to separate the top fillet. When this part of the fish is eaten, we separate the spine and fins, put it on the edge of the plate and eat the lower fillet. Gnawing on bones and fins, no matter how tasty they look, is naturally unacceptable. If you still didn’t follow, and the fish bone ends up in your mouth, gently push it out with your tongue onto a fork or napkin.

How to eat bread and sandwiches

The dinner table is not the place for slicing bread. Bread should be eaten by breaking off pieces with your hands, but not biting off a piece or cutting with a knife. Making sandwiches with deli meats or sliced cheese at the table is unacceptable. You need to put the ham or cheese on your plate and eat separately with a knife and fork, snacking on pieces of bread. Ready-made small sandwiches can be cut in half to eat with your hands. Large sandwiches that cannot be finished in 2 bites are recommended to be placed on a plate and eaten with a knife and fork. At breakfast, you can make an indulgence: spread butter on the bread and take a bite from a whole piece.

By the way, sushi, rolls and other dishes of oriental cuisine, which are usually eaten with chopsticks, according to etiquette, can be eaten with familiar European utensils. The waiter or host should offer forks and knives to guests. Naturally, you shouldn’t cut sushi and rolls with a knife; take them with a fork and put them whole in your mouth.

How to eat spaghetti

Spaghetti doesn't require a knife, and eating it beautifully and elegantly can be difficult. There are several ways to deal with unruly spaghetti: take a spoon in your left hand, wrap the spaghetti around the fork and cut off any excess with the spoon. You can hook a few pasta with a fork, lift it up and wrap it around the fork. You can do something more radical: lower the fork vertically down and in this position wrap several pasta around it.

How to eat desserts

When it's time for desserts, there's no reason to relax. Most desserts are also eaten with forks and knives, even watermelon! The peach should be cut lengthwise, pitted, peeled with a knife and fork and eaten, cutting into small pieces. You need to cut off the tail of the banana, remove the peel and eat it with a knife and fork, cutting off circles. It is recommended to cut apples and pears into quarters, remove the skin, place on a plate and cut off slices, gradually approaching the core. In polite society, oranges and tangerines are not peeled by hand, but rather the peel is cut crosswise, removed like petals, and divided into slices. A slice of watermelon is eaten with a knife and fork, placed on a plate and separated from the seeds. Cakes, cream pies, and puddings are eaten with a special dessert fork or spoon. The only sweets that are permissible to take with your hands are cookies, gingerbread and dry cakes.

Cheese knives

Large pieces of cheese can be placed on a cheese plate. In this case, knives are included with them. For medium-soft cheeses, a large knife is intended, the blade of which has slots. At the tip of such a knife there is something like a fork, which can be used to transfer a piece of cheese from a common plate to your own. Soft cheeses are cut with a string knife. For hard cheeses, a grater knife is used to remove beautiful shavings, and for super-hard cheeses, a spear-shaped knife is used to break off pieces.

The language of knives and forks

A knife and fork placed with one end on the edge of the plate and the other on the table means that you have been distracted for a while and will soon return to food. If you need to leave the table and would like to return and finish the dish, leave a signal to the waiter: cross your knife and fork on your plate. When the meal is completed and you want to clear the table of dishes, place the cutlery on the plate parallel to each other with the handles facing you or slightly diagonally. The tines of the fork can point up (American style) or down (European style).

With the help of a knife and fork, you can even tell the waiter about your attitude towards food and service. To express approval, place the knife and fork parallel, but not with the handles facing you, as is done to signal the end of the meal, but with the handles to the left. If you don’t like the dish, you can cross the cutlery on the plate by placing the tip of the knife between the tines of the fork.

As you can see, a knife and fork are important things in the life of a modern cultured person. The ability to use them correctly will never be superfluous.

Olga Borodina

Serving features

Table etiquette involves proper table setting. Before arranging cutlery correctly, you should place napkins and a tablecloth on the table. Serving is carried out in the following order:

The prepared table is wiped with a damp and then a dry cloth.
Then a tablecloth is placed on it. It should be laid out evenly on the table so that it hangs evenly from opposite ends. It is not allowed to skew the fabric, in which one of its ends will be longer than the previous one. The size of the tablecloth must be such that it does not touch the chairs, but hangs 15 cm from the table. If the existing tablecloth is large, it should be folded so that it complies with the rules described above.
The placement of cutlery on the table must be correct. All knives should go to the right of the plates, and sets of forks should go to the left. Spoons are placed above the plate. This rule applies to both a teaspoon and a tablespoon.
Having determined the position of the cutlery, place the napkins. When using cloth napkins, individual for each diner, they are placed directly on the plate, folded in unusual shapes. Before laying out such napkins, they are folded in the shape of swans, figures or fans. It doesn’t matter exactly how the napkins are laid out, but they must be the same for all visitors.
It is allowed to additionally place a napkin holder with paper napkins on the table for one-time use.
It is mandatory to provide glasses for water. Other glassware is installed according to the menu.

