Recognizing Different Types of Silverware

Salad Fork

• Slightly smaller than a dinner fork, usually 6 to 8 inches in overall length
• Often made with reinforced outer tines with a flat edge for cutting lettuce and other vegetables
• Typically has a wide head with four tines, but three-tined designs are also available
• Utilized in sit-down dining environments ranging from semi-casual to upscale; not typically used in fast food locations or buffets
• Streamlined models without specialized tines may also be known or used as a lunch fork because they match smaller lunch plates better than a dinner fork
• One of the most commonly used forks, superseded only by the dinner fork

Salad forks are one of the most common fork types found in restaurants ranging from fast casual to upscale. They're typically included alongside a dinner fork and a table knife in any venue where salads are served.

Often resembling the dinner fork, salad forks come in many different styles but can be recognized by their shorter length and reinforced outer tines. On some models, the two left tines are connected by a bridge for further reinforcement when cutting vegetables. These forks are mostly used during the first course of the meal, for salad and/or appetizers.

Dinner Fork

• Typically measures between 7 to 9 inches in length
• Usually made with a slender, rectangular head to easily stab bites of food and fit comfortably in the mouth
• Most commonly made with four tines of almost equal thickness, but three-tined designs are also available
• Utilized in any location where food is served on-site, including coffee shops, diners, quick-service restaurants, and upscale eateries
• Primarily for spearing food; a table knife is used alongside the dinner fork to cut food, meaning this fork isn't designed for cutting purposes

Dinner forks are the workhorse of the fork world and are found in almost any place where food is served and consumed on-site. These forks are often reserved for the meal's main course; if only one course is served, a dinner fork is usually provided along with it. For small plates such as tapas or other light fare, a smaller fork may be provided instead.

Because the dinner fork is used for spearing instead of scooping or cutting food, its tines tend to be thinner and longer than those of a salad, fish, or pastry fork.

Dessert Fork

• Many specialized dessert forks exist, each with unique features
• Typically smaller than a dinner fork, measuring between 6.5 to 7.5 inches in length
• Pastry forks, cake forks, berry forks, and ice cream forks are all types of dessert forks
• May have three or four tines of varying thickness and sharpness
• Casual and quick-serve locations sometimes skip the dessert fork and use a dinner or salad fork for dessert courses
• May be designed for cutting, spearing, or scooping food ranging from thick-crust pastries or fresh-cut fruit to soft slices of cake or flan

Dessert forks come in a wide range of sizes and styles and are typically found in mid-range to upscale establishments. Depending on the type of dessert being served, a dessert fork may be wide or narrow, with delicate or sturdy tines. Most pastry forks have a thick, reinforced left tine, designed for cutting through pastry crusts. A cake fork usually has three tines and a sturdy construction, while a berry or fruit fork will have thinner, sharper tines for spearing pieces of fruit.

In some semi-casual locations, a salad or lunch fork doubles as the dessert fork, reducing the amount of cutlery that's purchased and washed.

Oyster Fork

• Most models range in size from around 5 to 6 inches in length
• Typically made with three tines, but some models have four
• Designed for spearing small, slippery foods and pulling bits of meat from oyster shells
• The tines may curve inward or outward, but are always sharp and close set
• Often used in cocktail bars and seafood restaurants, but unlikely to be found at fast food, casual, chain, and quick-serve restaurants

Oyster forks are quite distinctive in appearance. Often employed for pickles and garnishes as well as oysters, these forks have small heads with sharp tines designed to spear slippery food and reach into tight crevices. They're usually made with a shortened, slender handle to match the head and improve dexterity when consuming olives, oysters, cocktail onions, and other small bites of food.

This fork type can be found in charcuterie restaurants, cocktail bars, and upscale locations where multiple courses are served, as well as seafood restaurants of all kinds. In a traditional fine dining or luxury dining table setting, this is the only fork placed to the diner's right, and is the outermost utensil on the table.

