Silverware
How much Silver is in my Silverware?
Last modified on 2009-11-29 03:10:13 GMT. 8 comments. Top.
Actually, the answer depends on what type of Silverware you have.
Today, the term ‘silverware‘ is very generic, and refers to any of a number of household implements, such as: flatware, cutlery, dishes, candlesticks, and even sports trophies. But that wasn’t always the case.
The widespread popularity of silverware really took hold in Victorian England, starting around 1840, and peaked from 1870 – 1920. Victorian etiquette dictated that food should no longer be touched with ones fingers. As a result, in both America and Europe the use of sterling silver flatware became the standard for proper etiquette. The growth in silverware’s popularity was increased by the growing middle class who were eager to display their new wealth. The growth in the middle class’s amount of disposable income, and their desire to display that wealth (to further enhance their social status) led to the creation of utensils to fulfill every imaginable use. During this time period, dinner also evolved from 3 simple courses to 10 (or more) course events. A typical dining service included the bouillon spoon, gumbo soup spoon, salad fork, butter spreader, fruit knife, cheese knife, shrimp or cocktail fork, dinner fork, dinner knife, place fork, place knife, teaspoon, pastry fork, coffee spoon, demitasse spoon, and iced tea spoon.
So, back to our question – how much silver is really in silverware?
Silverware, as the name implies, was historically made from (obviously) silver. However, being a very soft and malleable metal, it was necessary to blend the silver with another metal to enhance its strength. This gave rise to the alloy called Sterling Silver, which has long been recognised as the ‘silver‘ standard. Sterling Silver contains (by law) 92.5% pure silver and 7.5% of other metals – typically copper. More recently, other metals (such as zinc and platinum) have been used to enhance specific properties, such as resistance to tarnish, but none have been able to replace copper as the standard. So, if you’re fortunate enough to have inherited, purchased (or possibly even collect) sterling silver, it contains at least 92.5% pure silver (and as the price of silver goes up, so does the value of your flatware).
That’s great news for those who own sterling silver, but what about silverplate?
For silverplate, the answer is not as straight forward. It actually depends on when the cutlery was made since the plating process changed. As the process changed so did the thickness and purity of the silver.
Silverplate cutlery is made from a base metal (usually copper, nickle, or zinc) which is coated with a layer of silver. The original process was discovered in 1743 by Thomas Boulsover of the Sheffield Cutlers Company (thank you Wikipedia) when he accidentally overheated the handle for a decorative knife he was trying to repair. The silver and copper had melted and fused together into a composite, the two layers behaving as one. This technique was later refined around 1770 when the ‘double sandwich’ process was developed. Here a copper core is ’sandwiched’ between two layers of silver, then heated and formed. This was especially useful for items such as cups and bowls that had a visible interior.
The Sheffield plating process continued until about 1840 when it was replaced by the highly efficient electroplating process. Electroplating is a by which a very thin layer (typically 35 microns) of one metal (at the anode) is deposited (or plated) onto another conductive, usually metal, material (at the cathode) as an electrical current passes through them (the metal ions are transferred via an electrolyte solution which permits the flow of electricity – completing the circuit). One benefit of electroplating is that the surface is made of pure silver, not sterling silver. Unfortunately, the silver layer itself is quite thin, so the majority of the part consists of the cheaper core metal. Even though electroplating was much more cost effective than the Sheffield ’sandwich’ process, the Sheffield method continued to be used for the next 100 years, typically for items which were subject to heavy wear (such as military uniform buttons and tankards).
All other types of cutlery, typically referred to as ‘silverware‘ contain no silver at all. Today’s most common varieties are made of stainless steel, typically the 18/8 or 18/10 alloys. The numbers refer to the composition of the steel alloy. The base metal is iron, and it is blended with 18% chromium and 8% (or 10%) nickel. Higher quality stainless steel flatware will be heavier than ‘cheaper’ versions.
Other materials from which cutlery has been made include gold (solid and plated), brass, and pewter, all of which obviously contain no silver.
How Much Silverware do you need?
Last modified on 2009-01-06 04:39:16 GMT. 1 comment. Top.
Like most things, there is no simple answer. The amount and type of silverware (flatware) you will require are completely dependent upon the formality of the occasion. So before I get into the type and quantity of silverware you’ll be needing, lets’ first look at the settings you are likely to choose from.
