Where to lay the table. Serving cutlery according to the rules, examples of serving. Additional decor elements

real hostess always pays special attention not only to cooking delicious meals for this or that celebration, but also serving holiday table. A beautifully and correctly set table stimulates appetite, promotes good mood and pleasant communication, harmonizes with the interior of the room and corresponds to this or that holiday, makes guests admire the talents of the hostess. If you want to know how to properly set the table - read about it in our article.

Tablecloth

A tablecloth is the beginning of any table setting. Choosing the color of the tablecloth, give preference light colors and unobtrusive (preferably plain, although variations are possible depending on the interior of the room, the color of the dishes, etc.) colors.

Check the condition of the tablecloth at least a day before the celebration. It must be perfectly clean. Even the most inconspicuous spots have no right to be on it. Also, the tablecloth should be well ironed. The perfect look has a starched, freshly ironed tablecloth.

When covering the table with a tablecloth, make sure that its corners cover the legs of the table, and the ends fall from the edge of the table by about 30 cm. You can put under the tablecloth soft tissue- then the sound of the knocking of cutlery on the table will be completely inaudible. Putting a transparent oilcloth on the tablecloth (to avoid contamination of the tablecloth) is possible only if the family gathers at the table, but for guests (friends, work colleagues, etc.) this is unacceptable.

Placement of dishes

All utensils must be clean: they must first be washed and wiped dry thoroughly. It is very desirable that all the dishes on the table be from one set (if there are a lot of guests, then 2 or 3 sets for 6 people each - the main thing is that it does not turn out that all guests have different plates, glasses, forks) - otherwise, it will create impression of disharmony.

Plates are placed in front of each guest at a distance of about 2-3 cm from the edge of the table. Make sure that all the plates are on the same line. If there are several plates, they can be placed one on top of the other (snack plates are placed on small large plates). Guests' plates should be at least 60 cm apart so that those sitting at the table do not push with their elbows.

Cutlery is placed as follows: next to the main dish are a knife (on the right, sharpened side to the plate), a spoon (on the right, convex side down, placed if a first course is provided) and a fork (left, convex side down), a dessert spoon is placed behind the plate. If other cutlery is provided (snack knife, fish knife, oyster knife, etc.), they are placed in the order of use. A distance of no more than 1 cm should be observed between cutlery. Drinking equipment (a glass for vodka or cognac, a glass for wine or champagne, a glass for water or juice) are located to the right behind the knife.

Napkins

An important element of table setting are napkins. They can be fabric or paper. Cloth napkins (most often linen) are laid out folded on plates after the main stage of table setting is completed. If paper napkins - use a napkin holder for them. Choose napkins to match (or contrast) the tablecloth.

Dishes and drinks

The main dishes are placed around the perimeter of the table - you can try several options for arranging them so that it is as convenient and beautiful as possible. In the center, you can put the “signature” dish of the hostess or the dish that is best decorated.

Any seasonings for dishes: salt, spices, vinegar, sauce, etc. - put in the center of the table so that everyone can reach them. Bread boxes are placed on opposite sides of the table. Fruits are laid out on special wide vases (large fruits are recommended to be cut into slices). Dessert is placed behind a glass or served at the end of a meal (if the table size is small or the dessert contains quickly melting ingredients: ice cream, jelly). All dishes should be served with cutlery (spoons, spatulas, etc.)

Drink bottles are placed in different places tables and open before the guests sit down at the table. The only exception is for champagne - it is opened immediately before pouring into glasses. Juices, compotes are best poured into decanters.

Flowers and other table decorations

Flowers are great addition to general serving table. They should be placed in low but stable vases and placed on the table in such a way that they do not cover the faces of the guests, do not interfere with communication and eating. Pick flowers to match the tablecloth or dishes.

The table can be decorated with candles, and small figurines in the theme of the holiday, and gel balloons. The main thing is that everything should be in moderation and complement the atmosphere of the holiday at the table, and not “irritate” the eyes.

