Cutlery and the order of their serving

Types of cutlery and their serving order

In this article, you will learn about what types of cutlery exist, their advantages and disadvantages, the pros and cons of the material from which they are composed. Also, we will talk about the care of cutlery, and how to properly lay out cutlery and much more.

There is a wide variety of cutlery, which consist of various materials, they can be: wood, aluminum, stainless steel, plastic, cupronickel or silver.

Standard Cutlery

Standard Cutlery

Cutlery serves to handle dishes, food at the table. Often the usual, standard cutlery that you see in the picture: a spoon, a fork and a knife - they are used for first and second courses, as well as for the process of laying out dishes if there are no serving utensils.

In addition, there are specialized cutlery for different dishes - appetizers, fish, dessert, fruits, etc.

Fish and diner cutlery

Fish and Snack Cutlery

The snack device consists of a fork and a knife - shown in the figure on the right. Compared to a regular, standard canteen, it has a smaller size and is included in serving hot snacks such as pancakes, meats, etc.

Fish set is shown in the picture on the left. Suitable for cutting fish dishes. a fish fork has four short prongs and a recess for separating fish bones, and a fish knife has a short, wide blade. Ordinary table forks are also often used for fish dishes.

Dessert types of cutlery

The dessert device includes a spoon, a fork and a knife of small sizes. Often dessert devices have an original, unusual design that emphasizes their elegance. A dessert fork is needed for sweet dishes, pies, charlottes, etc. A dessert spoon is used to eat dishes with a loose consistency - mousses, puddings, fruits in syrup, etc.

For fresh fruits - pineapples, apples, pears, watermelons, melons - a fruit device is used, including a fork and a knife. Canned fruits can be eaten with one fork.

To serve coffee and tea, special devices are also used - coffee and tea spoons, and for ice cream - flat blades with curved edges.

Cutlery and serving tools

Serving utensils (accessories) are sometimes referred to as cutlery, although this is not entirely correct - since they eat with cutlery, and serving utensils are used to put dishes on plates, cut and divide them into portions and perform other maintenance operations. Cutlery is also often referred to as individual, and serving utensils as auxiliary.

Cutlery & Serving Tools

Spoons: 1 - Coffee 2 - Tea room 3 - Dessert 4 - Dining room 6 - Mixed drink spoon Forceps: 5 - Large pastry tongs 7 - Asparagus tongs 8 - Ice tongs 9 - Small pastry tongs 10 - Cigar cutter 11 and 12 - Lemon Fork 13 - Cocotte fork 14 and 15 - Spade-shaped blunt knife for fish second courses and a fish fork with a recess for separating the bones Cutlery (knife + fork): 16 and 17 - For dessert 18 and 19 - For dessert 20 and 21 - For snacks 22 and 23 - For snacks 25 and 26 - For second courses (except fish) 24 - Pouring spoon Shoulder blades: 27 - Confectionery 28 - Pate 29 - Fish 30 - For caviar 31 - For ice cream.

Serving order

Serving Order

When serving a seat, it is customary to follow a certain order. First, tableware (porcelain) is placed, then cutlery is laid out, and only then can restaurant glass be arranged. Cutlery is also laid out in a certain order, see the picture above.

Cutlery arrangement order

Order of cutlery - left to right, top to bottom

  • 😍 Butter Knife
  • 😍Pie plate - for bread and butter
  • 😍 First course spoon
  • 😍Fork for seafood, cold appetizers
  • 😍Knife for seafood, snacks
  • 😍Fork for meat and salads (main course)
  • 😍Table Knife
  • 😍Decorative plate
  • 😍Soup bowl
  • 😍Dessert Spoon
  • 😍Dessert fork
  • 😍Water glass
  • 😍 Champagne glass
  • 😍Red wine glass
  • 😍 White wine glass

Rice. Full dinner service

Full dinner service

Full service for dinner!

