The Best Serving Forks

Buying Guide

While it’s perfectly fine to serve a meal straight from the pot on the stove, sometimes it’s nice to set a formal table with serving platters and serving flatware. One important and versatile piece of flatware to always have on hand is the serving fork. It’s simple yet incredibly functional, helping to dish out everything from meat to vegetables to fruit and even dessert.

There are many different types of serving forks available, and having a couple of different kinds can help complete your flatware set. The regular serving fork is the pillar of the collection, able to grab just about any kind of food. It features four wide and long tines that slightly pivot outwards, making a large surface area. If you often serve small appetizers as well as fish, a sardine fork is a helpful tool. It has short and wide tines that are useful for picking up delicate items. For those who enjoy baked potatoes, the baked potato serving fork will come in handy. It has two large tines, ideal for grabbing hot spuds. A toast serving fork can make any breakfast feel fancy. It’s a short and stubby fork perfect for piercing bread.

If you want to making grabbing pats of butter easier, get a butter pick serving fork, which is a small fork with two small tines. A lemon serving fork is similar to a salad fork except that the tines spread outwards. It’s great for grabbing any kind of garnish, not just lemons. If you like to serve charcuterie boards, you need a pickle serving fork. It has a long and thin handle, perfect for reaching over vast boards of goodies as well as into tall pickle jars. The pastry serving fork, sometimes called the pie fork, has three small tines which are great for piercing any kind of dessert.

• When it comes to materials for serving forks, you have a couple of options. If you entertain often and want to go for elegance, opt for sterling silver serving forks. They are timeless and have formal appeal. You can even choose a silver or gold plated one. If you are looking for a daily use workhorse, then stainless steel is the best choice. It’s a hardy material that is dishwasher safe. Another option is pewter, which is best for occasional use. It has a unique visual appeal with a vintage vibe. However, keep in mind that pewter is a soft metal and has the capacity to dent easily.
• How many serving forks do you need? There really isn’t a right answer because it mostly depends on the type of food you like to serve as well as how much you entertain. For many people, having one or two serving forks is plenty. However, others may need to have five or six for their spread.
• Serving forks are small, but that doesn’t mean they can’t have a big design impact on your table. If you prefer a more modern look, opt for serving forks which have straight, clean lines or angular designs. For those who like the more traditional aesthetic, opt for serving forks which have rounded decorations and floral motifs. For the vintage vibe, it’s more about the finish than the design. Pewter or dull metals tend to give an old-world look.