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Content

How to set the table? There are no hard and fast rules in this regard. Of course, there are basic table setting recommendations, however big role in the placement of accents and especially in the choice of decor, the personal taste of the one who sets the table plays.

A beautifully set table creates a pleasant atmosphere of comfort, care, celebration. There are so many nuances and possibilities in this matter that proper serving The table is considered a real art.

Table setting rules

There are a few basic rules, following which, you can set the table beautifully. The price of cutlery and accessories does not have of great importance. The main thing is that the dishes, cutlery and everything around them harmoniously combine with each other and create a complete composition. Including - the interior of the room where the table is to be served. Without napkins, tablecloths, colors or other items for decoration, it will not work. So, we paint the algorithm in steps.

The table is covered with a tablecloth - clean and ironed. Its edges should fall from the edge by twenty-five to thirty centimeters.

Corners - located opposite the legs.

We arrange the plates, previously washed and wiped dry, even better - polished so that they shine.

A plate for snacks is placed exactly opposite the chairs, and about two centimeters separate it from the edge of the countertop.

A pie plate is placed 5-15 centimeters to the left (bread is placed in it).

If you need more than two plates, then a small dining room is located under the diner.

When a two-course dinner is supposed, you can first put one deep plate, and then bring a dessert one.

The knife and fork are located at the main plate: the knife is on the right, next to it is a spoon, the fork is on the left.

There can be several knives: they follow in descending order of magnitude - from left to right.

When served butter, for him you need to put a small knife on a bread (patty) plate.

If you need to use several forks, they are placed on the left side of the plate - as they decrease: dining room, for fish and for snacks.

Dessert spoon - behind the main plate (which is opposite the chair) parallel to the edge of the table, its handle is turned to the right.

For wine, a glass is placed with right side, right behind the knife.

Other glasses or glasses are placed next to it.

When only water is on the menu of drinks, then glasses or glasses for it are located directly behind the main plate.

For kvass or fruit drink, you need a glass or crystal mug that has a handle.

If the table is served completely, then the dishes where drinks are poured stand in two rows.

All items on the table should be at least half to one centimeter apart.

There are subtleties of table setting for different dishes. So, it is customary to eat spaghetti with a spoon and fork, because there is no knife in the composition. AT Italian cuisine there is always water on the table - a glass with it is closer than others to the main plate.

Mandatory accessories

Napkins- it is necessary. Once glassware arranged, cloth napkins are placed on snack plates, which are best folded beautifully. Sometimes you can use paper napkins.

And the final chord - utensils for spices, flowers in vases, other table decorations. Salt, so that it does not quickly moisten, is better to be used in a mixture - ordinary table salt with dry salt. And only half of the pepper is put in the pepper box.

Flowers very in harmony with the festive serving, however, casual table will only benefit from them. It is important that the vases for them are low. It is worth considering that pollen does not fall from the flowers and the petals do not fall off.

Serving a table for a celebration

A festive feast requires special preparation. This will help create an atmosphere of celebration, lunch or dinner will be great, guests will be satisfied.

In addition to dishes, you will need tablecloth: perfect option- flawlessly white. You can choose a tablecloth with patterns, but soft. Let the tablecloth be elegant, and napkins - the same style. If you fold them in an intricate way, it will be even more interesting.

There is one pattern here. Table setting experts believe that crystal tableware requires only a white tablecloth, but porcelain can be combined with colors.

It is worth setting the table and decorating it in one style. This means that all utensils, cutlery, utensils for spices and decor - all this must be combined with each other. At the same time, it is important to take into account that the room where the table is laid is also in harmony with what is on it. If all these rules are observed, the effect is amazing!

For example, if the table is being prepared for, New Year-themed accessories are appropriate. A wedding celebration involves its own table decoration, and a birthday allows for any options. The main thing is that the table does not overshadow the birthday man himself.

