In today's busy world of fast food and television dinner recipes, it's easy to forget how to properly set the table for a formal dinner. While this may not be a skill you need often, you may encounter instances where you need to set the table correctly. Learn the basics and you'll be ready to host (or attend) any formal dinner in peace.
Step
Part 1 of 2: Setting Default Settings
Step 1. Decide how many meals you will serve
The main setting you serve to your guests depends on how many dishes you decide to serve; five or seven meals are common examples for formal dinners. Decide on your menu and keep in mind that a typical meal is served in the following order:
- First meal: Appetizer/scallops
- 2nd meal: Soup
- Third food: Fish
- Food four: Roast Meat
- 5th meal: Game (for 5 courses, 4th/fifth meals combined as main course options).
- Sixth meal: Salad (yes, salad is served after the meal)
- Seventh meal: Dessert
- Food eight: Fruit, cheese, and coffee (optional)
- Food number nine: Nuts and raisins (optional).
Step 2. Choose your dining utensils and plates
Before setting the table, make sure you have the right furniture and plates to prepare. You will need 1 fork for each meat meal (seafood fork should be used for seafood appetizers), spoon for soups and desserts, knife for main course, butter and fish (if served), large plate, plate for butter /bread, and glasses of choice (goblets, glasses for white wine, glasses for red wine, and flutes for champagne of any choice).
- Each dish is brought out of the kitchen on its own plate, so don't worry about preparing the plates at this setting.
- Prepare cloth napkins with napkin rings as an additional decorative element on the table.
Step 3. Arrange the plates
The most important part of setting the place is setting the plate for a large dish. This is the large plate on which all the plates of take-out food are based. This large plate will remain on the table until the main course is finished, then removed along with the main course plate. Place this large plate in the center on each setting. The second plate you should have is the butter/bread plate. This plate should be placed to the left of the large plate on which it is based.
- When you remove the plates before the main course, leave this basic large plate and take only the empty plates.
- You have to serve several choices of bread for your guests to eat, this is what the bread/butter plate is for.
- Your cloth napkin should be placed on a large base plate.
Step 4. Arrange your furniture
While having 3 forks, 2 knives, and 2 spoons may look scary, their placement is actually quite simple. With your furniture, you use it from the outside in. So, on the left side of the large base plate, you should have fish fork > salad fork > main course fork. On the right side of a large base plate, place your night knife > fish knife > soup spoon. On your plate, parallel and horizontal, place the dessert spoon and dessert fork (this fork is optional). The butter knife should be placed diagonally/transversely against your butter/bread plate.
- Each utensil will be removed from the table after use.
- If you are not serving fish then there is no need to place the fish fork and fish knife on the table.
- If you are serving shellfish as an appetizer, the shellfish fork should be placed to the right of the soup spoon. This is the only fork that should be placed on the right side of the table.
- Each utensil should be equally spaced from one tool to another and a large base plate.
Step 5. Arrange your glasses
The glasses you choose to use will vary depending on what you're serving for dinner. Traditionally, there must have been at least goblets and glasses for wine, but in practice this will vary. Place the goblet just above the knife and level with the bread/butter plate. Add the wine glass to the right, usually above the soup spoon. If you are adding a third wine glass (for a different type of wine), place it above and between the water glass and the first wine glass. The flute glass for optional champagne can also be inserted and placed above and to the right of the first wine glass.
- Similar to cutlery, your glasses must also be placed in the order in which they are used.
- Water is usually served in a glass, while wine and champagne will be poured while the food is served.
- If you choose to serve the coffee as a 9 course meal, use a demi-tasse (a type of espresso cup) and serve this coffee last, then take the coffee cup along with the fruit/cheese platters.
Part 2 of 2: Adjusting the Table Setting for Each Food Set
Step 1. Set the table for the soup
For the first soup meal, there are two options: bring the same bowl of soup from the kitchen or offer the liquid or cream soup and serve it on a new plate on the table, which was already served in a bowl and taken out of the kitchen. After that, the soup will be served (carefully) on the table into clean bowls. Soup bowls should be carried on serving plates to avoid spills. When everyone has finished eating their soup, the soup spoon should be placed (with the bowl side up) on the right side of their bowl on the serving plate.
- Plates, bowls and spoons will be removed from the table after the first serving.
- The plate of bread and butter remains on the table, even if it has been used with soup.
Step 2. Set the table for the fish
After the soup is taken, the fish dish must be brought into its own plate. This will be placed on a large base plate and eaten with a fish knife and fork (the utensil furthest from the large base plate on both the left and right sides). When finished eating fish, fish forks and fish knives should be placed diagonally from the plate, with the handles positioned at '4:00' o'clock.
Step 3. Set the table for the main course
The main course should be brought out on a large, preheated plate. This plate will be placed on a large base plate, and the main course will be eaten with a dinner fork and knife. When everyone is done with the main course, the plate can be removed along with the large base plate, dinner fork and knife. Knives and forks are usually placed diagonally/transversely from the plate, in a position similar to the utensils used for fish.
Step 4. Set the table for the salad
Salads are usually eaten after the main course of a formal dinner. With the large base plate raised, place the salad plate in the center of the setting. This salad should be eaten with the last remaining fork. When the salad is done, the salad plate, salad fork, bread/butter plate with a butter knife, and wine/champagne glasses should be removed. The utensils that must be left are a goblet and a dessert spoon (and an optional dessert fork).
Step 5. Set the table for dessert
The last course of the evening is usually dessert and coffee, unless you're serving a very formal 9-course dinner. Otherwise, the dessert should be brought in on a plate and placed in the middle of the setting, and the demi-tasse or teacup should be placed to the right of the dessert plate, under the goblet with a teaspoon. Cream and sugar are laid out on the table to use on tea or coffee, if you prefer. When the dessert is finished, all the plates must be removed until the table is empty.
Tips
- Choose a low table centerpiece. Don't block guests' views of each other or the conversation.
- In all formal settings, don't be afraid to match one against the other if you don't have the right cutlery. Mixing and matching is all the rage these days.
- The most important thing to remember when setting the table is to make sure your guests are comfortable. With the rise of more casual dinners, it's fun to try to formally set the table. However, don't neglect your guests' comfort and your own joy (this is why we sometimes need to entertain). If you don't have all the formal table ornaments, you can rent them or improvise. Some of the best looking tables are the result of improvising using unexpected objects.