When placing forks and knives near the plate, they are placed in the reverse order from the order in which the dishes are served. This means that the device located near the hand will be useful first. When serving an appetizer and then fried meat at lunch, place the meat cutlery first closer to the plate, and then the appetizer set.

Cutlery and correct arrangement diagram

For table setting, types of utensils such as plates, spoons, forks and drink containers are used. Napkins are also required.

How to serve breakfast correctly

When breakfast is served, a cloth napkin is placed on the table for everyone. Then the order is as follows:

A snack plate is placed on it and cutlery is laid out next to it.
Place a pie plate on the left, a glass for juice and a pair of tea or coffee with a spoon on the right.
Opposite the plate are paper napkins in a salad bowl and a set for spices.
Sliced bread is served in a bread bowl, butter in a butter dish.
Sliced meats can be placed in an oval dish; for cheese, a flat plate or serving board is used; it is not cut, everyone cuts off as much as they need.

Serving breakfast.

How to serve lunch and dinner correctly

To serve lunch beautifully, use a table service. It usually consists of several dishes that are served in sequence. There are basic rules of etiquette:

The dishes must be arranged so that everyone can freely approach from the left side.
Cutlery is placed next to each plate.
A place for the tureen is chosen on the table and a ladle is placed next to it on a ceramic stand.
When serving lunch and dinner, hot dishes are placed on the table so that everyone can reach them independently.
Cuttings and snacks are placed on a common plate or laid out for everyone.

Serving lunch and dinner.

Dessert table setting

A set table looks beautiful if there are dishes in the same style on it. To set the dessert table, you can use a coffee or tea set, which consists of a teapot with a spout, a sugar bowl, and a butter dish.

A dessert plate is placed on the table in front of the guest, next to a cup and saucer, you can also place a wine glass, a glass for water or juice.
Cream bowls are placed on the right, next to the dessert plate, but away from the edge of the table.
Tea bags are placed on a saucer, coffee is placed in a jar and a spoon with a long handle is placed on top of it.
Lemon slices are served in a special tray.
Boiling water is placed in a large porcelain teapot.

Arrangement of devices at the end

In home serving, it is customary to remove excess dishes after each dish. This rule applies to devices too. Throughout the entire meal, only the position of the water glass remains unchanged. Despite this, if you decide to use formal serving techniques, go all the way. After eating, you can use a fork and knife to tell the hostess of the house your attitude. You can also convey a request not to put away the dishes while you are away.

Several options for placing devices if you need to take a break:

If there is a lot of food on the plate. Place cutlery on the edge of the plate so that the handles rest on the table. The fork should be on the left and the knife on the right.
If there is just a little left. Place cutlery in an “L” shape. Turn the tip of the knife to the left, and the fork to the right. Handles should not rest on the table.
If you eat with a fork only (no knife). Place it on the right, on the edge of the plate. The base rests on the table.

At the very end of the meal, different rules apply. Cutlery is not placed on the table. The main reason is quite simple. Residues from the dishes may fall or drip onto the tablecloth. The owner of the house is unlikely to be happy with such a surprise. Several correct options:

Place the cutlery parallel to each other on opposite edges of the plate. The handles should be pointing towards you.
Imagine that the plate is a large dial. Place the fork and knife so that the handles point to 5 o'clock.

How to properly arrange cutlery to make it clear that you have not finished your meal

When you need to leave the table for a while or take a short break, say, to drink some water or chat, you need to lay out the working areas of the cutlery on a plate, and the ends of the handles of the knife and fork should rest slightly on the table.

There are two more ways to inform the waiter that you have not yet finished your meal:

According to the European style: you should place the knife on the plate on top of the fork, with the tines pointing down. In appearance, the design resembles an inverted letter “V”.
According to the American style: place the knife at the top of the plate, with the blade at 12 o'clock. Fork - tines up.

When you need to move away from the table for a while or take a short break, say, to drink some water or chat, you need to lay out the working areas of the cutlery on a plate, and the ends of the handles of the knife and fork should rest slightly on the table.

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:

How to eat pilaf: tips

Many are still figuring out how to eat pilaf correctly. Conservatives believe that pilaf should be eaten with the hands in accordance with tradition. Etiquette lovers claim that pilaf is a rather fatty dish and eating it with your hands is the height of vulgarity.

In the east, it is still customary to eat pilaf with your hands, which requires a lot of skill and skill. There they grab a piece of meat and collect the rice around it with three fingers. You get small balls and place them in your mouth with your hands. In other countries, it is customary to eat pilaf using cutlery.