Seafood Forks

• Seafood forks encompass a variety of shapes and sizes
• Fish forks, crab forks, lobster forks, snail forks, shrimp forks, and oyster forks are all different types of seafood fork
• Commonly found in seafood restaurants and upscale locations where fish, snails, cocktail garnishes, crab, and/or lobster are served
• Often recognizable by their sharply pointed tines and unique shapes
• Typically used for delicate, precise eating tasks involving the separation of meat from small bones and shells
• May also be used to serve and/or consume garnishes, hors d'oeuvres, amuse-bouche, pickled fruits and vegetables, or toppings

Seafood forks include fish forks, crab forks, lobster forks, snail forks, and oyster forks. Each seafood fork type has unique characteristics to fulfill a specific application. Lobster and crab forks, for example, are typically long and narrow, with just two small tines. The tines are short, sharp, and curved into a slightly scooped shape for digging meat out of the crevices in crab and lobster shells. Snail forks are also typically made with just two tines; their sharply pointed tips are a bit longer and straighter so they can reach deep inside the snail's shell and stab into the meat, pulling it out.

Fish forks resemble dinner forks, however they're usually wider and have a square shaped head. Often, a fish fork has a beveled outer tine, designed to slide snugly beneath small fish bones and pry them loose from the meat.

Serving Fork

• Larger than any eating forks, measuring from 8 to 13 inches in length
• Typically have a large, square head with wide, flat tines, for spearing and scooping large portions of food
• Most styles have three or four tines; some models feature decorative cutouts or stamped designs
• Meat serving forks have two long, sharp tines like carving forks, but with a more decorative appearance
• May be constructed of metal, wood, or plastic, depending on the application
• Used in many different locations from casual to catered to upscale

Although serving forks can be found at the table, they're not used for eating. Usually quite a bit larger and broader than a dinner fork, serving forks are used for spearing or scooping a portion of food off a serving platter and transporting it to the user's plate. Once enough food has been transferred, the serving fork will be placed back on the serving platter, and the individual's dinner fork is used to spear pieces of food off their plate.

Because of the serving fork's size, and because all guests at the table use the same serving fork to move food from the platter to their plates, the serving fork should never be placed in a user's mouth. Its only purpose is to move food from a platter, dish, or basket to a diner's plate. Serving forks are often used at buffets, banquets, family-style meals, and catered events. At any venue where large dishes of food are brought out to a table or buffet and then portioned onto individual plates, serving forks (and spoons) are likely to be found.

Table Spoon

• Large eating spoons, typically measuring 7 to 9 inches in length
• Not the same as a tablespoon, which is used for measuring
• Made with a wide, shallow bowl suitable for scooping solid food such as cut fruit, peas, and rice
• Most models can be recognized by their size and tapered or oval bowl
• Used for the majority of eating tasks; usually placed to the immediate right of the plate at the dinner table
• Utilized at buffets, coffee houses, diners, fast casual, quick-serve, and upscale locations

The table spoon, or dinner spoon, is the most commonly used type of spoon. It's sized for delivering generous mouthfuls of food to the user, and its shallow bowl is better suited to solid foods such as rice or pudding, rather than liquid-based options such as soup. Table spoons are fairly large, typically measuring from 7 to 9 inches, and are sized to match a dinner fork and plate. Any restaurant, institution, or hotel serving food that needs to be eaten with a spoon probably uses table spoons for that purpose. Most options have a teardrop or oval shape with a narrowed tip that can be used to dig into soft and semi-soft foods.

Tea Spoon

• Smaller than a table spoon; most models measure from 5.5 to 6.5 inches in length
• Different from the measuring spoon called a teaspoon
• Often used for more precise tasks such as stirring beverages and eating smaller portions of food
• Commonly laid out alongside small plates and cups of hot coffee or tea
• Used at many locations serving hot beverages, lunch plates, and/or kiddie plates of food
• Slightly less common than the table spoon; sometimes used in place of a dessert spoon at casual venues

Tea spoons are smaller and more delicate than table spoons, although they're sturdy enough for daily, multipurpose use. Tea spoons feature medium-sized, shallow bowls, and, as the name suggests, were originally used to stir sugar, honey, or milk into cups of hot tea. Nowadays, they might also be laid out alongside smaller plates and utensils, such as those for tapas, appetizers, sides, or lunch-sized servings of food. The tea spoon is widely used and can be found in many sit-down restaurants ranging from casual to upscale.

