Essential Cutlery Etiquette Tips for Elegant Dining

Dining elegantly is not only about how the food is prepared and served, but it also involves the manner in which utensils are handled and the conversation made with other people in the table. Knowing the right course of culture while handling the cutlery, will go a long way in making your dining as well as your guest’s dining experience memorable. Below listed are five fundamental etiquettes that will enable you to freely master the complex issues to do with cutlery for formal dining.

1. Familiarize Yourself with the Layout

For instance, when choosing the place where to sit down to take your meals, spend a few minutes and look how your cutlery are arranged. In most cases, forks are set to the left of the plate and knives, and spoons to the right side of the plate. In a multiple course meal, the cutlery is laid in the order, the outermost one being the first to be employed. This kind of layout is easy to confuse and thus, by knowing it, you will be able to maximize your comfort and confidence at the table.

2. Use the Right Utensil for Each Course

Every course is always associated with this utensil, or rather, every course has its own utensil it requires. For example, the salad fork is smaller than the other fork and is designed to be used only with salads as opposed to the dinner fork which is larger and intended for use with the main course. In meal eating, it is always recommended that you use the cutlery of that specific dinner course or meal. If you are not very sure of which utensil should be used, watch others or ask someone who is hosting you. Such detail is love for the dining occasion.

3. Master the Correct Holding Technique

The postures and the manners in which you grasp your utensils are some of the things considered in determining etiquette. Place your fork in your left hand and knife in your right hand where you take to cut the food. Once you have done the carving, remove the knife and put it down and then take the fork into the right hand for consumption. Ensure that one grabs the utensils tightly but not as a sign of aggression to ensure that one is in a rightful control of the utensils. An improvement in the position of the elbows off the table and the hands above the table will also be of importance to the position of the body.

4. Practice the “Resting” Position

While eating, it is proper to put the cutlery on the plate in the ‘resting position’ while engaging in conversation or taking a sip of the drink, for instance. To do this, place your knife and fork on your plate at a 45-degree angle so that the handles of the knife are at 4 o’clock and the tines of the fork are at 12 o’clock. This gives the vibe to the other people that you are still eating and the wait staff that you are still using their silverware. Do not put the knife and fork parallel to the plate–it’s untidy.

If you would like to avoid any faux pas while dining then use these cutlery etiquette tips while dining to impress and get through the dinner in style. Do not forget that dining is often about the business and the pleasure derived more than the food in question. Accept the chance to enjoy each moment, and you will influence other diners.