Pilaf is a fairly fatty food, so you need to serve unsweetened hot tea to the table, which will melt the fat.
For pilaf, you need to prepare butter flatbreads, which will also help digest fat faster.
It is recommended to combine pilaf with some light vegetable salad.

When preparing pilaf, remember that the meat in it should not be too large, because it does not look very nice and is also inconvenient to eat.

How to use a knife and fork according to European etiquette

According to the rules of decency and customs of the Old and New Worlds, dinnerware should be held in the same way. The fork is placed on the left hand, the knife is placed on the right. If there is more than one fork, start with the one closest to the plate. The procedure is mostly the same in both types of etiquette, the difference is only in one thing. We usually follow the continental style, which involves using both hands. The fork is taken in the left hand, the knife in the right. Eat with the left hand, do not transfer the device after that to another limb. It is traditionally placed with the cloves facing down.

The fork is placed on the left hand, the knife is placed on the right.

Additional items

What should a housewife have so that her techniques always look convincing and do not contradict etiquette? If tradition is important to you, you need to learn to conform. For example, a special knife for butter is not just a knife from a standard cutlery set, it is different. And if a guest cuts a slice of butter and transfers it to the pie shop, he should be able to do this with a special knife. And there is also, for example, a knife and fork - they use it to cut and transfer cheese (hard).

Imagine, but there is also a special fork for sprat: fish forks differ not only from other forks, but also from each other. A tridentated rounded fork is used for mussels and clams, and it is also used when carrying out cold sea cocktails. Hot fish snacks are consumed with a chill fork.

Minimum set of additional devices:

pasta tongs - this will allow you to serve pasta in a beautiful common dish, with tongs it is perfectly distributed in portions, and everything looks aesthetically pleasing;
salad tongs are an alternative to special spoons; both may be present on the table;
forks and knives for meat (for steak) - appropriate in size, beautiful, durable, with a perfect metallic shine (or, conversely, aristocratically dull, if the color and texture suggest);
dessert - for cake and for ice cream, completely different products are needed (many different devices have been invented for dessert - for example, not only a spoon is served with tea, but also tongs for sugar cubes);
snack forks – the guest should not use the same fork to eat appetizers and main courses;
fruit set - and this characteristic is not sparse, for example, there are even grape scissors that help you carefully cut it from the branch.

If you don't know where to start, start with a dessert set. When you acquire useful devices, invite your friends for tea - it will be akin to a self-test. By the way, make sure you know how to eat cake properly. It should be served to the table already cut into wedges. You need to eat on your own plate, starting with a pointed piece.

Table decoration

We have mentioned more than once how important it is to decorate the table for a meal. The basis of the “composition” will be the tablecloth

It is important to consider everything here: material, color, texture. If you decide to abandon the tablecloth, use sets

The basis of the “composition” will be the tablecloth

It is important to consider everything here: material, color, texture. If you decide to abandon the tablecloth, use sets

The table decoration continues with flowers. It is preferable to use fresh flowers. They look elegant and fill the room with aroma. Nowadays, color arrangements made from artificial plants are becoming popular.

Another decorative element are candles. They are best used in the evening.

Beautiful dishes are a decoration of the event in itself. Don’t skimp on sets and sets—they will last you more than one year.

In most cases, table decoration is a matter of imagination of the decorators or the hostess of the holiday. Table setting is limitless space for the craziest ideas.

Table manners

By paying attention to the rules of behavior at the table, a person demonstrates his best side. This is a sign of good manners, concern not only for your well-being, but also for the pleasant eating of everyone sitting around

This is called etiquette, and previously only representatives of the upper class of society knew it; it was one of the striking differences between educated people and commoners. Today there is no clear division according to this criterion, but if a guest demonstrates ignorance of the rules of etiquette, he risks irritating others.

In a restaurant or at a dinner party, it can be difficult for the inexperienced person to figure out how to properly use all those countless cutlery.

You definitely need to know:

Each device has its own purpose. There is an order in which dishes are served; it is a mistake to expect that exceptions will be made for certain people. Violation of ethical standards by some individuals is not a reason or reason to ignore the rules on their part. But it is also uncivil to directly condemn someone for this; it is correct to pretend that it is unnoticeable. Slicing meat or fish is done gradually, as the previous piece is swallowed. And this must be done with a specially designated device, the knife should be in the left hand, the fork in the right. Changing their places under the pretext of inconvenience is unacceptable. The entire set of glasses is placed on the table, but if the guest does not intend to drink from each, it is better to ask to remove some

This is a precautionary measure, and it’s more convenient, there’s less risk of touching the glass with your hand and breaking it.

