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Set the table properly

DO YOU WANT TO SET YOUR TABLE LIKE THE PROS?

We'll show you the order in which cutlery, plates, and glasses should be placed on the table.

ARRANGE CUTLERY, PLATES & GLASSES CORRECTLY

We'll show you exactly what you need and how to improvise if you don't have one or two parts on hand.

What you need:

  • Cutlery
  • plate
  • glasses
  • Napkins


THE PLATES - THE CENTRAL THEME


Glasses and plates are probably the first things that come to mind when it comes to setting the dining table properly.
You should have these items ready for your perfect dinner:

  • charger plate
  • Appetizer and/or soup plates
  • Bread plate, alternatively a saucer
  • Main course plate

First, place the placemat at the place where each guest will sit. Placemats made of glass, stainless steel, or even slate are particularly stylish. Fabric placemats also create a restaurant feel.

Once it gets there, it doesn't move from its spot and basically serves as a base for all the other plates.

This is followed by the main course plate, then the appetizer and/or soup plate. Thus, the first hurdle has been overcome.

SAUCERS AS BREAD PLATES

Don't forget the small bread plate! Place it to the left of the underplate. Don't have a bread plate? No problem! In a pinch, you can also use a slightly larger saucer; it usually goes unnoticed. Ideally, the dishes should match. If you don't have a lot of one type, mix things up and pretend each guest gets their own dish, one that suits them and no one else.


Tip: If you have a particularly colorful table setting, use gray charger plates. Gray brings calm to the scene.

NAPKINS - POINTING THE I

Yes, okay, a freshly starched cloth napkin certainly looks particularly elegant. But you can also use a large paper napkin. You can then place this either on the bread plate under the bread knife or in the center of the central plate arrangement.

While the style of china, cutlery, and glassware can't really be changed, napkins can further emphasize the occasion of the dinner. Solid colors, colorful, patterned—choose them however you like best.

Tip: Plain napkins look particularly good with patterned tableware.


GLASSES MUST BE

Because no one drinks from a bottle at a beautifully set table, you need to get glasses, and not just one kind.

If you want to go all out, you'll need water, red wine, and white wine glasses. You should also have a few beer glasses on hand—preferably nice beer tulips—in case one of your guests doesn't want wine. The water glass should be placed on the far right, approximately at two o'clock from the plate arrangement, and above the knives. To the left of it, the white wine glass comes first, followed by the red wine glass.

If you only have one type of wine glass, simply set out two of the same type. Instead of a regular red wine glass, you could also use a larger, bulbous Burgundy glass.

PLACE CUTLERY CORRECTLY

The cutlery is placed next to the underplate from the outside to the inside and is used in this order.

If you don't have any appetizer cutlery on hand, simply use the same size for both the appetizer and the main course.

You start to the right of the plate:

  • on the inside, right next to the plate, the dinner knife for the main course
  • next to it the appetizer knife or, if fish is served, the fish knife
  • the soup spoon/menu spoon is on the far right

Cutlery to the right of the plate (from left to right): dinner knife, fish knife, appetizer knife (dinner knife), soup spoon

Next comes the left side with the forks:

  • right next to the plate is the menu fork for the main course
  • next to it the appetizer fork or the fish fork

above the plate you place:

  • the coffee spoon with the handle to the right
  • the cake fork with the handle to the left

Cutlery to the left of the plate (from left to right): appetizer fork (alternatively dinner fork), fish fork, dinner fork

So, now everything is ready for your perfect dinner and your guests can come!

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