Types of Cutlery: Essential Guide and Uses

Cutlery is more than just a tool for eating; it is an essential element that reflects etiquette and style in table setting.

The proper choice of cutlery can transform any meal into a sophisticated culinary experience. Let's explore the different types of cutlery, their specific functions, and tips for selecting them on various occasions.

How Many Kinds of Cutlery Are There?

The variety of available cutlery is surprising, with over 30 distinct types, each designed for a specific purpose. This diversity allows hosts to adapt their table to the nature of each dish and occasion, from specialized knives to forks and spoons for different courses.

How to Use Different Cutlery?

The correct use of cutlery not only facilitates the eating experience but also follows a protocol of etiquette. Let's look at some examples:

• Knives: Placed to the right of the plate. Table knives are for general dishes, while fish and steak knives have specific characteristics for those foods.
• Forks: Located to the left of the plate, they range from appetizer forks to dessert forks, adapting in size and shape to the type of food.
• Spoons: Placed to the right, after the knives. The soup spoon is for soups and purees, while the coffee spoon is for hot drinks.

What Are Serving Utensils?

Serving utensils are essential at any dining event and are typically larger than standard cutlery. They include:

• Serving Spoons: For serving side dishes and accompaniments.
• Carving Forks: Used to hold and cut large pieces of meat.
• Serving Spatulas: Ideal for serving stewed dishes, rice, or legumes.

What Types of Spoons Exist?

The variety of spoons reflects the diversity of dishes in a meal. Some types include:

• Soup Spoon: With a deep bowl, ideal for soups and purees.
• Consommé Spoon: Smaller and with a deeper concavity, for broths and consommés.
• French Dessert Spoon: Smaller than a soup spoon and larger than a Spanish dessert spoon. For me, essential.
• Spanish Dessert Spoon: Small in size, for soft or creamy desserts.
• Coffee Spoon: The smallest, specifically for stirring coffee or infusions.

Delving into Knives

Knives are perhaps the most varied cutlery. Apart from those already mentioned, there are others such as the butter knife, which is smaller and unsharpened, and the carving knife, which is longer and used for cutting large pieces of meat.

The Importance of Forks

Forks not only vary in size but also in the shape and number of tines. For example, the fish fork is wider and flatter, while the oyster fork has specific tines for extracting the mollusk from its shell.

Special Spoons

In addition to common spoons, there are specialized spoons such as the sauce spoon, with a medium and flattened bowl for serving sauces, and the salad spoon, longer and with shallow concavity, used for tossing and serving salads.

In the past, all cutlery sets included special utensils for eating grapefruit, oysters, and fish. Nowadays, modern life means that the way of living and also setting the table has been simplified. But a well-set table is always a luxury... Small pleasures... as the French say....