Bouillon Spoon

• Most styles measure from 5.5 to 7 inches in length
• Typically found in upscale locations serving broth and bouillon-style soup
• Not commonly used at casual or semi-casual eateries
• Not routinely placed on table tops; this spoon is usually brought out with the bouillon course and then removed afterwards
• Round, deep bowl holds more liquid than a table spoon and enhances the scent and taste of delicately flavored soups
• No tip; intended for use with liquid foods only

Bouillon spoons are designed for eating light soups such as broth and bouillon. Their rounded, almost circular bowl is slightly deeper than that of a table spoon, enabling them to hold more liquid. The spoon's shape is intended to enhance the delicate color and flavor of broth and bouillon as it's consumed. Since bouillon spoons are exclusively used with liquid dishes, these spoons have no point or tip; users won't need to dig the spoon into the soup as they might with mashed potatoes, chili, stew, or rice. These spoons tend to be shorter than a table spoon, with a large bowl.

Demitasse Spoon

• Most options are quite small, measuring from 4 to 5.5 inches in length
• Used for stirring and tasting espresso, cappuccinos, lattes, or hot chocolate
• Delicate appearance and small bowls make them unsuited for consuming food or soup
• Most often used at upscale locations that serve specialty coffee drinks or a coffee-based aperitif or digestif course

Demitasse spoons are small and delicate, reserved for use with small, elegant coffee, espresso, or demitasse cups. This spoon type adds a touch of class to foodservice at locations serving espresso, coffee, and/or hot chocolate as a non-alcoholic aperitif or digestif course. Their unique design is excellent for some specific tasks, but isn't applicable to multipurpose use.

Often used for stirring small cups of beverage and spooning up cappuccino froth, these spoons are too small to be efficiently used for eating. As such, they're unlikely to be found in any type of casual setting; the one exception to this may be a mid-range to upscale coffee house where specialty beverages are served.

Dessert Spoon

• Most options measure between 6.5 to 7.5 inches
• Typically feature a decorative style; the bowls can be rounded, oval, teardrop, reverse teardrop, or even squarish in shape
• Usually larger than a tea spoon but smaller than a table spoon
• In casual settings, tea spoons may be used as dessert spoons to reduce the amount of cutlery that's purchased and stored
• In an upscale table setting, the dessert spoon is typically kept separate from the other spoons – it might be placed above the dinner plate or brought out with the dessert course instead of being left on the table

A dessert spoon is typically longer than a tea spoon but shorter than an iced tea spoon. Most styles have medium-sized, teardrop-shaped bowls with rounded tips designed for scooping small bites of pudding, custard, cobbler, or ice cream. For desserts such as pastry or cake, a dessert fork is used instead.

Many casual diners won't be able to tell the difference between a tea spoon and a dessert spoon; therefore, some casual locations simply provide a tea spoon alongside a dessert if one is ordered. At venues where multiple courses are routinely served, particularly upscale locations, a dessert spoon is likely to be expected as part of the dessert course. When placed alongside a table spoon and tea spoon, a dessert spoon is easy to spot; it typically falls exactly halfway in between the other two spoon types in both overall length as well as bowl size.

Iced Tea Spoon

• Most styles measure from 7 to 9 inches in length
• Easily recognizable by their long, slender handle and small, teardrop-shaped bowl
• May also be used for eating ice cream sundaes and parfaits
• Specifically used for stirring glasses of iced beverages; not often used for eating food
• Frequently found at locations serving iced tea, regardless of clientele or cuisine

Iced tea spoons are one of the few specialized spoon styles that remain widely used at eateries of all kinds. Unlike bouillon and demitasse spoons, iced tea spoons are easily recognized by casual and upscale diners alike. Although they're not well suited for multipurpose use, they're perfect for a task that's extremely common in the U.S. – stirring sugar and flavoring into tall glasses of iced tea, lemonade, and even ice water.

