Which fork

Do you have a tip to share? Comment below or share it on our Facebook page. Skip to content Search Marco. Leadership Blog. Etiquette: Which Fork Is Mine? By: Jeff Gau. Then, a woman I was dining with gave me this tip: BMW.

It stands for Bread Meal Water and is a quick way to remember what is yours from left to right. Your bread plate is the farthest item on the left, your meal is in the middle and your water and other beverages is to the right. I am now comfortable grabbing my napkin first and know I am setting the proper example.

Let the host order first and follow suit. This fork may have three or four tines, and the left tine will be larger than the others, with a flattened edge. This allows the user to hold a plate in the left hand and cut through pastry with the left edge. The dessert fork may be placed above the dinner plate, or it may be brought to the table when dessert is served. Oyster Fork A narrow fork with three tines, this fork also called a seafood or cocktail fork is useful for handling shellfish, or for picking up shrimp from a shrimp cocktail.

It can remove claw or tail meat from a lobster, although a longer and even narrower lobster pick is often used. Entertaining According to Molly Ringwald. Thank You! Though there will be times where the salad is served at the same time as the main course. If the restaurant provides you a second fork, then use it to eat other appetizers.

Moreover, the salad fork with a thicker outer tine on the left is used for cutting vegetables. You can also use it in the eating of fruits by chopping them into small pieces. On the other hand, a dinner fork is used during the main course. The main courses are the meats and pasta. There are also instances that salads are served as a main course; hence, you can use a salad not a dinner fork.

Usually, the salad is on a separate salad plate Otherwise, main courses, such as meat will require you to use a dinner fork paired with a knife to assist in cutting. That is the reason why dinner forks do not have sharp tine. The standard cutlery during formal dining usually has a butter knife, spoons, knives, and one type of fork.

If that happens, you can use that for everything-from salad to fish, steaks, desserts, and seafood like scallops. Take note that dinner forks are not used for cutting, it should be used for picking up the food instead.

It is essential to know the placements of the salad fork and dinner fork since it distinguishes them especially if they look similar. On the other hand, if salad is served first, then the salad fork is placed on the outer left side of the plate, normally outside a fish fork if there is a fish plate of food.

While the dinner fork is always placed in the center of all forks. Know that forks, including dessert fork, oyster fork, cocktail fork, etc. A fork placed on the outer side is going to be used first, then use the next one in order. But French restaurants have a different setup. When it comes to sizes of their fork tines, the salad fork usually has an extra-wide left tine grooved for cutting the thick and broad vegetables such as lettuce or carrots.

It also has an additional strength through the connection by a rod in the second and third tines. This kind of fork comes in a smaller size, approximately 6-inches long. There is no visible size difference in the tines of the dinner fork and usually has four tines equal in length and identical in shape. It is also bigger in size, which is 7 inches in length. Start first on the outside farthest and then work your way in using the next fork in order.

Meaning, you have to use first the salad fork and then the dinner fork beside the plate. On the right side of the plate are a knife, appetizer knife, spoon, soup, and oyster fork. Remember that the fork and knife closest to the plate are used for eating your main course.

The salad fork is usually mistaken as the three-prong fork. Actually, the three-prong fork is the cocktail fork that is commonly used in picking seafood such as oyster, shrimp, shrimp cocktail, crabs, and fish.