How to Buy Flatware
Unless all of your dining habits revolve around finger food, take-out meals or eating in restaurants, you're going to need a good set of flatware. Here's how to get started in your quest for utensils. Does this Spark an idea?
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Instructions
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Evaluate your current lifestyle needs for flatware. If you're going off to college or moving into your first studio apartment, for instance, the chances are that you're not going to be serving a lot of fancy sit-down meals. Maybe you're a free spirit and bargain hunter who thinks that an eclectic mix of thrift store styles is all part of your quirky charm. Conversely, if your job or social status dictates that you host formal dinners or afternoon teas, you'll be in the market for an elegant set that includes additional pieces such as shrimp forks, butter knives and slotted ladles.
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Determine what type of flatware will go best with your existing plates, glasses and table linens. If you're planning to keep your flatware for a long time, you'll want to consider a style that is versatile enough to transition to different decors. Flatware ranges from the simplicity of classic designs to the ornate scroll work and detail inherent in traditional patterns. A third option is "artsy" flatware that often has handles made of wood, bright colored plastic, or inlaid designs. If your budget allows for it, you may want to buy one set of flatware for informal, everyday use and a second set (the "good stuff") that is for more formal occasions and holidays.
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Decide on how much time and energy you want to put into keeping your flatware looking nice. At one end of the spectrum is stainless steel. It's remarkably durable, dishwasher safe, and rust resistant. If it gets a spot or a stain, these can easily be removed with a little bit of household baking soda and a gentle scrub. At the other end of the spectrum is sterling silver. Its timeless beauty and value is high maintenance and not only requires regular polishing to keep its shine but also storage in specially designed boxes to keep it from being scratched. Like sterling silver, gold-plated flatware (another high value item) needs to be washed by hand and is susceptible to chipping and flaking. You'll probably also want to hand wash any flatware that has wooden or plastic handles since their finish will turn dull after multiple stints in a dishwasher.
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View different styles of flatware on-line before you set foot in a store. This will allow you to comparison shop and get a sense of what your purchase is going to cost you. In addition to department stores that sell flatware in their housewares divisions, there are also online flatware distributors that offer a larger array of choices. Whichever route you choose, always inquire about the store's return policies just in case it doesn't look as good on your table as it did in the store display. Only deal with reputable companies, especially if you're making your purchases electronically.
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Plan ahead. If it's cost-prohibitive or impractical for you to buy a service for 12 and a complete hostess set all at once, you'll want to choose a pattern that's still going to be available down the road. Likewise, you'll want to be able to order replacement pieces for those occasions when a spoon falls into the garbage disposal or your teenager uses a knife to pry something open and snaps off the handle in the process.
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Buy, at a minimum, a service for eight. This should include a salad fork, a dinner fork, a knife, a soup spoon and a teaspoon. Even if you live a singular, bohemian lifestyle and swear that all you need is a fork, a knife and a spoon, this trio is going to wear out pretty fast if they're used every day and for every meal.
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Tips & Warnings
Most people don't think to include their sterling silver in the itemization of their homeowners insurance policy. Suffice it to say, expensive silver is something that's very easy for burglars to run off with.
If you need steak knives, these will be a separate purchase from the basic flatware set itself. Accordingly, you want to make sure that the company makes a complementary pattern. If they don't, go with a pattern that contrasts with your existing flatware.
Online silver stores often sell sets that include a five-piece hostess collection. If serving items at the dining table instead of bringing them in already assembled on a plate from the kitchen isn't part of your style, don't feel pressured to buy it. The option of purchasing your forks, knives and spoons separately and without the hostess set will save you money.
Don't just save the good stuff for company. Don't you deserve to feel spoiled, too?
Always polish your silver in a well ventilated room and wear gloves; the chemicals in silver polish are highly toxic.
If the handles of your sterling silver have a lot of intricate scroll work, polish them with a dipping solution or cloth rather than one of those creamy pinkish-gray compounds; it works its way into those tiny spots and is next to impossible to get out.
Antique stores often carry vintage flatware that is made of pewter. These were fashioned long before people knew that lead was a hazardous material. It's fine to collect it and display it; just don't eat anything with it.