Due to the tall, narrow shape of most drinking glasses, as well as the fact that they're often filled nearly to the brim with ice, using a table spoon or tea spoon to stir the drink is inefficient and messy. Other spoon types are too short to comfortably reach the bottom of the glass, and their large bowls can cause liquid to splash out as they're stirred through the close-packed ice cubes. Iced tea spoons aren't commonly found at fast food restaurants, but are often used at diners, bistros, delis, ice cream shops, quick-serve, and upscale restaurants. At fast food and self-service locations, long, thin stirrers or stirrer straws are typically used instead.

Soup Spoon

• Average size ranges from 6 to 8 inches in length
• Made with a large bowl, usually deeper and wider than a standard table spoon
• Many models have rounded bowls that can be eaten out of from the side; some models have teardrop-shaped bowls with a rounded tip
• Soup spoons are frequently used at any location serving soup; at fast food restaurants, plastic soup spoons are often provided
• Most customers can recognize a soup spoon, and expect one to be provided with a soup, stew, chowder, or chili course

Soup spoons have a distinctive bowl that's deeper than a standard table spoon and is usually rounded to enable eating from the sides as well as the front. These spoons are designed to hold liquid-rich food without spilling or dripping, and most are slightly shorter than a standard table spoon. Similar to bouillon and demitasse spoons, most soup spoons have no tip, as they're not used for digging into solid or semi-solid foods.

Unlike bouillon or cream soup styles, soup spoons aren't intended for any specific type of soup. At casual locations where diners are unlikely to care about the difference, soup spoons are typically used for soup, stew, bouillon, cream soup, chili, chowder, and any other kind of liquid-based fare that's on the menu. Any restaurant that serves soup can benefit from stocking this type of spoon, regardless of their clientele.

Asian Soup Spoon

• Typically measures between 5 to 6 inches in length, with an elongated bowl that can be almost as long as the handle
• Unique shape that's instantly recognizable to most diners and reinforces the ambiance at any Asian restaurant
• Handles may be curved or straight; some handles feature a slightly hooked tip to hold onto the edge of a soup bowl
• Most often made of plastic or china; rarely made of metal
• Large bowl enables diners to sip soup as well as scoop up wontons and dumplings
• Often feature decorative colors and/or designs

Asian soup spoons are frequently used at Asian restaurants where soup is served, however, they're unlikely to be used at restaurants featuring other types of cuisine. These spoons can be recognized by their large, flat-bottomed bowls, short handles, and distinctive oval shape. Since many Asian restaurants provide chopsticks for eating, diners need these spoons for any type of soup- or broth-based dish. In the U.S., it's considered uncouth to sip soup directly from a bowl; therefore any restaurant serving soup provides spoons for customers.

To reinforce themed restaurant design choices, many options are decorated with bright colors and designs. At upscale locations, you're likely to find porcelain options, while casual venues and buffet setups are more likely to use plastic alternatives.

Butter Knife

• Often made with an exceptionally wide, rounded blade with an almost circular tip
• May be shorter than a dinner or dessert knife
• Also used for spreading jam, jelly, honey, preserves, and cream cheese
• Frequently used at restaurants selling toast, biscuits, rolls, or cornbread
• May be found at fast-casual restaurants, diners, or upscale eateries; not commonly found at fast food joints

Traditionally used for butter, butter knives also make a good tool for spreading almost any kind of topping over rolls, biscuits, and other bread. Of all the table knives, this style tends to be the broadest, shortest, and most rounded. Butter knives are often decorative in appearance, with slender stems and/or exaggeratedly curved blades; sometimes embossed or stamped designs are added to the handle.

Dessert Knife

• Typically measure between 8 to 9.5 inches
• Blade is narrower and longer than a butter knife, and is always blunt
• Handle is often equal to blade in length
• May be decorative or utilitarian in appearance
• Very similar to the dinner knife, but is usually a bit smaller and more delicate

Most dessert knives are larger than butter knives and smaller than dinner knives, although some models have longer blades for cake and pie slicing. Shorter models match small dessert plates and are nimble enough to wield when eating delicate foods.

Dessert knives are typically used in upscale locations and eateries specializing in cakes and pastries; these knives aren't likely to be found in casual or semi-casual eateries.

Dinner Knife

• Most choices measure from 7.5 to 10 inches in length
• Typically designed with a blunt blade and rounded tip
• Some styles may have a serrated or pointed blade, but aren't as sharp as steak knives
• Commonly used at eateries of all kinds, including bakeries, cafes, delis, themed restaurants, buffets, cafeterias, semi-casual, and fine dining

Often mistaken for a butter knife, the dinner knife may also be called a table knife. Like the dinner fork and table spoon, the dinner knife is one of the most ubiquitous utensils at breakfast, lunch, and dinner tables of all kinds. Even at fast food and self-service restaurants, plastic dinner knives are usually provided to patrons, along with plastic forks and spoons.

A dinner knife resembles a dessert knife, but it's usually a bit sturdier. At venues where a single knife is provided with the meal, a dinner knife is the most common choice. If chicken, steak, or pork chops are served, a steak knife may also be provided. For upscale environments, both a dinner knife and a dessert knife may be placed to the right of the dinner plate, with a butter knife and bread plate placed above the dinner plate and to the left.

Fish Knife

• Most styles measure from 7.5 to 8.5 inches in length
• Easily recognizable by their blunt blade with rounded, curved point
• Many options feature a small dent or bevel along the knife's spine to assist with removing bones from meat
• Commonly found in fine dining and banquet environments, as well as at semi-casual to upscale seafood restaurants
• Not typically needed at venues such as fast food restaurants, buffets, diners, or casual seafood restaurants

Fish knives are usually blunt, as fish meat is soft and easy to slice without serrations or a sharp edge, but they're always pointed. In addition to the pointed tip, some fish knives feature a divot or bevel along the spine; both features are designed to assist the user with slipping the knife under small, delicate fish bones and lifting them loose from the meat.

Fish knives are most likely to be found in upscale environments such as fine dining, banquet, and catered events, as well as some seafood restaurants. In a formal place setting, the fish knife and fish fork may be placed above the dinner plate. Casual locations such as buffets, fast food, or quick-serve restaurants are unlikely to use or need fish knives.

Steak Knife

• Typically measure between 8 to 10 inches in overall length
• Blade is longer than handle on some models
• Often made with riveted handle constructed of wood or plastic
• May have a smooth or serrated blade edge
• Available with sharp or rounded tips
• Sharpest of all table knives
• Often stocked in any restaurant serving whole chicken breasts, pork chops, or steaks, from semi-casual to fine dining

Steak knives are a common table knife, often used at steakhouses and semi-casual to upscale dining locations. Any venue serving whole chicken breasts, pork chops, steaks, or other unprocessed cuts of meat can benefit from investing in steak knives. Steak knives typically feature curved or molded handles, to give the user a better grip and increased control when cutting on a lunch or dinner plate. They can have smooth or serrated edges and are always sharp. Some styles feature a rounded tip, while others come to a fine point.

Steak knives are often constructed with riveted handles made of wood or plastic, although some models are made completely of steel. These knives are often utilitarian in appearance, but decorative options exist for fine dining environments.

Cheese Knife

• Can be anywhere from 5 to 14 inches in length
• Planer knife outer edges are fairly dull; planing edge is sharp
• Smaller options are typically sharp and non-serrated, with a double-pointed, curved tip
• Used for cutting and slicing cheeses ranging from semi-soft to hard
• Not typically placed on the table; may be used at buffets, banquets, and upscale dining events, as well as restaurants specializing in charcuterie and cheese courses

Some cheese knives are sharp and have a pointed tip, like steak knives, but are typically much smaller and not serrated. Some options feature a curved, scimitar-style blade, and may or may not have a double-pointed tip for spearing slices and chunks of cheese. A planer (a different type of cheese knife) is usually fairly dull and resembles a pie server, with thin edges for cutting into soft and semi-soft cheeses. Its planing edge is the sharpest edge, and is used to plane thin slices off blocks of firm to hard cheese.

