

Toasting forks are used for holding food over an open flame. In fine dining restaurants, you are not likely to see table forks being used, and instead, there will be specialist forks for different types of food. Table forks are commonly found in dinnerware sets as the standard fork that most people will use for main courses, as well as eating other dishes like salads and fish. Table ForkĪ table fork is an all-purpose fork that most people will have in their home, which is used in a wide variety of settings. These forks can be used to slice fruit into smaller pieces on your plate, such as melon, or they can be used for spearing and picking up awkward pieces of fruit, like grapes or berries. They are most commonly used in Europe, but you will also find them being offered in fine dining restaurants in North America if you select a fruit salad or other type of fruit dish. Fruit Forkįruit forks have a shorter, more squat shape, and are used for picking up fruit in a more elegant manner. If the salad comes as an appetizer, then this fork should be furthest left, whereas if your salad comes after the main meal, then it should be placed to the right of the dinner fork. This means that a salad fork’s proper place can vary depending on at what point in the meal you will be serving salad. When preparing a place setting for a dinner party, forks should be placed in order, with the one you will use first being farthest from the plate. Salad forks can be identified from the fact that they are slightly shorter in length than dinner forks, and the tine on the left will have a flat edge so that it can be used to chop lettuce or other components of a salad dish. They are the largest of all the commonly used forks, generally measuring seven inches in length. While some people may assume that a dinner fork and a table fork are the same thing, there is actually a slight size difference.ĭinner forks are larger than table forks, and these will most often be found in fine dining restaurants. They have four tines and a wide, well-balanced shape. You can get one good set of an oyster fork on Amazon here.ĭinner forks are those that are used for eating the main course of your meal, such as meat dishes. This seafood fork is the only fork that should ever be positioned at the right side of a place setting to adhere to formal dining rules. This fork has an elegant and attractive look and will elevate the feel of any dinner party.

You can use it to pull an oyster from its shell, and it is also useful for eating other types of seafood, as the small size lends it well to getting claw meat out of lobsters or picking up shrimp. Oyster ForkĪn oyster fork has three tines but is much narrower than most other types of forks. You could use this fork at home when serving fish to impress your guests, but if you are serving fish that has already been filleted, then a regular table fork would be more suitable. This type of fork is designed to make eating fish an easier and more effortless experience, and you will likely find this fork on your table at a high-end seafood restaurant.

This is to aid in pulling flesh away from the bone of the fish. Fish ForkĪ fish fork looks a lot like a standard table fork, except that the tine on the far left of the fork will be wider or thicker. If you are serving food at a formal dinner party, then dessert forks are essential for proper presentation.

If you buy a large dinnerware set, then dessert forks are likely to be included as they are one of the more common types of forks. This type of fork is designed for use with desserts such as pies, tarts, cakes, and other sweet dishes. It has three tines and is commonly seen in place settings at fine restaurants above where the plate is positioned. This type of fork is shorter than both a table fork and a fruit fork, with a slightly slimmer head. If you’ve ever felt flustered and confused by the different forks offered in a restaurant and struggled to decide that one to use, or if you want to learn about types of forks to impress your dinner guests, then this guide is exactly what you’ve been looking for. Most people only have a few different types of dining fork in their home cutlery draw, and you may be surprised to find that there are actually over 30 different types of forks used for dining.