Everyone at any age should know the rules of table etiquette.

Important! The devices on the right are intended for use with the right hand, similarly with the left side

Rules for using cutlery according to etiquette

You also need to be able to use cutlery, because knowledge does not mean a complete set of skills. But understanding the basic principle about the order of using forks and knives will never be superfluous. They must be taken in turn, starting with the small ones on the edge, intended for appetizers (they are served first), ending with the large ones, located near the plate itself.

It is very difficult to manage without table etiquette in a restaurant.

How to put cutlery after eating

After eating, be sure to take into account that the location of the fork and knife is fundamentally important. If you neglect the rules, you can create an awkward situation, inconvenience for others, or leave a negative review about the taste of the dishes without knowing it. That is, when taking a break or finishing a meal, you need to pay close attention to what “picture” remains.

What does the position of cutlery on the plate indicate?

But at the same time, leaving them on the table or cloth tablecloth is definitely not a good idea; this is a sign of bad taste. Such products are often made from natural fabrics, making them extremely difficult to wash.

The unspoken “language” of knives and forks can say a lot about a person.

Fork and knife on a plate after eating

Usually it is the fork and knife that become the main tools for “silent” communication with the waiter. If the meal is not completed, but you need to drink a glass of water, it is advisable to rest their handles on the table, and rest the part covered with food debris on the edges of the plate, since putting down the knife and fork after eating otherwise will not be correct.

This will let the waiter know about a short break.

Folding these utensils crosswise after eating may indicate that the dish was not taken away. But, if the visitor left it in this form, securing the blade between the teeth, this will be interpreted as dissatisfaction with the food.

If there were problems with the quality of services, crossing is accompanied by turning the handles up.

If the dish satisfies your requests and expectations, it is correct to leave the fork and knife next to each other parallel to each other at the end, slightly shifting the angle of inclination. But if they are at a distance, then this is a requirement to call the administrator.

This position, but with the handles turned upside down, gives a sign of the requirement to provide a complaint book.

Subtleties of design for different meals

Depending on the event being served, the following types of table settings are distinguished:

Banquet room.
Buffet room.
Tea room.
Coffee shop.
Full evening.
Dining room, for breakfast or dinner.

Dining

The simplest serving is for lunch, for breakfast or dinner. As a rule, in this case, serving occurs for members of the same family. This could be a Sunday dinner together, or breakfast. It’s good when everyone is accustomed to setting the table every day, adding atmosphere to the meal. This, by the way, promotes family unity and develops certain traditions.

To do this, take plates that match the dish being served. Place a spoon, fork and, if necessary, a knife nearby. If this is a regular meal, then add a glass of juice or water, a cup of tea or coffee with a saucer to the serving. If this is, for example, a Sunday dinner, and you plan to drink alcohol, then also glasses or shot glasses. In this case, the presence of glasses for water should also be taken into account.

Ordinary fabric napkins can serve as table decoration; they can be simply folded in the shape of a rectangle, or laid out in an intricate way. A dish with a variety of fruits or berries can decorate breakfast or dinner. It is always worth considering that a salt and pepper shaker should be served on the table.

Full evening will have some differences. Use only single-colored dishes. Various complex decors are not used - a modest vase (necessarily low and simple in shape) in which there will be a minimum number of flowers on a low stem will be enough. It is better to choose a white tablecloth; as an exception, you can use delicate pastel shades.

Bottles of champagne, wine or other alcohol must be uncorked. You should also place a cloth napkin next to the glasses.

Banquet service

Banquet service is close to full evening service - uniformity should be observed in the dishes, napkins and tablecloths.
To the left of the wine glasses, in the case of a banquet, there is a card with the name of the invitee. Buffet table settings are becoming increasingly popular. There are two types. The first differs in that the table is placed along the wall. It is decorated on one side, that is, guests approach it only from one side. This option is suitable for private parties, hotels and hotels with a buffet. In the second case, the table is placed in such a way that it is accessible from all sides. This type is used for organizing weddings and corporate events.

Coffee serving

Coffee serving depends on what type of coffee will be served - Turkish, in a geyser coffee maker, latte or cappuccino from a coffee maker. In any case, three elements are needed - a coffee cup with a saucer and a coffee spoon. Dessert is served on a common platter, accompanied by dessert plates and cutlery, be it a spoon or a fork with a knife, calculated according to the number of guests.

Decorating with a fruit bowl is appropriate. Serving begins with filling the central part - where berries, fruits and desserts are located. Coffee is prepared and served only after the guests have arrived.

