Come sit with me for awhile . . .
and see what I’m bringing to the table ®

Knives are an absolute necessity, with very rare exception .   .   . and that being, food served in bowls such as soup, chili, stew, and salads .    .    . but .   .   . of course there is a but .   .   . unless accompanied with bread, butter, and other spreads.

Speaking of bread .   .   . a spreader knife used for spreading butter, tapénade etc., has a rounded top, and is not always part of a place setting, but .   .   . can be found in wonderful vintage, and new interesting  patterns. I, being of the not so much matchy-matchy designer world, prefer not using matching butter spreaders. This, step out-of-the-box that I create gives each place setting an extra hello .   .   . pay attention .   .   . there is an extra surprise pop happening here! Spreaders are generally 6 inches in length, but .   .   . yup .   .   . yet another but !!! .   .   . this but involved getting extremely lucky, finding plain no pattern, vintage spreaders 3 inches in length. Well .   .   . I scooped these puppies up in my hot hands, and headed to the check out!!! Why so jazzed about mini plain Janes? Simple .   .   . when putting together a fancy schmancy luncheon for the ladies, a pop of simple just punctuates the vintage place settings around this itty-bitty sweet wink of .   .   . hello!

Table knives, (aka dinner knives) are found in all 5 piece place settings, may vary in length, width, and design while serving an all purpose use, and are usually around 9 1/4 inches in length. Its use ranges from cutting a wedge of lettuce salad, to foods other than steak .   .   .

Nice segue .   .   . right?

Steak knives .   .   . Ahhhhh .   .   . we have arrived!!! Now we have just entered the revered sacred chamber of the carnivore! Oh no .   .   . Did I just hear you ask .   .   . isn’t any serrated knife, a steak knife? No, no, no .   .   . OMG .   .   . Never, never, ever .   .   . I liken the selection of steak knives to the very personal selection of a finely tuned race car. This requires finding the precise heft, balance, as well as the feel of the handle, and the seriousness of the serrated edge. The length is generally between 8 – 9 inches. Some people who take their steak eating seriously, have been known to spend many hundreds of  dollars for a set of 6 steak knives.

On the other hand .   .   .

For the ‘fish-ionado’, there is of course .   .   . the fish knife .    .    . (that pairs with a fish fork.)*  The knife has a definite shape to the design, because of its specific use. The blade is wide, dull edged, and has a notch at the tip used to separate, and lift bones away from the body of the fish. The general length is approximately 8 3/4 inches. *(As to the fish fork .   .   . it is also great for its ability to separate the fish from the body, and has a wide, sometimes notched left tine, which is helpful in negotiating around the bones.  It measures around 7 1/2” long).

WAIT !!! My conscience will not rest, if I don’t enlighten you as to the use of 3 more knives, and I know that you want your knife knowledge to be a cut above .  .   .

Luncheon knives, range in length from 8 – 8 3/4 inches, and are used with luncheon sized plates, which are smaller in size than a dinner plate, omitting the need for humungous portions for lunch. P S… the perfect place for my itty-bitty spreaders.

Dessert knives .   .   . yup .   .  . I thought this would get your attention! Of the two styles, one has a rounded tip for soft desserts, and the other has a pointed tip to cut hard desserts. Both knives have a narrow blade, and measure around 8 inches in length.

Fruit knives, measure from 6 1/2 inches to 7 plus inches in length, and are best when the blade is slightly curved, with a pointed tip, making it easy to peel, and cut fresh fruit. Again, a table utensil that is generally not sold with everyday sets, but are available from the inexpensive to the sterling silver versions, and sold in sets of 6.

O K people.   .   . now I’m done .   .   . and yes, happy!

Candle tip of the week  . . .  Always extinguish tapers 1 – 2 inches above a crystal or glass candle holder, in order to prevent cracking your holder.

Til next time .   .   .

MORE CANDLE TIPS NEXT TIME

Sharon Insul is the former owner of the popular Beverly Hills boutique Candle light and…

I WELCOME YOUR COMMENTS and QUESTIONS  .   .   . sharons3@me.com

Shop on line @http://www.shop.tableofferings.com for one-of -a-kind finds for your tablescape and home decor.