Cheese knives aren't provided as part of a typical breakfast, lunch, or dinner table place setting. Instead, these knives can be found in banquet and fine dining environments, as well as at eateries that serve charcuterie plates and/or cheese courses.

Chopsticks & Chopstick Rests

• Most options are 9 to 11 inches in length
• Can be made from various materials
• May be disposable or reusable
• Often used in place of forks at Asian restaurants
• Frequently found at Asian restaurants of all kinds, from casual to upscale

Often found at Asian restaurants, chopsticks and chopstick rests provide an alternative to forks and can be used for many of the same purposes. Chopsticks can be made of bamboo, plastic, or metal, and can be reusable or disposable.

At semi-formal and upscale Asian restaurants, chopstick rests may also be provided so diners don't have to rest their eating utensils on the table top. At casual eateries and buffets, stainless steel or plastic chopstick holders may be filled with dozens of pairs of chopsticks, enabling visitors to grab their own utensils.

Crab Crackers

• Most styles measure 6 to 8 inches and feature dual cracking jaws
• Typically made of metal, but some options have rubberized handles or are made of plastic
• Often used at seafood restaurants serving lobster, crab, or other shellfish in the shell

Crab crackers, also known as lobster crackers, are a tool designed to facilitate removal of cooked shellfish meat from the shell at the dinner table. Often used in conjunction with a crab or lobster fork, the crab cracker isn't used to transfer food to the mouth but may still be provided at the table for individual use. Crab crackers are placed around a cooked shellfish claw or leg and then gently squeezed until the shell cracks apart, providing access to the tender meat inside.

Most crab crackers are made of metal for durability, but some plastic options are also available. Many models can also be used as nut crackers.

Gravy Ladle

• Typically smaller than a cooking ladle, with a shorter handle
• Usually constructed with a pronounced angle between the bowl and handle, to enable dipping down into a dish or tureen from above
• Most options can hold 1 to 2 ounces of sauce, but some models can hold as much as 4 ounces
• Styles intended for banquet and tabletop use are typically made of metal and feature decorative elements to enhance the utensil's appearance

Gravy ladles are commonly used to serve gravy or sauce at the table. Diners can use the ladle to dip an individual portion of gravy from the serving dish and pour it onto their plate. Such ladles may also be used for cream sauces, melted cheese sauces, or even caramel or hot fudge. A gravy ladle might be provided along with a dish of brown gravy at a themed holiday-style meal, or at any meal where roasted meat, mashed potatoes, and/or stuffing is served.

Typically, one gravy ladle is provided per dish, and all the guests at the table use the same ladle to portion out sauce. As with serving forks and spoons, gravy ladles are most commonly found in buffet, banquet, and catered environments.

Serving & Ice Tongs

• Wide variety of lengths and styles available
• Most often made of metal
• May be grooved, smooth, or have toothed edges for maximum grip
• Some options are hinged and some feature a one-piece construction

Serving and ice tongs come in a wide variety of styles designed to serve everything from pastry and pieces of fried chicken to lettuce leaves and ice cubes. Some models feature toothed edges designed to grip slippery ice cubes or pasta, while others have smooth edges for gently lifting croissants and Danish pastries without perforating their flaky sides. There are even specialized tongs for serving escargot.

Most tong models are made entirely of metal since they're not used for cooking, but some options have plasticized or rubberized handles to prevent heat transfer. Similar to the gravy ladle, one pair of tongs is typically provided per dish, and everyone at the table takes turns using the same tongs to serve themselves. Serving tongs are frequently used in any self-serve environment, including tabletop, buffet, or banquet dining, to prevent people from touching shared food with their hands or personal eating utensils.