Tea setting - it can be arranged immediately by placing cups on the table if the exact number of guests is known. Everyone needs to be provided with an appropriate saucer for a cup and a dessert plate with a spoon, fork and knife. One or two of these appliances may be removed. So, for example, if dessert should be eaten with a spoon, then you should not serve it with a fork and knife. In the center there is a dish with desserts or a cake bowl with a cake. By the way, a special spatula is used to serve pieces of cake. Also, the serving can be supplemented with a vase or a large dish on which fruits, both sliced and whole, are laid out.

How to eat different foods correctly

The nuances of using devices depend on what dish you need to eat. If the food is finely chopped, you can use a fork or spoon without a knife. Large chunks will have to be chopped first. It is recommended that you read the quick guide to choose the best method.

If the treat is laid out in large pieces on a cheese plate, the owners will have to use knives. For hard varieties, grater knives are used. The super hard ones are served with special spears, with the help of which guests break off pieces. For medium-soft products, large knives with slots on the blade are used. Soft varieties are cut using string knives.

Meat and poultry

To eat meat dishes, you must use a fork and knife:

The steaks are not ground immediately. You need to cut off 1 small piece, which is convenient to chop.
To eat a stew or stew with sauce, you will first have to separate the bones from the edible part. Anything unfit for food is placed on the edge of the plate. Taking bones with your hands is only allowed in situations where they are in a paper wrapper.
To eat the chop, first cut it into 3-4 approximately equal pieces. Then gradually remove the pulp from the bones.
If the roast was served in one large piece, the host is responsible for chopping it and serving it to the guests. First, important guests and girls receive a portion. The distribution starts with the oldest woman.
Owners must first cut sausage and ham into slices. If there is a shell left on the treat, the piece is pierced with a fork, after which the inedible part is removed using a knife.
Sausages should not be eaten with your hands. It is necessary to cut off small pieces and then peel them. It is better to do this gradually so that the food does not have time to cool down.
For cutlets, meatballs, and dumplings, the use of a knife is not required.
Chicken legs are eaten with a knife. The treat is held with a fork, and the meat is cut off the bone with a blade. Eating with your hands is only allowed if there is a rinse bottle on the table.
Do not use cutlery for crispy bacon, as the dish can easily crumble. Soft bacon is eaten with a knife and fork because eating it makes your fingers greasy and sticky.

Dessert

Cakes and pastries are consumed using a special dessert fork with 2 prongs. If the dessert is triangular, eat the narrow edge first, then move on to the wide one. Cakes on a hard base will have to be cut with a knife. Eclairs and bagels can be eaten with your hands. If a person does not want to get dirty, he can use a dessert fork.

For jellies and mousses, use a spoon. The bones are carefully removed from the mouth and placed with a spoon on the edge of a saucer or on a napkin. There is no need to finish the juice remaining in the bowl. For fruit you will have to use a knife and fork. Small pieces are cut from the fruit. Cookies and gingerbread are taken with fingers. Cutlery is not required to eat these desserts.

Beautiful layout examples

One way or another, there is currently an opinion that only restaurant establishments observe all the subtleties of serving. In fact, this knowledge can be applied to all kinds of family celebrations and other important holidays. There are several common examples:

Serving a romantic dinner for two requires an intimate atmosphere, dim lighting and, of course, the presence of suitable glasses. Additional accessories in the decoration will add a special touch of intimacy. You can start by choosing a color scheme, based on the preferences of your other half, and then you can add significant details: put your favorite flowers, ribbons, memorable souvenirs, a general photo. Music and lit candles of various shapes and sizes will be an integral accompaniment.

An important celebration in a close family circle requires respect for tradition and a classic serving style. The difference between generations is of particular importance, therefore both the style of serving and the overall design of the table should be as generally accepted as possible, not too bright, but solemn in its classics

Restraint combined with solemnity can be expressed in beautifully selected expensive dishes (crystal items are appropriate), cutlery, snow-white napkins and the presence of accents, for example, gold and silver.

Often a ceremonial meal is associated with the celebration of some event. This is where themed table settings come to the rescue. The New Year's or Christmas table is complemented with coniferous products and Christmas tree accessories; sometimes the table setting is decorated with a combination of burgundy, red and green colors.

For the autumn holidays, tables are set with the addition of gems, small seasonal vegetables, acting as accessories. The compositions are complemented with suitable colors.

Summer wedding celebrations will be complemented by light fabrics, delicate pastel colors and thin glassware.

It is very important not to limit your imagination and embody any creative ideas, applying knowledge in table decoration. Any celebration begins with competent table setting, which is sure to make a pleasant impression on all participants in the celebration.

You will learn more about which side of the plate to place the fork and knife according to the rules of etiquette in the following video.

Arrangement: how to put a spoon, fork, knife and how to put other things?

