Photo by Burak K

When sitting down to a formal dinner, there is one thing people fear more than anything else. Is it spilling soup down the front of their pants? Loudly burping during dinner? Well, yes, people fear those things, too. However, most people would agree that choosing the right eating utensil for the right course of the meal is also high up on their list of worries.

There is a simple solution to this dilemma, however. As any book on dining etiquette will point out, you need simply start on the outside and work your way in towards your plate.

Unless an error was made on the part of your host, a formal table setting will include only the silverware necessary for the meal you are about to eat, and they will be arranged in the correct positions. If for some reason, your host has made an error in his or her choice of utensils, be classy, and certainly don’t point that out.

Your first dish will correspond with the first utensil to be used – again, this utensil will be furthest from the dish. As each course is eaten and the dish cleared away, the utensil will be removed with it. That will help eliminate any confusion on when to stop using a certain utensil. Remember, clean utensils will always be brought out for later courses. You will never need to keep your fork or spoon to the side for later use!

Pick up any etiquette book off the shelf, and you will find photos of the correct place settings for a formal dinner. The pictures may vary slightly from book to book dependent upon how many courses for which the setting is laid, but the basic arrangement in each will be very similar.

Proper place settings and dinner etiquette have been around for centuries, and there has been little change in them in all that time. One of the most popular books on etiquette – Miss Manners by Judith Martin – features a place setting including a “service plate” that has endured for over a century.

The following is guide on what to expect from a formal dinner and gives you a brief guide on how to properly use your utensils.