Click on Image to go to my recipe blog

Pages

Tuesday, October 26, 2010

Formal Table Setting:


  Generally, the more formal the occasion, the more courses are served,
 which of course means more flatware. There should be a different set of
 utensils for each course: salad fork, dinner fork; dinner knife,
 bread knife; and so on. 
  Some special dishes such as oysters have special utensils. These can
 be served at the presentation of the food, but generally are placed
 on the table in order of course. When oysters are served as an appetizer
 for example, set the oyster fork to the right of the spoon. 
  Building from the basic set-up (dinner fork on the left of the plate;
 knife to the right of the plate, dinner spoon to the right of the knife):
  On the left side of the plate put the salad fork to the left of the
 dinner fork. On the right add a soup spoon to the outside of the dinner
 spoon if soup will be served. Place the soup bowl above the soup spoon
 and to the right. The bread plate goes to the left, about two inches
 above the fork. Place the butter knife across the bread plate at a
 diagonal, upper left to lower right. Small salad plates go to the
 left and a little below the bread plate. Dessert spoons, or in some
 cases knife and fork, are placed about an inch above the top of the
 plate with the handle(s) on the right side. 
  The largest glass on the table is the water glass which goes on the
 right side above the dinner knife. It may be filled and iced when
 guests arrive or left empty to be filled at each diner's request.
 If wine or some other beverage is served, set the appropriate glass
 to the right and a little down from the water glass. 

No comments: