Have you ever think about use knife and fork in proper way? If you don’t know how to use these utensils you’ll face awkward situation at the table in formal occasions. You will need to know about the basic methods for eating with knife and fork.
Why knife and Fork:
We use a knife & fork to eat food instead of our hands. Actually the uses of knives and fork is the formal way to eat something. In formal society people always use knife or fork at their table. But most of us don’t know how to use a knife and a fork. By using fork and knife you can easily cut and grab your food simultaneously. Also you do not need your hand to cut or grab your dishes.
Knife and Fork etiquette
Your fork and knives should be held correctly is one of the most important dining etiquette. At the table your fork and knife should be held in appropriate way for more details check on Review Night.
There are two common methods for eating with a fork and knife , the American style and the European (continental) style. The difference between American and European style is the using of hands.
How to Use Knife and Fork
In American style hold your fork like a pen. The fork should be taken upward so that you can lift the piece of food with your fork. Use your index thumb to support the fork and others fingers for holding the fork body. To create a pressure on food with your knife, use index finger and other fingers to hold the knife. Your index finger should be placed in the upper side and other fingers opposite side of the fork.
In European style you’ll hold fork in your left hand, tines downward. To punch the food piece, place your index finger on the fork. Place your thumb on the opposite side of your index finger to support the fork. Hold your knife in your right hand like a blade. Holding the knife is similar to American style.
American Style:
In this style you should hold the fork in left hand. Your knife will be held in right hand to cut food. You should give a downward pressure for cutting your sushi food by sushi knife. After cutting you should put the knife off on plate. Then switch your fork to right hand if you are a right handed. If you are left handed you will not do that replacement. After eating, replace your fork in your left hand and take the knife with your right hand. Then repeat this process. If you’re eating dish that do not need to cut something, you will take the fork in right hand. In this style the fork is held as a spoon. So the American style is also called as the “zigzag method”
European (Continental) Style:
In this style you should hold the fork in your left hand like a pen. The knife should be kept in your right hand. You will cut food with your right hand and grab the piece of food with fork. Hold the knife near the top of the fork and cut food with it. After cutting take the piece with your fork and move to your mouth by using your left hand. You can hold the knife down with your right hand. In this process your fork and knives work at the same time.
The Table Setting For Knife and Fork:
Your fork and knife should be kept near the plate. The fork should be placed the left side of the plate as you hold your fork in your left hand. Similarly the knife should be kept right side of the plate. If you start with salad, noodles, pasta, rice you should only need a fork in your right hand. The knives and fork should be placed in parallel with each other and vertical with the table.
You can get various kind of fork in your table; such as a salad fork, a meat fork, a noodles fork etc. You can get different sizes of forks and knives for different dishes. For example: If you order for a salad, you will get a small fork with it.
Resting Utensils
Sometimes you pause your eating for drinking something or to talk with someone. In this situation you should put your knife and fork on your plate close to the center. You should keep it in such way that the top side of the both fork and the knife should be placed in the same point and the bottom side of both will away from each other. This makes like an inverted V shape on your plate.
If eating is finished, you should put the fork and knife parallel in the four o’clock position at the right side of the plate.
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