Setting the Table

As Miss Manners or Emily Post would tell you, setting the table can be a very confusing job for the untrained. While many Americans eat in a very casual manner, certain occasions and formal dinners still call for a traditional place setting. Fortunately, with only a little knowledge and practice, you can place your silverware in ways that please even the strictest etiquette teacher.

 

Forks are the only silverware item that should appear to the left of the plate. To the right of the plate, the knife should be placed (cutting edge facing toward the plate) below the water glass and inside the spoon(s). As a general rule, place the silverware around a plate in such a way that diners work their way from the outside towards the plate. In other words, set the salad fork to the left of the dinner fork and the soup spoon should rest to the right of the dessert spoon.

 

If you have other utensils besides the basic five, use common sense. A bread knife, for example, should sit with the bread plate above the forks. A steak knife should replace the regular knife or sit next to it. If you have both a salad fork and a dinner fork already, consider placing the dessert fork above the plate.