The Cookware Blog

We were forced to thaw out and cook the frozen turkey because now that November is upon us, we’ll be getting more free turkeys from the supermarkets and we’ll probably need to freeze one until at least Christmas. Until a few moments ago it didn’t occur to me how great the turkey soup tasted because of the stainless steel flatware I was using.

For hours now that aroma has been taunting me from every room downstairs. When we eat something that bears little resemblance to how it smells we experience a disconnect, like somethings wrong. Even if the taste is good our mind tells us it isn’t authentic. That never happens with soup off a stainless steel spoon.

When elegance matters to the host or hostess we generally do what we can to adorn our tables with ornate candle holders, folded cloth napkins and a full place setting. The dinnerware set usually includes the cups and saucers for coffee and tea as well as the desert plates, salad plates and soup bowls.

Having complete sets is essential and we set a place for everyone regardless of age or eating habits. The flatware should all match including any steak or butter knives we’ll use. We all enjoy a formal dining experience even though it requires more planning and preparation.

With the holidays approaching and plans for many elegant meals, be prepared to impress your guests by the arrangement of your place settings. Creativity abounds for setting a beautiful holiday table and the resources to feed the imagination are almost limitless.

If we plan to serve a three course meal or more, don’t forget to place the stainless steel flatware in order of the courses to be served, starting from the outside. The soup spoon and knives are traditionally on the right hand of the plate while the salad and dinner forks are on the right. Dessert spoon and fork should be placed between the plate and glasses with the handle of the spoon toward the right, and the handle of the fork toward the left.

With an ever increasing awareness of the growing numbers of chemicals used in so many different products available to the consumer, we’ve made adjustments to what we allow in our home. I’m continually impressed by manufacturers that accomplish product development utilizing safe natural ingredients that work.

Where polished silver may have a place, care should be taken knowing that these utensils will be touching our food and entering our mouths. Stainless steel flatware has no such need for special cleaning or maintenance treatments. Whether washed by hand or machine this flatware will always look good and never interact with the taste of our food.

Growing up I remember when we finally bought a dishwasher because it was no longer my chore to dry and put away every piece of silverware we’d used at dinner. While stainless steel flatware is far and away the most popular choice for presentation and durability, having a set that is dishwasher safe is on the top of my list for features.

With the improved efficiency of appliances it is even more economical these days to load the dishwasher, than trying to wash all of that flatware by hand. I still have to manually load and unload each piece, but that chore seems a whole lot more agreeable than the former.

When a set of stainless steel flatware is as elegant as it is versatile, we feel comfortable keeping them on hand no matter what the occasion. Keeping in mind we’ll always have to clean up later, we trust the dishwasher will restore them to that unmistakable luster.

For something that is used as often as our everyday flatware, sturdiness becomes the standard. The sturdier the set, the more confident we are that none of the forks will be bent or misshapen.