The dishes are arranged in the same order in which food is served: soups, fish and meat dishes, desserts. Although it seems that there are too many dishes and cutlery, each element plays its own significant role.

How to properly arrange cutlery, read on:

A snack plate is placed in front of the seated person. It happens that she stands on a shallow dining room. On the left is a pie plate or napkin. To the right of the snack plate are all the spoons and knives. They are held in the right hand. On the left are forks. They should be in the left hand. Dessert cutlery is located at the front. Which hand you need to hold them with depends on which direction the handles are facing. If to the right, then with the right hand. Left - left.
Behind them are wine glasses and glasses.
Place a napkin on the appetizer plate. If there is no first course, then a spoon is not used.

The plates must be located at a distance of at least 60 cm from each other. Their number corresponds to the number of guests. You cannot place more than 3 pairs of devices in front of a person.

Fork etiquette

In addition to the usual forks intended for main courses, fish and desserts, there are many other varieties that differ in the thickness of the teeth, their number and length:

fruit (has three teeth, small in size);
for lobster (two short cloves);
for the snail (two long, slightly curved teeth);
to oysters;
as a component of salad tongs.

Types of forks for various dishes.

They are served only if the guest definitely wants one of the listed dishes.

Using a fork for other purposes is a sign of bad taste.

How to eat food with a fork

There are 3 main ways to hold this item according to etiquette.

The thumb and middle finger are grasped at the end of the handle, and the index part is located along the object, helping with pressure. In this case, the fork stands on its edge, touching the plate. Often this must be done with dessert, it is soft.
The same position of the fingers, only in the middle of the object and the teeth “look” down. Then the index finger can better help when pressing and piercing meat and other hard pieces of food.
The fork is taken like a regular ballpoint pen and positioned so that it is convenient to scoop up the soft part of the meal.

The rules of etiquette include, in particular, the ability to use cutlery correctly.

It usually takes a little practice to master and get used to holding this item correctly. But then this option will become even simpler than the others.

Which devices to take first?

The table is set so that all the utensils are convenient to use. The organizers of the celebration take this into account, and the guests take this into account when choosing tools for food. The location of the cutlery will indicate the correct course of action. It is most convenient to take those objects that do not come into contact with others.

In the “Serving” section, the last items to be placed from the edge of the plate are the fork and knife, because almost all banquets have salads. These devices are the most convenient to take. They will not catch the rest and the risk of dropping anything from the table is reduced to zero. After eating, unnecessary dishes are removed. Throughout the celebration, they take those utensils that are farther from the plate and gradually move on to those that are closer. When it’s time for the third course, only the substitution plate is left, onto which the dessert plate is moved. Instruments are laid out nearby.

How to properly bring a spoon to your mouth

They sit at the table, slightly leaning forward with their whole body. It is forbidden to slouch, lean towards a spoon, or lift a plate. You need to hold the pen between your thumb and index finger and help with the nail phalanx of your middle finger.

For convenience, adhere to the following rules:

fill the spoon as much as you can eat at one time - no more than 2/3;
before bringing it to your mouth, hold the spoon against the wall of the plate for a few seconds so that excess drops drain;
They eat by bringing the device to their lips from a convenient side - the back or side.

These rules allow you to avoid staining yourself and the tablecloth. When scooping the dish into a spoon, guide it with the edge side of the device, without touching the bottom of the plate. They eat silently, without making slurping sounds.

How to properly hold a knife and fork according to etiquette

Meat, poultry, fish, cooked in small pieces, side dishes - these dishes do not require cutting. For them, the table is served only with a fork, on the right side of the plate. The guest takes the device in his right hand. For large-piece and portioned products, place a knife to the right of the plate and a fork to the left. Food is cut with the right hand and eaten with the left.

Also take into account that:

you need to hold cutlery in your hands, holding it between your index finger, thumb and holding it with your middle finger;
cut meat and fish, pressing on them lightly so that the piece does not jump out of the plate;
Until the dish is finished, the cutlery is held in the hands.

Visitors to Russian restaurants have a question in which hand to hold a knife and fork according to etiquette, if both utensils are on the table and there is nothing to cut. In establishments in our country, the table is often set with a full set, even when serving goulash and beef stroganoff. The guest simply has to not use the knife, but take the fork in his right hand.

Special cutlery for exotic dishes

At celebrations, hosts and restaurateurs strive to surprise guests with delicious food. Oriental dishes and seafood deserve special attention. For exotic delicacies, etiquette rules provide no less fancy tools:

Chopsticks - used when serving oriental dishes: sushi, rolls, etc. One chopstick with its thick part is placed in the hollow between the thumb and index finger of the right hand so that the device protrudes a third beyond the palm. Approximately in the middle, the stick should come into contact with the nail phalanx of the ring finger. The second part of the eastern fork is taken like a pencil, held with the thumb, index and middle fingers. How to hold while eating: the upper part is manipulated, while the lower part remains motionless.

