It's easy to look like a caveman as you cut your food with a knife and fork. However at parties, in restaurants or on a formal occasion, you must be able to use this cutlery in the classic and correct way. There is a Continental or European style and an American style. You choose the one you prefer.
Steps
Part 1 of 3: European (or Continental) style
Step 1. Remember that the fork is placed to the left of the plate and the knife to the right
If there are more forks, the outermost one is for salad and the innermost one is for the main dish. The latter will be larger.
This article will deal with the table equipment in the last section. For now, just focus on how to grab the cutlery to eat, in the "correct" way, of course
Step 2. To cut the food on the plate, grab the knife with your right hand
The index finger should be almost completely straight, resting on the base of the knife, where the blade meets the handle. The other fingers surround the handle. As the index finger rests on the base of the knife, the thumb is on the side. The end of the handle touches the palm of the hand.
This type of grip is identical in the two styles and refers to right-handers. If you are left handed, consider following the same instructions but in a mirror image
Step 3. Grab the fork with your left
The tips must point downwards. The index finger remains straight and rests on the back of the fork, close to his 'head' but without touching the food. The other four fingers wrap around the handle.
This technique is sometimes referred to as a "hidden handle". This is because the hand almost entirely covers the handle, excluding it from view
Step 4. Bend your wrists so that your index fingers point towards the plate
This causes the tip of the knife and fork to point towards the food. Keep your elbows relaxed, don't point them up or out.
During all these phases the elbows never rest on the table. However, if you feel the need to take a break while eating and want to leave the cutlery at an informal event, don't worry
Step 5. Hold the dish steady with the fork, applying light pressure with your index finger
If you have to cut, the blade of the knife should rest near the base of the fork and move in a saw motion. For foods such as lasagna, a quick cut will suffice, while for meat it will take a little more effort. Only cut one or two bites at a time.
Hold the fork so that the tips are curved towards you; the knife blade must be further away from your body than the fork. Don't overdo it though, you need to be able to clearly see where you are cutting. You must see the knife on the other side of the fork
Step 6. Bring small bits of food to your mouth with the fork
According to this style, the tips of the fork must remain pointing downwards. The back of the fork head must face up.
Keep the fork to the left, even if you are right-handed. You may find this technique is the more comfortable of the two if you feel like trying both
Part 2 of 3: American Style
Step 1. When cutting a dish, grab the fork with your left hand
Unlike the European style, in the American style you grab your fork as if it were a pen. The handle rests on the hand between thumb and forefinger, the middle finger and thumb hold the base, while the index finger remains on the top. Again the tips point downward and curve away from your body.
Step 2. Only during the cutting phases, grab the knife with your right hand
This must be taken in the same way as described in the previous section: the index finger on the base and all the other fingers around the handle.
Step 3. Cut
Hold the food with the fork (the tips down) and engrave it with a gentle saw motion. The fork should be closer to you than the knife, just cut a bite or two before continuing.
Step 4. Switch hands
This is the phase that differentiates the American style from the European one; after cutting the bite, place the knife on the edge of the plate (the blade at 12 o'clock and the handle at 3 o'clock) and transfer the fork from the left hand to the right. Rotate the cutlery so that the tips curve upwards and eat!
This method was the most popular before America became America. This was the European way of using cutlery, but over time it has moved to a more practical style. However, this change did not cross the Atlantic; this is the reason for the differences between the two techniques
Step 5. The curve of the fork should be kept downwards only in the cutting phase
If you have to eat a dish that does not need to be cut, keep the fork in your right hand all the time, you could keep the curve down while taking a bite to your mouth, but it is best that it is always pointing upwards. This aspect, however, must be a problem to be considered only on very formal occasions, for example if you are having dinner with the President of the Republic, so don't get too excited than necessary.
Cutlery should never touch the table. If the dish only requires the use of a fork, leave the knife on the edge of the plate. When you're done, place the fork on the plate, with the tips in the center and the handle on the edge
Part 3 of 3: Other Aspects
Step 1. Know how the table is set
In 95% of cases, you will probably only have to handle a knife, fork and spoon. But on special or formal occasions, extra cutlery may be made available, creating a little embarrassment. Here are some guidelines:
- A four-piece set includes a knife, a salad fork, a fork for the main course and a teaspoon for the coffee. The salad fork is smaller and placed on the outside.
- A five-piece set also includes a soup spoon. It is a much larger cutlery than the coffee spoon.
- A six-piece set consists of a fork and an appetizer knife (the outermost cutlery), a fork and a knife for the main course and a salad / dessert fork in addition to the coffee spoon. The last two cutlery are the smallest.
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A seven-piece arrangement is similar to the previous one with the addition of the soup spoon, which is larger than the coffee spoon.
- If on your right there is a small fork (usually the forks never go to the right) it is a specific cutlery for oysters.
- The cutlery is usually arranged in the logical order of use. If in doubt, start with the external ones and work your way up to the internal ones.
Use a Fork and Knife Step 13 Step 2. When you take a break between bites, put the cutlery in the resting position
There are two ways to do this and they both tell the waiter that you are not done:
- European style: place knife and fork in the center of the plate, fork with the tips down and over the knife. They should form an inverted "V".
- American style: the knife should be near the top of the plate, the blade at 12 o'clock and the handle at 3 o'clock. The fork, with the tips pointing up, is slightly angled in relation to your body.
Step 3. When you have finished eating, place the cutlery in the final position
This informs the waiter that he can take the dish away. Here too there are two configurations:
- European style: knife and fork are parallel to each other, the handles at 5 o'clock with the blade and the tips in the center of the plate (tips down).
- American style: exactly like the European style but with the fork tips pointing upwards.
Step 4. Find the right method with rice and other small foods
You have to grab them with a fork but with a movement that resembles that of a spoonful; do not try to skewer them, it will be useless. In the American style you rely on the fork alone (although less efficient) while in the European style, sometimes, you help yourself with the blade of the knife or a piece of bread.
Step 5. To eat the spaghetti, twist the fork
If you have a spoon, take some with the spoon and then roll them around the fork, resting them on the base of the spoon. If the noodles are too long and bulky, you can cut them with the knife. But before moving on to such drastic measures, try grabbing a few noodles at a time. Don't forget to keep your napkin handy!
