Table settings

Tableware arrangement.

Casual breakfast or lunch: The table setting should include a dinner fork, dinner knife, and teaspoon. Start with a dinner plate, soup bowl, bread & butter plate (for toast or muffins), butter knife, water tumbler, juice glass, and a cup and saucer for either coffee or tea. The napkin should be placed to the left of the fork.

Dinner: Table setting should include a butter knife, salad fork, dinner fork, dinner knife, and teaspoon. Start with a dinner plate, water glass, napkin, and even a placemat for looks. The napkin should be placed to the left of the forks.

Banquet or brunch: Table setting should include salad forks, dinner forks, dinner knives, and teaspoons. Start with dinner plates, napkins, water glasses, salad bowls, vegetable bowls, and candles for appearance. Napkins should be placed on top of the salad plate.

Formal Dinners: The table setting should include a butter knife, salad fork, dinner fork, dinner knife, soupspoon, and teaspoon. Start with a dinner plate, napkin, water glass, wine glass, soup bowl, and a bread & butter plate. The napkin should be placed to the left of the forks. The butter spreader may be placed on top of the bread & butter plate. A dessertspoon and dessert fork may be placed above the dinner plate.

European: The table setting should include a butter knife, dinner fork, fish fork, fish knife, dinner knife, soup-spoon, and teaspoon. Start with a bread & butter plate, salad plate, water glass, red and white wine glasses, a champagne glass, and a napkin, which should be folded and placed on top of the salad plate.

A European-style setting is especially intended for formal occasions. European-sized tableware is generally larger and heavier than traditional American tableware.

Depending on the meal that will be served at the event, the tableware should be presented in the appropriate way. Using the cutlery at a formal dinner is actually quite simple. The first thing is to know is that table cutlery has a specific order. The ones that are farther away from the plate are to be used first. The rest follow the same order.

FORKS

• Salad fork: Salad forks are relatively large and are usually the starting fork. They have large prongs to pierce leaves. The fork does not come with a salad knife.
• Oyster fork: This is a small fork with two or three prongs and a small handle. Oyster forks come paired with small oyster knives, which have a short, sharp blade and a thick handle, for in-shell oysters.
• Dessert fork: These resemble salad forks.
• Cold meat fork: These can be used for cuts of meat, cheeses, waffles, chops, and sliced vegetables.
• Two-pronged (two-tine) butter picks: They are usually used for lifting and serving butter from a butter pat.
• Fish serving fork: These are used for lifting, holding, and serving fish.
• Sandwich fork: These are used for serving finger sandwiches.
• Sugar tongs: These are for picking up sugar cubes.

SPOONS

• Teaspoon: Ideal for coffee, tea, desserts, cereal, and soups.
• Tablespoon: This is used for serving vegetables. Although tablespoons have a shape similar to teaspoons, they are larger and are used in the serving bowls at the center of the table or buffet.
• Fruit spoon: The size of this spoon is that of a regular spoon. Its bowl is slightly pointed and some have jagged edges. They are great for cutting into and eating grapefruits, oranges, and halved melons.
• Rice or potato spoon, serving spoons with large bowls. Usually, rice and potatoes are served in large quantities, so these spoons are bigger.
• Gumbo spoon: A gumbo spoon is used for thick soups with large pieces of meat and vegetables. Like bouillon and cream soupspoons, they generally have round shallow bowls.
• Bouillon spoon: For eating soup made from the thin broth. This spoon is usually small in size and has a rounded shallow bowl. Five o’clock spoons: Smaller than a teaspoon, and used for gatherings before dinner, like brunch or afternoon tea.
• Coffee spoon: This oval-shaped utensil is the smallest spoon available, and is found in almost every kitchen. It is used for serving sugar and stirring the coffee.
• Soupspoon: Usually the biggest spoon on the table. This is rather easy to identify, being deep and round to hold a large amount of soup.
• Gravy spoon: A large spoon used to serve food, especially liquids such as gravy, and vegetables.