Crockery and cutlery are arranged general rules, all as described above - point by point. Then everything will lie as it should. There are enough plates for different dishes. Guests will be comfortable, the food will be even tastier, and the overall atmosphere of the holiday will be on top.

Children's holiday

Children do not need excessive "strictness". It is important that young guests are as comfortable as possible. And so that the mood of joy and mischief is reflected in the serving.

Which one will tableware, it doesn’t matter for children: let it be comfortable and relatively inexpensive - exquisite porcelain or glass is not the most suitable option, because children can easily break it, which will spoil the mood. You can even use disposable tableware, but good quality with bright pictures.

It doesn’t matter for children whether there are delicacies on the table or ordinary, but interesting and favorite snacks. But they will appreciate if the food will be put on plates and there will be no need to impose and cut anything using a knife. Still, these are children who are not up to ceremonies.

It is good if there are as few items of dishes on the table as possible. The simpler the better. The main thing is that everything is comfortable.

But decor is almost the main condition for a successful serving of a festive feast for children. Various balloons, decorative paper decoration, bright tablecloth, caps, - all this will delight young guests. It is worth paying maximum attention to this. After all, children love to play.

The theme in which the holiday is held continues in the design of the table. When young “fairies” came to the girl, and everything around resembles a castle from a fairy tale, the table, of course, should be decorated in the same way. A holiday for boys, where there are a lot of robots and an appropriate animator and other decor, will be brighter if the table is also “robotic”.

Beautiful - every day

To enjoy a wonderful table setting, it is not necessary to wait for a holiday. It is only worth spending a little more time setting the table for a regular breakfast or dinner.

It will be easy if there are beautiful napkins and dishes - albeit inexpensive, but in the same stylistic and color scheme.

The tablecloth in this case is completely optional. Against, modern trend- do without it in home serving. And replace with wicker bamboo napkins, wooden coasters or cloth napkins. You can link them yourself. Beautiful hard paper napkins are also suitable.

A beautifully folded napkin tied with a ribbon, a flower in a vase will help add sophistication. It’s not worth complicating serving: a minimum of dishes, but as much imagination as possible.

How to set the table: video

Table setting

There are a great many cutlery, and the purpose of some of them is sometimes a mystery to us. And if you happen to attend a social reception? Incredibly, anything can happen in life. Therefore, we offer you some useful information table setting and restaurant etiquette.

Let's take a look at the table setting. Don't let the cutlery scare you with its brilliance and quantity - they are placed in the order in which the dishes are served: soup, fish, meat, dessert (toward the meal). There seems to be a lot of dishes and cutlery, but each has its own place, each has its own role. Directly in front of you is a diner (or a small dining room, and on it a diner) a plate. To her left is a pie plate or paper napkin. To the right of the plate are knives and spoons, and to the left are forks. There are dessert cutlery in front of the plate. Behind the dessert set are wine glasses and glasses. There is a napkin on the dinner plate. If the first course is not provided, the spoon is missing.

Correctly and skillfully using serving items is, first of all, using them only for their intended purpose. First of all, you need to remember that all appliances - knives and spoons, located to the right of the plate, are taken and held while eating right hand, and all those located on the left - with the left hand. dessert appliances, located with the handles to the right, are taken with the right hand, and with the handles to the left - with the left hand.

Basic cutlery includes knives, forks and spoons.

Each knife has a corresponding fork.

with the help of a table knife and fork, they eat dishes of meat and meat products, dough products (except sweet ones), pies, kulebyaki, pancakes, etc. In addition, the tip of the knife blade can help grab a side dish on the fork.
fish knife and fork are necessary for eating fish dishes. With absence special devices for fish use two forks. The fish knife is blunt, it does not look like an elongated spatula, and the fork has four shortened and wide horns.
you will need a dessert knife and fork for sweet pies, some pastries and cakes, peeled watermelon and melon, etc.

