
Types of Forks
- Carving Fork. This two-tined fork has especially long tines and is used for carving large chunks of meat, such as hams.
- Cocktail Fork. These small two-tined forks are meant for adding garnishments to drinks. ...
- Dessert Fork. ...
- Dinner Fork. ...
- Fruit Fork. ...
- Ice Cream Fork. ...
- Oyster Fork. ...
- Roasting Fork. ...
- Salad Fork. ...
- Spaghetti Fork. ...
What is a toasting fork used for?
Toasting forks are used for holding food over an open flame. They most commonly have two tines, but some types will have three. The tines will be sharp so that the food will be speared and help securely over the flame, to prevent it from falling off into the fire and being wasted.
What are the different types of Forks?
24 Types of Forks and Their Uses (with Pictures) 1 Dessert Fork. This type of fork is shorter than both a table fork and a fruit fork, with a slightly slimmer head. It has three tines and is commonly ... 2 Fish Fork. 3 Oyster Fork. 4 Dinner Fork. 5 Salad Fork. More items
What does a carving fork look like?
This fork will have a large handle that enables the user to get a good grip on it, and two large, sharp tines, which are long enough to stab all the way through a slab of meat. You can find carving forks in a wide array of designs, with some being classical-looking while others are more decorative.
What is a dinner fork used for?
Dinner forks are those that are used for eating the main course of your meal, such as meat dishes. They have four tines and a wide, well-balanced shape. While some people may assume that a dinner fork and a table fork are the same thing, there is actually a slight size difference.

What is a 2 tine fork used for?
Deli Forks have two tines designed for picking up slices of prosciutto and very thinly-sliced deli meats. Deli Forks are just one of many table accessories produced by 3V Venosta. Snail Forks are small forks used for aperitifs, for skewering olives, snails, canapes and other tidbits and appetizers.
What is a 3 tine fork for?
A narrow fork with three tines, this fork (also called a seafood or cocktail fork) is useful for handling shellfish, or for picking up shrimp from a shrimp cocktail. It can remove claw or tail meat from a lobster, although a longer and even narrower lobster pick is often used.
What fork has two tines only?
2 Deli Fork This type of fork has only two tines and was actually created for picking up slices of prosciutto.
What is a fork used for?
fork, implement consisting of two or more prongs supported by a handle, used for cooking, serving, and eating food. Forks and spoons together are known as flatware (q.v.).
Which fork is for salad?
(b) Two Forks: The forks are placed to the left of the plate. The dinner fork, the larger of the two forks, is used for the main course; the smaller fork is used for a salad or an appetizer. The forks are arranged according to when you need to use them, following an “outside-in” order.
Which fork to use first at dinner?
oyster forkThere may be two, three or four forks on the left side of the plate. The only fork placed on the right side of the place setting would be an oyster fork, which would be the very first fork you would use. If a fork is placed above the plate it will be for dessert.
Why do forks have four tines?
The four tines design is to be attributed to a study on the greater ease of taking food and accompanying it to the mouth: the forks with two or three tines were perfect for piercing food but not for collecting it, and they were also often uncomfortable to bring food to the mouth.
Why is fork tine different?
Forks with a wide left tine and an optional notch, such as a salad fork, fish fork, dessert fork, and pastry fork, provide extra leverage when cutting food that normally does not require a knife. Next Question: What is a Chef Quality Kitchen Knives?
What is a fork tine?
The tines of a fork are what make it possible to spear pieces of food with it. Other objects with similarly sharp points can also be described as having tines — like a pitchfork or the antler of a deer. The pointed end on a dental tool is also called a tine.
How many types of fork do we have?
Most people only have a few different types of dining fork in their home cutlery draw, and you may be surprised to find that there are actually over 30 different types of forks used for dining.
Why do forks have 4 tines?
The four tines design is to be attributed to a study on the greater ease of taking food and accompanying it to the mouth: the forks with two or three tines were perfect for piercing food but not for collecting it, and they were also often uncomfortable to bring food to the mouth.
Why do cake forks have a notch?
When used properly, pastry forks are meant to help cut into cake with the wider tine, eliminating the need for a knife. (It's also particularly helpful with fish, where the notch can be used to help remove pieces of skin and delicate bones from your meal.) The “chipped” forks come in all shapes and sizes.
How many prongs should a fork have?
You may have noticed that a fork nearly always has four tines, or prongs, on it. In the several times a day you use this eating utensil, have you ever wondered how it came to look the way it does today? This wasn't always the case.
Why are salad fork tines different?
Forks with a wide left tine and an optional notch, such as a salad fork, fish fork, dessert fork, and pastry fork, provide extra leverage when cutting food that normally does not require a knife.
How to use a serving fork?
Serving forks can be used by pressing them against the serving spoon and holding food between the two to move food from a serving dish to a dinner plate, or you could use it singularly to stab food with the tines and move it to a different plate. Serving forks and spoons are nice things to have at a potluck dinner so that people can serve themselves with ease and in style. If you frequently host dinner parties or garden grills, then these utensils will get used often.
What are cocktail forks used for?
Cocktail forks are small forks with two sharp tines, and they can be used for handling small garnishes, such as olives, and also for eating seafood. If you want to give a more professional touch to any cocktails you prepare, then this type of fork will be a good addition to your collection. The fact that it doubles up for eating shellfish is a bonus. The tines work well for spearing small shrimp in a shrimp cocktail, as well as pulling the meat out of crab claws.
What is a dessert fork?
This type of fork is designed for use with desserts such as pies, tarts, cakes, and other sweet dishes. If you buy a large dinnerware set, then dessert forks are likely to be included as they are one of the more common types of forks.
What is a salad fork?
Salad forks can be identified from the fact that they are slightly shorter in length than dinner forks, and the tine on the left will have a flat edge so that it can be used to chop lettuce or other components of a salad dish. When preparing a place setting for a dinner party, forks should be placed in order, with the one you will use first being farthest from the plate.
How many different types of forks are there?
Most people only have a few different types of dining fork in their home cutlery draw, and you may be surprised to find that there are actually over 30 different types of forks used for dining. If you’ve ever felt flustered and confused by the different forks offered in a restaurant and struggled to decide that one to use, or if you want to learn about types of forks to impress your dinner guests, then this guide is exactly what you’ve been looking for.
How long are lobster forks?
These forks may also be known as shrimp forks or lobster forks. They are quite short, usually measuring between four and five inches long. They are very slender in design, with a thin metal handle that is separated into two small prongs at the end. These prongs are fine and sharp and are so small so that they can easily reach into the crevices of shellfish to pull out all of the meat and ensure none is wasted. These types of forks will not typically come in dinnerware sets but can be bought in sets of four or six crab forks. These are most commonly seen in stores along coastlines where seafood is popularly eaten, such as New England in the US, and the Norfolk coast in the UK. These types of forks are usually inexpensive, and they can make eating shellfish a much easier and less messy experience, so they’re a good investment if you’re a fan of eating this type of food.
What is a spaghetti fork?
Spaghetti Fork. Despite their name, spaghetti forks are designed to use when eating all sorts of long pasta, such as linguine, fettuccine, and tagliatelle. These forks will typically have three tines, and each tine has ridges in it that makes them better able to grip the pasta that is wrapped around them.
