Europeans tend to keep the fork in their left hand throughout a meal. Americans will often hold the fork in their right hand while eating. If you don’t need to observe table etiquette, hold the fork in whichever hand is most comfortable.
To hold your fork in the European fashion, the end of the handle should be in the palm of your hand. Your pointer finger should be placed on the back of the fork, near the head of the fork. Your thumb will be placed on the outside edge of the fork handle. Grip the fork with the rest of your fingers, preventing it from dropping of shifting while in use. The tines of the fork should be pointing downwards in this style. To hold your fork in the American style, pick the fork up like you would hold a pencil. Hold the fork between your index and middle fingers, near the joint where the fork head meets the handle. Your thumb will go on top of the handle, resting about halfway up. [5] X Expert Source Tami ClaytorEtiquette Coach Expert Interview. 20 May 2021. The points of the fork will be pointing upwards, allowing you to stab or scoop food. Hold it up close to the top.
Europeans will hold their fork in the left hand and their knife in the right hand. If you are eating in a European style dinner, do not switch hands during a meal. Always hold the fork in your left hand. When Americans are cutting food they will hold the fork in their left hand and the knife in their right. When Americans move to eat something with their fork, they switch hands and hold the fork in the right hand.
You’ll be holding the fork in your left hand and the knife in your right hand. The handles of your fork and knife should rest against the palm of the hand holding them. The pointer fingers should be extended and will rest on the back side of your fork or knife.
Americans will place their silverware at a “10 and 20” position. If the plate was a clock face, the points of the knife or fork will point to “10 o’clock”, while the handle points to “20 minutes”. In America, place your fork in the center of the plate and your knife above it, leaving a gap between the two. Make sure they are both in the “10 and 20” position to indicate that you are still enjoying the current course. When Americans are finished with a course, they remove the gap between their fork and knife, placing both in the upper right portion of their plates. Keep both the fork and knife in the “10 and 20” position. Europeans will cross their knife and fork in the lower portion of the plate to indicate they are still eating the current course. The points of the fork and knife should be facing away from you. In Europe, placing your utensils in the “10 and 20” position at the plate’s center will indicate you are finished with that course.
The largest fork is the dinner fork and it is used with the main course. Salad forks are usually the smallest fork at your table setting. Fish forks are slightly larger than the salad fork and slightly smaller than the dinner fork. Oyster forks are unique, having only two prongs. This fork will be placed with the spoons.
Generally, you will begin by using the fork on the outer left. Use the next fork to the right for each new course. Each course will likely require you to switch which fork you are using. If salad is being offered, make sure you are using the small salad fork. For the main course, it’s safe to use the largest dinner fork.
Remember to hold the fork properly. Use your left hand to hold whichever fork is appropriate. Pick the right fork for the right course.
Find an old fork that you would like to use. Bend the fork into a bracelet shape. Bend the fork in the same direction that the tines are already bending. You may want to use pliers to get a better grip and more accurate bend. The fork’s tines should be touching the butt of the fork’s handle when finished. You can try painting the fork or decorating it however you want once it’s bent into shape.
Drag or press the fork tines in frosting to create unique designs. Pushing a fork into a pie crust or baked good can add a interesting look. Some recipes call for small holes to be made to prevent too much heat from building up. You can lightly stab the item with the fork to make these holes.
Forks with smaller tines are better suited to seed planting. Stab the fork into the dirt to make small holes for the seeds. Drop the seeds into the holes left by the fork tines and lightly cover them with dirt. Check the requirements for each type of seed you are planting. Some seeds like to be planted deeper than others.
