Setting a table is one of those basic life skills you don’t really think about until it’s time to actually use it. At that point, you quickly Google “how to set a table,” but there’s so much information available that you don’t really know where to start.
The rules of table setting have been collectively agreed upon because they address how we eat. For instance, the order in which utensils are arranged on the table corresponds with the order in which they are typically used, therefore maximizing ease of access and of use. The butter knife wasn’t haphazardly placed there because someone decided it should be that way.
Let’s first become familiar with the different elements that make up a table setting.
If you really want to make your table setting pop, set up an initial layer of color and texture by using a tablecloth. This is not required, and a lot of people forgo them altogether.
There’s a lot of utensils out there, and figuring out where to put them is enough to make your brain spin. Table cutlery sets are designed to make things easier for dining. You might not use all of them at your dinner party, but you should know how to arrange the ones you will be using.
Plates, cups, bowls, saucers, platters, and other types of serving tools. Make sure to pull out the big guns when you’re having people over – no paper plates here. Depending on the vibe of your get-together, you might want to keep things looking elegant with a uniform look, or you might want to be eclectic by mixing and matching plates.
What else is there aside from the essentials? Your salt and pepper shakers, for instance, or a decorative centerpiece.
There are actually several types of table setting, and here we’ve outlined them based on ascending elaborateness.
Casual, everyday dining is extremely easy, straightforward, and practical. When setting the perfect table for a delicious homemade bbq dinner for yourself and your household, this might be what you’re looking for. All it requires is a placemat, flatware, a dinner plate, a drinking or wine glass, and a napkin.
Center your plate on the placemat, then a napkin about an inch to the left of it. Then place your dinner fork on the napkin. Then there’s the plate, and then to the right of the plate is the dinner knife (the blade of which should always be pointing at the plate). The spoon goes to the right of the knife, and the drinking glass should be above and to the right of the plate.
The informal (or semi-formal) table setting is an expanded, more elaborate version of the everyday table setting, incorporating a few elements.
Set your placemat, then put the dinner plate on top of it. Then left-to-right it’s forks, plate, knives, spoons. The salad fork should go to the left of the dinner fork.
A good rule of thumb is that the “main” silverware should always stay closest tot the dinner plate.
Drinks should always go on the right side. Your water glass should be directly in front of the knife, then the wine glass should go diagonally to the right and slightly above the water glass.
The big one. Formal dining doesn’t have to be so scary. It’s just an expansion of the previous table setting.
Formal table settings usually use charger plates instead of placemats. They also usually consist of more courses, so they involve more plates and more flatware.
They often involve a bread knife and butter plate. The bread knife should be placed diagonally to the upper left, with the butter knife laid out horizontally on top of it.
A dessert spoon (or cake fork) is often placed horizontally above the plate.
The plate itself goes on a charger plate. Often, there will be a salad plate on top of your main plate, which itself will have a soup bowl on top of it.
The formal dining setting is a lot easier than it sounds, and it really doesn’t have to be as scary as it seems. It’s simply an expansion of what we’ve covered before. Just remember that after every course, you will be putting away the flatware and dishes you used in it.
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