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  • THE WORLD of CAFFEE & TEA
  •     — Afternoon Tea
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  • SILVER SERVICE & TABLE SETTING
  •     — Cutlery Classification
  •     — Table Setting
  •     — Silver Service
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  • BEVERAGE
  •     — Italian Wines
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  •     — Red Wine
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  •     — Wine
  •     — Cocktails
  •     — Champagne-based Cocktails or Sparkling Cocktails
  •     — Digestive Liqueurs
  • Basic Vocabulary and Expressions
Cutlery Classification, SILVER SERVICE & TABLE SETTING
Silver Cutlery Classification
SEE ALL LESSONS

This will be a fork and a spoon, two forks or two spoons, depending on

the type of food you are serving.

Silverware includes all types of dishes, cloches (domes to put over

food to keep it warm), sauce boats etc.

All service items and equipment must be inspected before use to

check that:

• they are clean

• they are free from chips, cracks and other damage

• they are polished, especially the silver that must not be

tarnished. Silver must be cleaned properly on a regular basis

in order to keep it shining

• linen must not be torn, stained, frayed, or have holes in it.

• linen is neatly pressed.

Using service cutlery

Hold the spoon and fork in you right hand (left, if you are left-handed),

with the fork placed inside the spoon, both facing upwards

The palm of the hand and all the fingers should be positioned over

both handles, ensuring a comfortable grip.

Insert your index finger halfway between the spoon and the fork

handles. This will act as a lever, allowing you to open and close the

spoon bowl and the fork prongs.

To serve larger items, such as bread rolls, stuffed tomatoes and roast

potatoes, turn the fork around. This will provide a better grip and the

cutlery will curve around the food, making it more secure when

serving (the second image).

If you are serving large, soft items such as an omelette, a whole fish, or

fillet, then you should use two fish knives. Hold the fish knives in the

same way as the spoon and fork, and splay them out to provide better

support for the item.

The Knives

Meat knife. Is the largest knife, measuring approximately 25 centimeters in length and is used to cut meat (as the name itself suggests) and all other foods, with the exception of fish (for which the appropriate blade is used), eggs and vegetables (for these the last two foods, in fact, their use is prohibited). In the mise en place, it is placed on the right, closest to the plate.

2. Steak knife. It is a meat knife, with a much more pointed and sharp blade.

3. Dessert knife. It is smaller than the meat knife (about 20 centimeters or slightly longer) and has a similar shape. In a formal mise en place, it is positioned horizontally above the plate, with the blade facing the plate and the handle pointing to the right.

4. Fish knife. It has a very characteristic shape, almost spatula-like, which allows you to remove the bones. It is located to the right of the meat knife, since fish is always served first.

5. Butter knife. Similar to the dessert knife, it has a much more rounded blade. It is placed on the butter dish or on top of the bread plate, where it should always be placed after use

The Spoons

6. Soup spoon. About 20 centimeters long, it is used for consuming soups. It is located to the right of the plate.

7. The gourmet spoon can be used in place of the fish knife for filleting and carving fish. It is used not only for eating soups but also for serving dishes, and it’s excellent as a risotto spoon. Moreover, its flat shape helps in collecting any remaining sauce on the plate.

8. Dessert spoon. It is slightly smaller than the dessert fork and knife (about 18 cm). In the formal mise en place it is found in front of the plate, in a horizontal position and with the handle facing right.

9. Broth spoon. About 16 cm long, with a slightly rounded shape, it is used (as the name itself suggests) for stirring the broth.

10. Iced tea spoon. It is similar to a tea spoon, but has a very long handle (since iced tea glasses are very tall). If the tea is served on a saucer, the spoon should be placed on it after use; otherwise, it remains in the glass, held steady with two fingers.

Teaspoon. It is slightly smaller than the dessert spoon (about 13 cm) and is placed on the saucer to the right of the cup. It is used solely for stirring the drink.

11. Coffee spoon. Much smaller than the tea spoon (about 11 cm long), it is located on the saucer on which the cup rests. It is only used to mix the drink.

Ice cream spoon. Very easy to recognize, it has a flat and slightly squared concavity. It is used to consume ice cream and sorbet.

The Forks

13. Meal fork. It is the main fork, about 20 centimeters long. It is the closest to the plate (on the left) and can also be used to eat fish, if the specific fork is missing.

14. Fish fork. It has shorter and wider tines than a dinner fork and is usually located further to the left of it. This is because the fish courses are served before the meat ones.

15. Dessert fork. About 15 centimeters long, it is used to eat desserts of a certain consistency. If present on the table, it is placed horizontally in front of the plate, with the handle facing to the left.

The fork is always positioned on the right even when setting the table for tea or coffee, and is the only cutlery provided for eating dessert.

Special Forks and Tongs

Screenshot

16. Cake fork. The same size as a dessert fork, it has sharper tines and a sharp edge.

17. Oyster fork. Used to eat these and other types of molluscs, it is very small and has three prongs.

18. Snail fork. It is used to extract the snail from the shell, held in place with the appropriate forceps.

19. Shellfish fork. Also called extractor fork, it is used when serving shellfish in their shell; it is used to extract the meat from the claws, which are first cracked open with the appropriate tongs.

20. Snail tongs. It is a tool to hold the snail shell in place, which willbe extracted with the appropriate fork.

21. Crustacean forceps. It is a pincer used to crack the claws.

The forks for shellfish, snails and oysters must always be on the right, because that is the hand intended to use them. The left, in fact, is used to hold the tongs or the crustacean or oyster. In mise en place with different courses including molluscs and crustaceans, arranging all the cutlery as per the manual could create chaos and aesthetically, it doesn't look good. Better to limit yourself to the necessary ones. For special cutlery, the best solution is to present only one fork (for example the one for oysters), bringing the others to the table subsequently, at the same time as before the dish that requires their use is served.