Basic Flatware for the Home

More unusual servers for foods, like those pictured above for bacon and waffles (considered necessities in the American Gilded Age), are not on Patricia Easterbrook Roberts’ list. Roberts was writing mainly of utensils that were needed to set a complete table in the mid-20th century.

FLATWARE

LARGE FORK. Usually called a dinner fork it is used for lunch and dinner when meat is served. Also used with tablespoon for serving.

LARGE KNIFE. Companion piece to large fork.

SMALLER FORK AND KNIFE. Used for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, except for the meat course. This fork may be used for dessert, and, with a dessert spoon, is more commonly used in England than in America. It may be used for salad, and in some services it is made specially for this course. This size of fork and knife is used for the fish course when there are no fish knives and forks.

*FISH KNIFE AND FORK. Used mostly in Europe and from old services. Americans use the small fork and knife for fish today.

SOUP SPOON. Used for all soups, desserts, cereal, and ice cream. The round bowl is most commonly used here in America, the egg-shaped bowl in Europe. It is between the tea- spoon and the tablespoon in size. Both shapes may used as small serving pieces.

TEASPOON. Used for tea, regular coffee cups, fruit and dessert in sherbet glasses, and for grapefruit (unless you have the pointed spoon specially designed for this fruit). 

COFFEE SPOON. Used for small, after-dinner coffee service, and as a baby's feeding spoon. 

DESSERT SPOON. Used with the small fork for dessert. Also used for soup and cereal.

TABLESPOON. Used mainly for serving vegetables, salads, berries, fruits, and desserts. 

INDIVIDUAL SALAD FORK. Used for salad, pies, and pastries. American designs have one wide tine for cutting greens.

BUTTER KNIFE. For individual use on the bread-and-butter plate for butter, jam and jellies, etc. Also for hors d'oeuvres and cheeses.

OYSTER FORK. Small three-pronged fork designed for eating oysters, clams, or any cold shellfish cocktail.

FRUIT KNIFE AND FORK. Mostly used in Europe when serving fruit at the end of a meal.

ICED-BEVERAGE SPOON. With its long slender handle it is needed for iced tea, iced coffee, fruit drinks, milk shakes, and parfaits. It is also used for mixing highballs.

SALT SPOON. The tiniest spoon made, for open salt cellars on formal tables. 

LADLES. In various sizes for soup, gravy, sauces, and punch. 

CARVING SETS. Large for roast meats, smaller for steaks. 

SALAD SET. Salad-bowl servers.

*This is actually incorrect. Families in England and Europe with “old money” and large sets of inherited silver passed down through generations, had used 2 forks to eat fish with at the table. Old British and European titled families did NOT traditionally use the newly created fish knife and fork sets at their tables. “New money” European families, like Americans with new wealth, purchased “fish sets” for their tables and entertaining.

— By Patricia Easterbrook Roberts, 1961

 🍽️Etiquette Enthusiast, Maura J. Graber, is the Site Editor for the Etiquipedia© Etiquette Encyclopedia