Since most of the Holiday dinners my wife and I host tend to have the similar menus, I had to do a little research to get the finer points of where everything goes, and which way the knife should face (fyi – the blade of the knife should always face the plate). With that in mind, shown below are the basic layouts that I’ll be referring to. For those of you who are interested in more detailed explanations about the order of service, the variations in settings, and what you should or should not eat with your fingers, visit Emily Post’s Table Setting Guide, Replacements Ltd, Did You Know, or Wikipedia.
Basic
The basic setting requires the fewest pieces of flatware and dinnerware per setting. This is naturally the most common type and is used by most chain to mid-price restaurants. A common type of this setting is shown below.
A Basic Table Setting
An even simpler version of this setting has no salad plate with the bread knife and butter dish optional. Other variations might include placing the napkin where the salad plate is placing the salad plate on top of the dinner plate, with the napkin on top of that.
Informal (Table Service)
Whether being referred to as an informal service (as I am) or formal dinner service, the distinguishing feature of this setting is that the serving dishes are placed on the table – picture Thanksgiving with the Turkey on a platter, surrounded by bowls of stuffing and cranberry sauce, etc, that are passed around the table.
An Informal Table Setting
The setting above is set for a menu consisting of a soup course, salad or first course, an entree, and dessert. Here most variations will occur with the type of glasses used. Depending upon the meal, these can be any combination of wine glasses, water goblet, and coffee cup & saucer.
Formal (Kitchen Service)
This is the most formal type of service, where all of the food (and drink) is served from the kitchen (similar to a restaurant).
The Formal Setting
Although very similar to the Informal setting, here the Service Plate (a) or Charger (Thank you Emily Post) serves as an under plate on top of which all courses are placed, until it is swapped for the entree. The only other additions are the Fish knife (g), oyster/fish fork (j), a sherry glass (le), and possibly a champagne flute (not shown).
Let’s get to the Silverware
As you can see (and probably already knew) as the ‘formality’ of the setting increases, so does the amount of dinnerware and silverware. So when purchasing flatware the most obvious question that you need to answer is “what type of service am I most likely to have?”. For the vast majority, I am guessing it will be the informal service, which will typically occur on the Holidays. So in order to keep from having to run the dishwasher between dinner and dessert (or using plastic utensils) keep the following in mind:
Silverware is typically sold in service sets of 5 pcs each. A service set includes a knife, two forks (salad and dinner), a soup spoon and a teaspoon. Flatware sets that are not sold in multiples of ‘5′ generally come in one of two variations, with serving pieces or extra teaspoons or salad/dessert forks. I always like having more forks (especially for dessert). This is probably due to the fact we always have plenty of desserts and not many people in my family drink coffee (so I always have more than enough spoons). So as a first estimate, you’ll need to know roughly how many people will be dropping by (on average). If you have the financial resources to buy the finest silver for all your guests, good for you. More realistically, a quality service for 8 – 12 should be fine, with a similarly styled, less expensive set for younger adults and children. Since my wife and I both come from small families our service for 16 does fine (or at least it did until both my nieces got a boyfriends).
Most important to remember is that if the set your considering does not come with service pieces, make sure they can be purchased separately. Most (if not all) manufacturers will sell service sets which typically include a serving spoon, slotteed spoon, serving fork, butter knife, and sugar spoon. In most cases it will be a good idea to get the additional service set even if a few are included with your basic set. because you’ll almost always have more side dishes than serving utensils. Since everyone tends to like different things, and we try to have something for everyone, we almost always have as many side dishes as we do serving utensils. At our last Christmas dinner we used 2 serving forks, 3 serving spoons, 3 slotted spoons, a mini ladle and a spatula (for the Lasagna).
To summarize, know your service:
- What type of meal (basic, informal or formal) will it be ?
- How many people will you be serving ?
- Adults only or adults & children ?
- How many courses &/or sides will need to be served ?
- Special considerations (lots of coffee drinkers, seafood courses, etc) that will require specific utensils ?
The best part is that it doesn’t all have to be done at once. However, if you’re putting together your Wedding Registry, ask for it all, and whatever (if anything) you don’t receive, you can always pick it up later, just don’t forget extra serving utensils, it’ll spare you from having to use plastic (you can thank me later).
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