How to hold a fork correctly

It would seem that there is nothing easier than the ability to hold a fork correctly in your hand. This skill was instilled in us in childhood, and we teach it to our children. But sometimes it turns out that all our science does not correspond to the rules of table etiquette. Why is this happening? Yes, because this cutlery can be used solo or urgently require a pair.

How to hold a fork

To understand which hand the cutlery should be in, you should pay attention to the dish with which it is served. This will be discussed a little below, but for now let’s focus on the holding technique itself.

Hidden handle method got its name due to the fact that the handle is covered with the palm. This option refers to the European style of using cutlery, when when using a fork and knife together, the first one is always in the left hand.

To prevent anyone from accusing you of ignorance, you should keep your index finger straight on the back of the handle. The pad of the index finger is placed close to the base (but not so much as to come into contact with the food), and the remaining fingers wrap around the handle, holding the fork in position.

American style easier to learn because it involves holding the cutlery in the same way as you hold a ballpoint pen: the thumb and middle finger hold the handle from below and above, and the index finger simply rests on top of it.In this case, the cutlery can be used both with the left hand (at the moment of cutting a piece) and with the right (when the food is put into the mouth).

How and when to hold it correctly in your right hand

A fork can be in the right hand not only in the American style of using cutlery, but also when eating dishes that do not require the help of a knife when cutting them. For example, these are desserts or pilaf.

This situation requires compliance with only one serious rule: the teeth should be oriented upward most of the time. The fork turns over only in one case - when it separates the next piece of the dish.

How and when to hold it correctly in your left hand

The fork is in the left hand when it is paired with a knife. This rule of etiquette appeared for a reason, because most people are more comfortable using their right hand when cutting rather tough steaks or cutting some other dish into pieces.

The left hand in this process only helps to hold the product in place. Well, the subsequent eating of the dish using a held fork is just a tribute to decency - an attempt to avoid constantly transferring cutlery from one hand to another.

It is important to remember that the fork horns should always be oriented downwards. The fairly common habit of holding it with the left hand with the teeth pointing upward is a sure sign of the lack of education of the person using the cutlery.

When can you transfer from one hand to another?

The American style has already been mentioned above, which allows you to use a fork with one brush or the other. But besides this, there is another situation when you can deviate from the general rules. Or rather, not to retreat from them, but to mirror them.

We are talking about left-handed people: if in ordinary life you use your left hand more actively, then you should hold the knife in it at the table. In this case, the fork goes to the right one, and all the rules of etiquette work in a “mirror” format (left hand - tines up, right hand - down, and if the device is used without a knife, then it is in the left).