Table setting at home

Agree that the lack of regular family dinners, get-togethers with friends in the kitchen, as well as a separate dining room is just an excuse not to bother with table setting once again. Of course, it is much easier to do nothing than to do at least something. However, a simple home table setting does not require much knowledge and effort.

So, where should you start to make this uncomplicated action turned into a habit? Let's take it in order ...

Table setting at home

Step 1. A good start is to live for today.

Remember where your beautiful dishes or festive service is stored? Obviously, somewhere on the top shelf. It is inconvenient to get it, so the excuses are “not today, tomorrow!”. And the same thing will happen again tomorrow. Right now, check out the dishes! No need to eat from old faceless plates and drink tea from worn and scratched cups.

If you need every day a great mood, beautiful and pleasing to the eye tableware - the faithful assistant in this!

Step 2. Remove all unnecessary

All these intricate principles of serving seem well, very pathetic, as if from a beautiful fictional life. They are so many that sometimes dizzy. Do they need them? We borrow only the most important rules. So, what do you need for serving at home?

The serving plate is a flat, large plate, the edges of which are visible from under the other plates.

If there are no such plates in stock, a traditional hot plate can be an excellent alternative. You ask - why? It turns out, in addition to the decorative function, it also protects the table and tablecloth from possible stains and splashes. By the way, about the tablecloth: now you can seriously think about it in terms of “every day”.

A plate for snacks - a small flat plate designed for canapes or salad. It is usually removed from the table as soon as the snacks run out. In everyday life, such a plate can be used as the main one: it is very convenient to follow the portion sizes on a diet.

Deep plate - designed for first courses. Its place is on top of the serving and snack plates, if the first dish is served.

Note: pasta with sauce is best served in such a plate in order to avoid embarrassment with random sprays from the sauce.

Pastry plate or a plate of bread. According to the rules of classic serving, it is placed on the left side, but in principle, you can do without it in daily serving. The picture below shows a convenient diagram that will help you navigate faster - what, where and how.

Cutlery. Here we will not consider the angles of cutting the tips of the knife and count the number of teeth on the fork - we will learn how to correctly lay out the cutlery. Put a knife on the right side of the plate (the blade is turned to the plate) and a spoon, on the left side - a fork. When a festive table setting, a dessert fork is placed in a different direction over the plate, a small spoon for coffee or tea is placed above it; on the patty plate - additionally a knife for butter. And this is more than enough!

Glasses. They are placed on the right diagonally, starting with the most voluminous and high for water and ending with a glass for strong drinks.

Step 3. According to the hotelier principle

Surely you paid attention to the fact that white restaurants are more common in restaurants of hotels. Plates without decor, but nevertheless, when you sit down at a table with a beautiful tablecloth and with this dish, you feel the very magic of a luxurious serving.

Of course, if you already have beautiful homeware with an interesting decor that supports the style of the kitchen interior, no doubt use it. If not, feel free to use white dishes. And add a decor with a tablecloth, napkins and the correct layout of plates and appliances, which we have already described.

Step 4. If there is not enough space

What to do if the size of the table does not allow to decompose all devices in the traditional way:

• instead of a serving plate, we put a beautiful round mat - it perfectly copes with the decorative function;

• purchase all plates (including serving plates) of smaller diameter;

• put a spoon for first courses horizontally over the plate, and serve dessert instruments separately;

• use a multi-level stand to arrange a dessert or snack vertically;

• You can use the serving table (if there is one) by placing it near the main table.

Step 5. What should I do if some of the dishes broke?

Life is a way of life: dishes are often broken, and as a result only a part of the plates or cups from one set, some from the other remains. And here is the only way out - to think ahead.

That is, buying a new dish, it is necessary to foresee in advance whether it will be combined with the one already available in color, shape, style or material.

Home serving allows many interesting options. Beautiful pitch is real creativity. Learn to combine the incompatible. Here are some examples:

• be creative on both sides. For example, put yellow plates on the green ones on the one hand, green ones on the yellow ones on the other.

• make up for a missing shade with a napkin or tablecloth.

• maybe there are a few candlesticks of the right style or suitable colors to create the perfect harmony? - Perfectly!

• No plates of the desired color, but there are mats or tracks? - Also a great option!

• What to think of if there are not enough glasses or glasses from one set? Tie the leg of the glass with lace, thin satin ribbon, lace or twine. Glasses remained in inconsistency - combine them into a single composition, drawing, for example, a stencil copy of the same drawing.

Keep thinking in this vein, and you will succeed!