All In Good Taste / October 2005
At the Table
By Pat Lawrence
Formal table setting can be intimidating for hostesses accustomed to casual dining and fast food in the car. But, a beautifully set table is a warm, welcoming way to let friends and family know they are especially cherished.
Table settings are based on years of tradition, and what is considered the proper placement of utensils is actually based on logic and comfort and convenience for the diner.
The general rule of allowing 24” to 30” for each place setting and position place settings at least one inch from the edge of the table is to ensure that guests do not feel cramped or crowded.
Silverware is simply placed in the order of use. What will be used first is placed farthest from the plate. Knives are placed to the right of the plate, with the knife’s cutting edge facing the plate. Spoons are placed to the right of the plate and to the right of the knives. Forks are placed to the left of the dinner plate, in order of use.
If butter plates are used, the butter spreader should be diagonally placed on the bread plate, with the blade edge toward the dinner fork.
If salad is to be served with the main course, or if the salad fork is to be used as a dessert fork, it is placed to the right of the dinner fork, next to the plate. For interest, the dessert fork and spoon can also be placed, European style, above the plate. The spoon, its handle to the right, goes above the fork. The fork’s handle points to the left.
At most formal dinner parties a service plate or charger is placed at each guest’s place then taken from the table when the first-course plates are removed. If there is no service plate, then set dinner plates at each setting. If salad will be served as a first course, place the salad plate on the dinner plate. If table space allows, the salad plate can be arranged to the left of the forks. Regular dinner knives are set to the immediate right of the dinner plate, blades facing the plate. The soup spoon, if needed, goes to the right of all knives.
Dessert spoons and forks can be placed horizontally above the dinner plate or can be brought to the table with the dessert plates.
Clear, sparkling glass is a recurring theme on the formal table. A long-stemmed goblet is the preferred water glass for formal dinner use and is accompanied by not more than three other glasses; traditionally, a glass for sherry, a glass for red or white wine and one for champagne. (At banquet dinners, four glasses, in addition to the goblet, may be used!)
Water goblets should be set just above the top of the dinner knife. The wine glass is placed slightly to the right of the water goblet. When using both red and white wine glasses, place them to the right of the water goblet, red then white. When serving more than one wine and using different size glasses, serve the white wine in the smaller glass and the red wine in the larger one. A Champagne flute would be placed behind the other two wine glass, forming a triangle.
Cups and saucers are not part of a formal place setting. They should be brought to the table along with the teaspoon and the dessert plate.
After the glasses and dishes used in the main courses are removed from the table, cups and saucers are placed to the right of the dessert plate. The teaspoon is placed on the saucer parallel to the handle of the cup, or on the table next to the knife or dessert spoon.
Arrange a folded napkin down the center of the top plate, or placed to the left of the forks, if the soup bowl is set on the top plate. Napkin rings are a new convention, not originally a part of a formal setting, but contemporary hostesses may choose them as a decorative option.
Setting an elegant table should be a pleasure for the hostess as well as a delight to her guests. It is a celebration of hospitality, not a test. The gathering of family and friends is ample cause to give careful attention to the table and there is no rule that says formal settings must be saved for strangers, special events or complicated cuisine. The family’s favorite mashed potatoes and meat loaf are reason enough to justify a pretty presentation. PL
Copyright © 2007 A Woman's View. All rights reserved.
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