Spoon in the form of a spatula for fish caviar.

Set for mussels and boiled shrimp. Use tongs to hook the mussel shell with your left hand and hold it over the plate. The meat is eaten with a special fork or a table fork.

An oyster pair is a knife with a sharp tip used to open the valves and a trident fork for eating the mollusk.

Set for lobsters: tongs for splitting the shell and a special device - a flat spoon for collecting juice on one side and a fork with two teeth for pulling out meat on the other. The seafood is held with tongs in the left hand, and the right hand alternately uses a double tool.

Crab set. In restaurants, crabs are cut by cooks or waiters. If the seafood is taken out whole for distribution, then pruning shears are attached to it. The rules for using cutlery for these seafood are as follows. First, cut off the claw and transfer it to a plate. Also, pruners are used to separate the paw at the joints. Each claw is then cut lengthwise. To remove the meat, use lobster tongs, a fork, or a dinner fork.

Seafood can be eaten with your hands if there are no utensils at the table. In this case, rinses are served with acidified water.

What not to do in a restaurant?

There are a number of actions, the performance of which indicates a person’s low cultural level. This primarily applies to events and official receptions. Table etiquette rules prohibit:

Call the waiter, addressing him on a first name basis. Talk about politics, religion, health, finances. Communicate loudly, interrupt. Use toothpicks. This must be done exclusively in the bathroom. Pick up food or cutlery that has fallen on the floor. It's worth asking the waiter for a replacement. Use the phone. It's better to turn on silent mode. If the call is extremely important, you can apologize to the interlocutors and warn them. Report diet, alcohol abstinence

There is no need to draw attention to yourself in these matters. Hurry. Even in the event of severe hunger, it is necessary to wait until food is brought to all people. Cut and bite a large piece of bread

Etiquette rules require breaking off small pieces. They are placed into the mouth with their fingers. Place the bag on the table or chair. Restaurants usually have special coasters installed. When they are absent, the bag is hung on the back of the chair, the briefcase is placed on the floor. Pressing tightly against the table or sitting too far away. Only your hands can be placed on the surface.

Video about what not to do at the table:

What to remember at the table after a meal

In many countries, it is customary to thank the cook for his efforts, even if the food is not entirely to your taste.
The linen napkin should be carefully folded next to the table, to the right of the plate.
If after eating there are pieces of food left in the mouth, then you should not use a toothpick at the table. You need to take it and gallantly retire to the restroom.
Avoid extraneous sounds when lowering metal objects and utensils or touching edges.
There is no need to lean back in your chair as a sign of the end of your meal; this indicates excessive saturation, which does not characterize the visitor in the best way.

Serving for dessert and tea

Often a friendly or business meeting at the table ends with tea. This is especially true for holidays and warm, family evenings. Setting cutlery for the “tea” table is simple. Individual utensils are arranged in a specific order. The dessert plate often has a diameter of 23 cm and is placed in the center of the intended location. A cake fork, which has a characteristic thick tooth, is placed on the plate. The tea pair is placed on top of the plate and to the right so that the handle of the cup is turned to the right. The spoon is placed on the edge of the tea saucer.

Placement of cutlery for the tea table

In conclusion, I would like to write that it is important not to overdo it with this matter. After all, a table too cluttered with unnecessary cutlery always causes inconvenience and awkwardness.

Therefore, it is important to know the exact menu when setting the table with cutlery. As a rule, tea, coffee and desserts are served after the main courses.

Ceramic knives
How to choose knives for the kitchen

Pre-meal layout

The most difficult and painstaking work is done long before the guests arrive. More precisely, between preparing food and the arrival of guests, you need to set the table. The procedure itself may vary slightly depending on the occasion, the number of guests and the menu. So, to the left of the serving plate you need to place the forks. In a basic setting, everything looks like this:

The smallest fork should be placed furthest from the plate. Guests will eat her cold appetizers, a variety of salads and fish dishes. This device is used first.
The next fork is located closer to the same plate. They eat hot appetizers and main courses with it. The size of this fork is larger than the previous one. A distance of 2 cm is maintained from the plate to this fork.

There are only 2 devices at the top of the plate. Moreover, sometimes you can completely forget about such devices, but you still need to know them. Utensils above the serving plate:

For different sweets, use a dessert spoon.
The dessert fork is placed next. This device is located closer to the plate. Although this device is not mandatory, it is still present in classic table settings.