Placement of crockery and cutlery for breakfast

Serving for menu with clear soup, appetizer, fish dish, meat dish and dessert

Menu setting with clear soup, appetizer, fish dish, meat dish and dessert

Cutlery for a traditional breakfast with coffee or tea, various types of bread, butter, marmalade and honey (but no egg)

Cutlery for a traditional breakfast with coffee or tea, various types of bread, butter and marmalade and honey (but no eggs)

Menu cutlery with cream soup, main (meat) course with wine and dessert with champagne

Cutlery for menu with puree soup, main course (meat) with wine and dessert with champagne

Menu cutlery with aperitif, clear soup, main course with wine and dessert with champagne

Cutlery set for menu with aperitif, clear soup, main course with wine and dessert with champagne

Cutlery for menu with appetizer, main course and dessert. Three different drinks offered

Cutlery for the starter, main course and dessert menu. Three different drinks are offered

Cutlery for a “coffee mug” or tea party with pastries. You can add a paring knife if needed.

Cutlery for a large breakfast with hot dishes, like fried eggs with ham, puff pastry or toast

Cutlery for a large breakfast with hot dishes, like fried eggs with ham, puff pastry or toast

Wooden Cutlery

Wooden spoons can be used for trips to nature, but not for daily use. The tree absorbs moisture, it is short-lived, and eating with such spoons is inconvenient.

Aluminum Cutlery

Aluminum cutlery was common before. Now there are disputes about the dangers of aluminum, but in any case, aluminum cutlery quickly loses its shape, color, and is also fragile.

Stainless steel cutlery

Stainless steel cutlery is one of the most popular. They are made from medical stainless steel, which practically does not react chemically with alkalis, salts, acids. The most commonly used stainless steel is “18/10”, which contains 18% chromium (gives strength and stainless properties) and 10% nickel (gives shine and protects against aggressive food acids).

Cupronickel cutlery

Melchior is an alloy of copper, nickel and manganese. Cupronickel cutlery ceased to be produced in the 50s of the last century. Nickel silver cutlery is now being produced (it is softer, it also contains zinc). Nickel silver cutlery is plated with silver, gold or blackened. On the reverse side of such devices there is an MNC marking.

Silver cutlery

Silver cutlery is very expensive and is the pride of the owners. The devices themselves are quite heavy, so it cannot be said that they are convenient for daily use.

How to choose cutlery?

Most often, dinnerware sets consist of 24 items: 6 soup and small spoons, forks and knives. But there are sets for 12 people. Such sets may also include a sauce spoon, dessert, salad forks, a ladle, a cake spatula, a sugar spoon, sugar tongs, a fork for fish and meat.

When buying cutlery, you must definitely pay attention to the shine - it can be white or grayish. Make sure that there are no burrs on the edge of the appliances. Fork teeth must not be excessively sharp, dull or chipped.

A high-quality spoon or fork should not be deformed by the fact that you press harder on the bend - it should be thickened. There should not be any smell from the devices.

The standard thickness of cutlery is 1.5-4 mm, and the depth of spoons is 7-10 mm.

Knife blades can be non-hardened (they are cheaper, but over time spots appear on the blade, they wear out and age) and hardened (such a blade is elastic).

Ask the seller for a hygienic conclusion and a certificate of conformity. The certificate must indicate: the manufacturer, the address of the manufacturer, the name of the cutlery brand. The same data should be on the instrument box.

Cutlery care

Stainless steel cutlery should be washed immediately after use to prevent food residues from drying on them. You can wash them with dishwashing detergent with a sponge or cloth. Stainless steel cutlery can also be washed in the dishwasher. If dark or iridescent spots appear on the appliances, they can be easily removed with a solution of citric acid or vinegar.

If you have cutlery with plastic handles, then you will need to constantly clean the dirt from the places where metal and plastic come into contact. Such devices can also be washed in the dishwasher, but do not use high-temperature conditions.

Caring for cutlery made of silver, cupronickel or nickel silver is a little more difficult. After each use and washing, such devices should be rinsed in a solution of baking soda (50 g of soda per 1 liter of water). They can only be cleaned with special pastes and napkins. You can also clean it with ammonia: for this you need to take 10% ammonia, pour it into a container and put cutlery there for 15 minutes. After that, rinse them in running water and wipe dry.