A lot of spoons are required for food, whether it is a gala dinner in a restaurant or a feast in the family circle:

tablespoon - for soups served in deep bowls;
dessert spoon - for many sweet dishes served in bowls or in deep dessert bowls, as well as for soups served in broth cups;
teaspoon - for hot drinks (tea, coffee with milk or cream, cocoa) served in tea cups or glasses. A teaspoon can be used instead of dessert;
coffee spoon - for coffee served in a coffee cup.

All of the listed devices are personal and are placed when setting the table.

Before each participant of the feast.

There are also additional, auxiliary or serving devices that are served depending on the situation.

For example, a salad spoon and fork, which are larger than ordinary tableware. Their purpose is to transfer dishes from a common salad bowl to a personal plate. There are special salad products for laying out cold dishes, sprats, etc.

In addition to several types of knives already described above, there is also a butter knife, the shape of such a knife is usually slightly curved. If a piece of cheese is served for dinner, then a separate knife is also assumed for it. It has several teeth at the end, with the help of which a cut piece of cheese is transferred to a plate.

Speaking of forks, we should mention forks for sprats and sardines, cocotte forks for julienne and hot appetizers.

Culinary tongs are designed to move the cake and pastries to your plate (large) or to take sugar, marshmallows, sweets (small), there are separate ice tongs.

A separate object is laid caviar from a common caviar - a spoon for caviar, resembles a scoop in shape.

When starting dessert, cakes are cut and often laid out on personal plates with a cake spatula, which has special form under triangular pieces of cakes. Served with sliced lemon special plug for lemon.

Of course, a complete set of such dishes in homes can hardly be found. Not even all restaurants can boast of absolute compliance with the requirements of etiquette. However, sometimes you want to try to eat food exactly as required by the protocol - at least in order to feel like a true aristocrat.

Restaurant etiquette

In order to look worthy at the next celebratory event, we offer a shallow dive into restaurant etiquette, to learn some simple rules.

The figure also shows other positions of cutlery:

We hope that this article will be useful and, having plunged into the world of cutlery, you will definitely want to beautifully set the table according to the rules table etiquette at your next family holiday!

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Today, table setting is a process that can accompany not only holidays, but also the usual meals in the circle of home. It is not at all necessary to wait for the arrival of guests in order to get beautiful dishes and a crispy clean tablecloth.

Especially for you website prepared general recommendations for serving, which are designed to help beautifully decorate the table, save time and money and create a delicious atmosphere.

Breakfast

Graceful breakfasts on weekends are becoming a good tradition in many families, bringing relatives and friends closer to each other. To turn an ordinary breakfast into a small holiday, a beautiful service is enough and correct location serving items. And, of course, do not forget about the bouquet in the center of the table - good mood provided for the whole day.

Dinner

Are you expecting guests for dinner? For festive serving you will need several types of plates, cutlery and wine glasses. Napkins are no longer enough here - prepare a beautiful tablecloth that will emphasize the decoration of the table. You can also decorate the table with a bouquet of flowers, placing it in the center: you will certainly cheer yourself up and your loved ones.

formal dinner

1 - butter knife;

2 - a plate for bread;

3 - guest card;

4, 5 - dessert devices;

6, 7, 8 - glasses for drinks;

10 - a plate for the main course;

11 - salad plate;

12 - napkin;

13, 17 - devices for fish;

14, 16 - appliances for the main dish;

15 - salad fork;

18 - soup spoon;

19 - cup.

Table setting for a formal dinner is a kind of art. You can't do without a perfectly white tablecloth and napkin rings. Properly arranged crockery and cutlery stylish decor and pleasant little things not only contribute to creating a good mood, but also help to express your attention and love for relatives or guests. And for seating a large number of guests, use special cards - guests will appreciate it.

Table setting at home is a whole set of laws of etiquette. Every housewife should be able to maneuver in this creative sea and distinguish between aesthetic nuances. Not everyone can afford to have a butler in their personal staff. Therefore, you need to learn how to receive guests on your own.