Only spoons and knives are placed on the right side of the serving plate. There are absolutely no forks. It looks like this:

Place a hot knife closest to the guest's plate. The tip is directed towards the plate.
Next up is a snack knife. The tip is directed there.
Place the soup spoon furthest from the guest's plate. This element is present on the table only when serving for dinner. Otherwise, this spoon is simply not needed.

Arrangement: how to put a spoon, fork, knife and how to put other things?

How to properly arrange cutlery, read on:

A snack plate is placed in front of the seated person. It happens that she stands on a shallow dining room. On the left is a pie plate or napkin. To the right of the snack plate are all the spoons and knives. They are held in the right hand. On the left are forks. They should be in the left hand. Dessert cutlery is located at the front. Which hand you need to hold them with depends on which direction the handles are facing. If to the right, then with the right hand. Left - left.
Behind them are wine glasses and glasses.
Place a napkin on the appetizer plate. If there is no first course, then a spoon is not used.

The plates must be located at a distance of at least 60 cm from each other. Their number corresponds to the number of guests. You cannot place more than 3 pairs of devices in front of a person.

Arrangement of cutlery on the table according to etiquette (fork, knife, spoon)

In luxury restaurants, great attention is always paid to how different cutlery is placed. This is called serving, it involves placing the fork, knife, spoon on the side of the plate where it is most convenient to reach with the hand in which you need to take them. This is how knives for the main course, fish, appetizers are usually placed on the right, and a soup spoon can also be placed between them (with the convex side towards the table) if the guest is going to eat soup.

It is important to know how to use cutlery and how to behave at the table so as not to get into an awkward situation.

Peculiarities

Today, few people pay due attention to studying traditions and customs, so not every housewife can talk about table setting or explain what it is. But it’s worth familiarizing yourself not only with the concept itself, but also with the history of the development of serving

Serving can be presented in several varieties:

Preliminary is the simplest. With such serving, it is enough to partially arrange the dishes and cutlery that will initially be required for the dishes presented first on the menu. When a new dish is served, the dishes will be replaced at the same time.

During pre-serving, it is necessary to use a table knife, fork, teaspoon, pie plate, wine glass, wine glass, decoration items for placing in the center, pepper shaker and salt shaker, as well as a cloth napkin without a print.

Banquet - consists of simultaneous arrangement of decor, plates and cutlery. To create this type of serving, you will need snack utensils, namely: forks and knives;
soup spoon;
fish utensils;
baking plate;
bakery plate;
butter knife;
dessert spoon;
pepper shaker;
soup plate;
small saucer.

“Bistro” is the usual arrangement of dishes for a casual breakfast or lunch in an informal setting. It can be used in areas where self-service is used. This type of serving is used in establishments where personal staff are served. The choice of cutlery and their location depends on the menu, the cost of the dish and even the style of the establishment. The table should be decorated with a tablecloth, as well as additional napkins.

How to behave properly after eating?

After finishing the meal, they usually make signs to the waiters:

When the soup is eaten, the cutlery is placed below. You can't leave them in a deep plate.
If you like the food, the following gesture is made in the middle of the plate: the fork is positioned with the tines up, the end of the knife points towards it.
In order for the waiter to take away the food, the fork and knife are folded upside down, parallel to each other, and the plate with them is moved forward a little.
What to do if the food is not to your taste? It is not necessary to call the staff or ask for a complaint book. You can put the devices in a triangle. The knife should fit between the tines of the fork.

Etiquette prohibits placing crumpled napkins in dishes.

How to put down a fork and knife so that the dishes can be taken away

In order not to find yourself in an awkward position during a restaurant dinner or a gala dinner, you should have knowledge of how to correctly stack cutlery during and after meals.

If the feast has come to an end and you are already waiting for the waiter to come and take away the dishes, then you need to do the following several steps. Carefully fold the fork and knife parallel to each other with the ends up, in addition, slightly move the plate on which the cutlery is placed away from you. This does not mean that you need to act brightly and emotionally. Not at all, it will be enough to lightly move the plate a few centimeters. This will demonstrate that you are full and ask for the bill.

It will be enough to lightly move the plate a few centimeters.

If everything was delicious, then there is an opportunity to thank the staff. To do this, you should arrange the cutlery so that it is horizontal in the middle of the plate. We place the fork in the usual way, and turn the knife end towards the fork.

But when you think that the dish you tried does not suit your taste preferences or is not prepared very well, there is a convenient reason to say so. To do this, it is not at all necessary to get up, leave the table, or call the manager. It is enough to fold the cutlery as follows: place the fork and knife in the form of a triangle, where the knife should fit between the tines of the fork outward. Most likely, the staff will show a desire to find out the reasons and eliminate dissatisfaction with the delicious compliment dessert offered.

If everything was delicious, then there is an opportunity to thank the staff.