Where Does the Fork Go, Again?
Meats in the oven (and smelling divine), picked your side dishes, wine is chilling and you've baked all day! It’s almost time for that long awaited stressful planned dinner party for your family and friends. If you’re going to spend the hours (and cash) necessary to cook the perfect meal for your guests, why not take a few extra minutes to make sure it looks nice on the table, too? Cranberry sauce eaten on your good china with your real silverware tastes at least twenty percent better…..We promise!!!
Let me let you in on a little secret....(closer....) It’s easier than you think to impress your guests with a proper place setting – just follow these simple rules. And remember, no elbows on the table!
Start with Plates:
Use your plates as anchors for the rest of your setting. Make sure they’re far enough apart so your lefties and righties won’t be bumping elbows. A good rule of thumb is to leave about two feet of space between plate centers. If possible, make sure they’re evenly spaced.
Note: Salad and bread plates go above and to the left of the dinner plate.
Next Comes Glassware:
Drinks (depending on the week) can end up being an important part of your dinner. Water glasses go to the right of the plate and wine glasses go to the right of the water glass (all still on the right side of the plate). If you’re going to be serving coffee after dinner, don’t break out your coffee cups until it’s time for dessert! (You don’t want to crowd your table)
Then Forks, Spoons and Knives:
Place your silverware in the order of its use, from the outside in. So your first course fork (which is probably salad, right?) goes on the outside, and then your main course fork. If you can’t tell the two apart, remember that the salad fork is smaller. Forks should be placed on the left side of the plate, knives and spoons on the right (except for your dessert spoons – those go above the dinner plate). Place all your knives so that the cutting edge faces towards the plate, and make sure the bottoms of your utensil handles all line up.
Now Add Your Flare:
By flare, we mean napkins and decorations. All of your napkins should go to the left of the forks. As for the cloth vs. paper napkin debate, we’ll let you pick your own side. The trade-off? Cloth napkins are greener, but paper napkins make for a much easier clean-up job!
Now just before company comes, take a breath, pour yourself a glass of wine (if you haven't already) and repeat after me: “I got this!”