How to Choose a Flatware Set

P.S. Don&#;t forget to pair your flatware with a serving set! They come in handy for hosting a crowd.

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What Makes a Flatware Set, Anyway?

According to American etiquette, a formal place setting consists of up to 11 pieces of flatware. Since most of us don&#;t need an oyster fork on regular rotation, generally a 5-piece set covers our bases for nibbling a grain bowl on the couch or hosting a multi-course dinner party for friends.

The Feel

Being the tactile-types that we are, one of the first questions we ask when approaching dinner and tableware is, how does it feel in our hands? Many of us prefer flatware with a bit of weight and heft, just like our pots. Give us a sturdy fork that&#;s not easily bent while we&#;re digging in, and we call that one of life&#;s simple joys.

The Look

Curious about the difference between silverware and flatware? True silverware is made from (you guessed it) silver or silverplate and requires special care. Flatware can be made from a variety of materials like stainless steel, brass, plastic, or bamboo. Stainless steel tends to be the most versatile material of the bunch, but we&#;re big fans of a seductive brass moment, too!

The Materials

Not all stainless steel is created equal. Case and point, 18/10 vs. 18/0 stainless steel. 18/10 stainless steel is made of 18% chromium and 10% nickel, while 18/0 contains 0% nickel. That 10% nickel makes a difference&#;it&#;s lustrous and offers more protection against erosion. 18/10 stainless steel is also sturdy and long-lasting, making it our top choice for the flatware we carry.

The Weight

Flatware weight usually falls into one of these four categories: forged, extra-heavy weight, heavyweight, and medium weight. Forged flatware is made from one thick piece of stainless steel that&#;s heated and then cut to form each utensil, producing a high-quality, durable piece.

The Texture

Texture and comfort are also considerations. Do you like a smooth surface to idly run your thumb across while you eat? An acrylic handle might be the way to go. Or, do you prefer the bare elegance of stainless steel? What shape feels best to hold - rounded or angular? The little details make your flatware unique to your table and show off your sense of style.

The Finish

Typically you&#;ll find stainless steel flatware has two finish options: shiny or matte. The sheen of a glossy finish plays well with more formal affairs like a sit-down holiday meal or anniversary celebration. A matte finish leans in a softer, contemporary direction, and we love it for dining al fresco or laid-back Sunday brunches.

A patina can sometimes develop on certain types of metal alloys like silver, brass, or copper, and we see it as a sign that our flatware has been well-loved over the years. The oxidation that forms with age can sometimes appear as a beautiful green or brown, creating maximal vintage appeal.

The Care

Last, but definitely not least, is what we all care about at the end of the day when we&#;re facing the remnants of a beautiful meal in a sink full of dirty dishes. WIll we be hand washing or throwing these puppies in the dishwasher? Some flatware sets need to be handled with care, while others stand up to the dishwasher&#;s intense environment.

Choose Your Set

Like with your preferred dinnerware set , flatware is another place where you can have some fun expressing your personality at the table. Are you into all things antique, or do you want a contemporary vibe? Do you want to keep things neutral and monochromatic or do you prefer bursts of color on the table? There are more ways to design a fork than you might think, and we&#;re here to help navigate it all. To figure out which ones are worth your time and money, we tested a bunch of utensils so you don&#;t have to. We rated each silverware set based on design, quantity, material, and care. We styled them with and without food, washed them by hand and in the dishwasher, and, of course, ate with them to narrow it down to our top picks. Read on to see our list of the best flatware sets and learn why they came out on top.

A table setting isn&#;t complete without eating utensils. And unless you like the idea of hobbling together whatever mismatched pieces you can find, it&#;s nice to have a complete, coordinated set ready to go for any meal at home. The key pieces in any flatware set are a fork, a knife, and a spoon &#; and many flatware sets include one or two extras like a teaspoon/dessert spoon, in addition to the tablespoon, and a salad fork along with the larger dinner fork (time to remember those dining etiquette rules ). Some more comprehensive silverware sets even include larger utensils like serving spoons, which is great if the party is always at your place .

During our tests, we liked how durable the flatware felt, which makes sense seeing as it has a full-tang design. We did think the blockier handles made the utensils feel bulkier than other options out there, but not to the point of discomfort. Another thing we loved? The knife could do double duty: It cut through tougher vegetables and meats easily thanks to its serration but also worked as a butter knife. No need to go out and buy a second steak knife to complete a table setting! Some retailers offer a 5-piece set that comes with an extra salad fork, but we found that it&#;s not really necessary since there isn&#;t a huge difference in size when compared to the dinner fork.

