What Is Continental-Size Flatware?
Part of proper table etiquette is the ability to distinguish between flatware and know which piece is used when. Flatware consists of forks, knives and spoons. At elegant restaurants, several sets of flatware may be placed around a single plate. There are three types of flatware: place, dinner and continental. Of the three, the continental flatware is the largest in size and resembles flatware typical to Europe or hotel-size flatware. Does this Spark an idea?
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Size
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Continental flatware is longer and larger overall than the typical dinner flatware popular in the United States. As stated by Gourmet Settings, continental-size flatware has "elegant European proportions." For example, a place knife is 9 inches long, a dinner knife is 9 3/4 inches long while a continental knife is 10 1/2 inches long.
Purpose
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According to Gourmet Settings, continental-size flatware is often used for formal dining. Its elegance and larger size make it stand out from regular, everyday flatware, making it an ideal addition to a formal dinner. As stated by Online Sterling, continental-size flatware is becoming popular in the U.S. but is still traditionally European, where it is popular.
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Flatware Available
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The flatware available in continental size does not differ from the flatware available in place or dinner size. There is the knife, fork, salad fork, soup spoon and teaspoon. The fork is about 2 inches longer than the salad fork. In a five-piece set of continental-size flatware, the dinner fork, place knife and soup spoon are longer than dinner or plate-size flatware while the salad fork and teaspoon are a similar size.
Additional Information
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Continental-size flatware is available in a variety of designs. It usually comes as a five-piece set for either four or six table settings. This flatware is usually made of sterling silver or stainless steel.
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References
- Photo Credit continental breakfast image by Ivonne Wierink from Fotolia.com