Holidays differ in the level of perception by society of this event. Let's start with small domestic joys: name days, homelands, christenings, dates from family history. Serving a festive table at home depends on the number of guests.

family celebration

Such events may include a large number of guests, and a quiet family dinner. If you plan to arrange just tea gatherings, warn guests about this in advance. An invitation "for tea" implies the absence of a strict dress code.

The hostess is the heroine of the festive table, regardless of who is the hero of the occasion. On the table you can lay a bright colored tablecloth. From personal appliances, you can only arrange plates for pies and dessert accessories.

The hostess, sitting at the head of the table, pours tea and passes it to the guests. In the center you can serve various desserts: berries and fruits, cakes, pastries, cookies or sweets. In the middle there are also pots with jam and honey.

The decoration of the table are fresh flowers. You can put in the middle a small low vase with a bouquet or flower arrangement on a wide platter. original decoration tea table is a traditional samovar. Don't forget brightly painted paper napkins. From alcohol, you can offer guests dessert wine or liquor.

Children holidays

Children have a lot of events that can be celebrated: a birthday, the first time in first grade, sports achievements - you can’t list everything. How to please the youngest household members?

Serving children's table at home implies maximum comfort and a minimum of restrictive traditions. Children must laugh! Offer them lots of colors and sweets.

Everyone loves sweets. Therefore, it is better to make a children's table dessert. Everything is very similar to "tea gatherings". Just don't offer hot drinks. It is better to serve the table with juices or compotes.

For a children's table, you can prepare bright colored jellies. It is undesirable to lay out fruits in large crystal vases. You can make individual chocolate baskets and put berry-fruit platter there: strawberries, apricots, grapes, raspberries, plums. Don't forget the cakes and sweets!

daily beauty

If you want your household to be charged with cheerfulness and good mood every day, delight them with gastronomic delights. Everyday table setting for dinner, lunch and breakfast is not much different from a democratic tea party. Only individual devices there will be more. For breakfast, it is quite acceptable to serve the table “in tea”. But a family lunch or dinner is already a small event.

The tablecloth should be changed from multi-colored to plain. Ideally - a snow-white starch cloth. A tablecloth for dinner can be decorated with an ornament in the form of a wide strip around the edge.

The dining tablecloth should not hang more than 50-60 centimeters from the edge of the table. For lunch and dinner, linen napkins can be served with each appliance. If you practice traditional family dinners, you can use table accessories such as napkin rings, silver and gold-plated cutlery.

The main dishes are placed in the middle of the table. You can immediately put cold snacks and hot. If the dinner is solemn, then an aperitif and appetizers are served first, then the hostess's signature dish.

The hostess is the queen of dinner. She must know with all the nuances how to properly set the table for dinner or for a birthday. Soup tureens and deep plates are placed on an additional table. Only small wide plates, cutlery, glasses and glasses are personally placed on the table. The hostess pours a hot dish and passes it to the household.

This traditional version can be replaced by a more democratic one: put a tureen in the middle of the table, and deep plates - personally. Everyone serves himself.

Don't forget to decorate dinner table fresh flowers. From alcoholic drinks, you can offer table wine, sherry, vodka. Cognac is not drunk at dinner. Port wine and beer are also excluded. Such drinks can be served with afternoon coffee or pleasant conversation at fireplace .

Dinner is served in the same strict manner as lunch. Only real flowers can be replaced candles in high candlesticks. Instead of crystal, you can put silver dishes on the table: common dishes, gravy boats, salad bowls. Evening is the time of soft shadows. Table setting must match.

Be sure to place paper napkins on the table. But do not forget about linen! The guests unfold the napkin and place it on their laps.

If serving wedding table at home is very dense, you should not put fresh flowers. Better decorate garlands room. It is desirable to invite to the wedding service staff who will change dishes. It is difficult for the hostess to keep track of all the guests alone.

Whatever celebration would be celebrated in your home, remember: the main thing is a good mood and a smile!

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