Living up to its name, this made-in-France flatware set with riveted handles looks like the sort you&#;d find at a classic bistro in Paris. The wide variety of bold color options for the handles &#; including orange, lapis blue, and garden green &#; bring the modern flair. As big fans of the design, we thought the flatware looked stylish and equally good with modern and traditional dinnerware.

It&#;s going to be a bigger investment if you want to buy multiple sets of this one for entertaining at home.

During our tests, we liked that the forks have ultra-long prongs. The knife&#;s handle seemed a little short to us in proportion to how long the blade is but still comfortable to hold. Also, the larger of the two spoons is so big that it veers close to serving spoon territory. If you go for the black or gold option, keep in mind that the brand recommends drying them immediately to prevent spotting.

Made in a family-owned factory in Portugal, this hand-finished flatware set proves that utensils can, in fact, be pretty. The slender utensils are offered in matte gold, matte black, matte steel, and polished steel. Each piece is stamped with the Year & Day initials, Portugal, and 18/10 so you have the who, where, and what right there. As smooth and slim as the flatware&#;s handles may be, we didn&#;t find them to feel too delicate to use, or feel like they would bend. If you&#;re looking for a wedding or housewarming gift for someone who hasn&#;t settled on their flatware yet, this is a strong contender.

During our tests, we determined that aesthetics won over function with this set. The utensils weren&#;t the most comfortable to hold because of the thinness of the handles, and the difference of weight in the materials messed with their balance. This makes them a tricky option for kids or those with dexterity challenges. We did appreciate how different the sizes were between the two types of forks and spoons, however, because that made the set more versatile.

Looking for something a little outside the norm with your flatware? It&#;s easy to forget that silverware doesn&#;t have to look a certain way until you see an option like this chic, design-forward set. It has a bit of mid-century modern flare given its more geometric shape, minimalist look, and use of mixed materials. For example, the circular spoons are a stark visual contrast to your traditional tapered spoon, but we found they still give you a nice full bite. There are three neutral color options to choose from for the handle: black, wood, and cream.

While the included knife does have some light serration on the end, our tests revealed that it wasn&#;t very sharp. If you have tougher cuts of meat in regular rotation at your table or if you host larger dinner parties, you might need to buy some separate steak knives to add to your table setting. But hopefully, that&#;s easier to swing given the nice price-per-unit of each piece in this silverware set.

Hammered flatware always seems to be in style, and the dimpled design of this silver-finished flatware set adds a distinct touch without stealing the spotlight. While we found these utensils to be pretty lightweight, they&#;re also well-built from stainless steel &#; we didn&#;t think they felt flimsy at all when we tested them. We also liked the length of each utensil, which seems like a small detail but actually makes a big difference in how it feels getting food from your plate to your mouth.

Throughout our testing, we really couldn&#;t find much to dislike here. There&#;s the possibility of leaving fingerprint smudges, but given the material, that&#;s pretty standard and we could wipe them right off. Other than that, we thought the packaging could&#;ve been more streamlined since each place setting comes in its own small box and each utensil is wrapped in plastic. That&#;s obviously only a one-time issue, so it&#;s a small price to pay for such reasonably priced utensils (just don&#;t forget to recycle!).

Featuring a tasteful V-shaped handle and good weight, this flatware&#;s contemporary design can be attributed to the award-winning English designer Robert Welch. The name of the set is spot on because we found the material to be so mirrored that we could easily see ourselves in the pieces. While this 20-piece set has utensils for four settings, you can also opt for the smaller 5-piece set or go big with the 50-piece set (which includes steak knives and a hostess set).

While we love their sleekness, we did find in our tests that the square-shaped handle makes the utensils heavier and more difficult to hold &#; especially if you&#;re used to utensils with rounded handles. If you appreciate a certain amount of heft with your flatware though, they&#;re a good option because these are on the heavier side. From our tests, we determined that this set would be great for someone who wants something a little different from your traditional, shiny silverware.

For those who want to keep things simple but classy, this flatware set from a brand appreciated by culinary professionals and home cooks alike checks both boxes. With a contemporary, elegant design, the set is available in a few different finishes: There&#;s stainless steel and brushed stainless steel for those who prefer their plate of food to be the star of the show, and then there&#;s brushed gold and brushed black for those who want to add some more pizzazz to the table.

Because of their weight and square handles, some people may find these utensils are not as comfortable to hold.

Nothing felt extraneous to us in this set, and we loved that they popped out of the dishwasher with the same luster they had right out of the box. We did find that the included table knife doesn&#;t really compare to a sharper steak knife, but its serrated edge is still enough for cutting through average cuts of meat. Since these come in individual sets of five, it can be costly to get the volume needed for large gatherings. Imported from Italy, the set does make for a nice splurge though.

Around since , the Mepra brand has long been associated with quality craftsmanship, and they didn&#;t disappoint us in their Fantasia line. With the specific variations dependent on where you&#;re buying this flatware set, there are attractive color options available like guacamole and sky blue that can add some visual interest to your table. During our tests, we noticed that the colored resin overlay on the handle does more than just add personality to the design &#; it also provides extra grip, making the utensils pretty comfortable to hold.

During our tests, we found the utensils to be on the large side, which could be a plus or a minus depending on how large your hands are. All in all though, we found each piece extremely comfortable to hold as the teardrop shape at the end of the handles contours to the hand. The cherry on top? The price matches the quantity and quality.

This polished flatware set may seem plain upon first glance, but once you get your hands on them, you can tell that their thoughtful construction makes them a truly elegant and effortless option. Along with their shininess, we found that there&#;s a real weight to them that adds a feeling of luxury. The forks and spoons are made of 18/10 stainless steel for extra corrosion protection, while the knives are 18/0 stainless steel for blade strength. With enough utensils for four table settings, this is a good everyday set for a small family.

As soon as you hold a utensil in your hand, you can tell whether it feels &#;right&#; to you or not, and we found that this flatware set hit the mark with its nice balance and ideal handle thickness. During our tests, we didn&#;t have any issues with the silverware getting stained, and the polish (which we love by the way) stayed looking perfect. With its 18/10 construction, you can count on this set&#;s longevity. However, we did notice that the utensils are prone to smudging, so just whip out your trusty microfiber cloth when that happens, and you&#;ll be good to go.

You can&#;t really go wrong with silver flatware, and it doesn&#;t have to be boring. This sophisticated flatware set features a pretty beaded band at the bottom of the handles. Paired with a cloth napkin , they can make casual meals feel like fine dining. With enough utensils for 12 table settings plus serving utensils (that&#;s a whopping 65 pieces in total), you&#;ll have everything you need for a large dinner party. Just make sure you have enough storage space for it all!

When we put them to the test, we found these beautiful utensils a pleasure to hold and work with. They&#;re well-balanced, they have a nice weight to them, and they&#;re the perfect length. Getting into the nitty gritty, we loved the forks&#; slightly wider pitchfork shape and the spoons&#; flat, wide curve &#; both of which made eating more enjoyable. The only real drawback we noticed was that watermarks can appear after washing so you may want to be prepared to do some hand polishing before setting the table to get the flatware looking its absolute best.

You don&#;t have to dine out to enjoy a chic table setting when you have black or gold flatware at home. With several striking finishes available, these sleek utensils with the same brushed steel throughout the head and handle are more of a statement, but you may be surprised at how well they work with all sorts of dinnerware styles. If you can&#;t commit to an accent color like black or gold, there&#;s always the matte or polished silver options too.

Our Favorite Fatware Set

If we had to choose a favorite, we&#;d go with the Fable Flatware Set. They&#;re very well-made, durable, and beautiful to boot &#; and we hardly found anything negative about them. Plus, we like that they come in a set of 20 so you don&#;t have to buy multiple individual sets to outfit the family table. As our close runner-up, we picked the Lenox Portola 65-Piece Flatware Set. A great value buy for those who like to host, it&#;s a comprehensive set that looks elegant and feels right in the hand.

If you want to learn more, please visit our website Textured Stainless Steel Flatware.

How We Tested Flatware

After researching which flatware sets are the best on the market right now, we narrowed it down to 13 sets for testing. We determined that the most important characteristics to evaluate were style, quantity (how many and what kind of pieces per set), material, and ease of care/cleaning. With each set, we made sure to style a table setting with every piece included in order to get a big-picture look at their appearance. During our testing, we assessed whether the pieces felt comfortable to hold, and if any items felt too long or too short. In addition to washing the flatware by hand and in the dishwasher (if applicable), we also checked whether the pieces had to be polished after cleaning and if there was any staining.

Factors to Consider

18/0 vs. 18/10 Stainless Steel

Start examining the material specifications of flatware and you&#;ll soon notice that the numbers 18/0 and 18/10 come up often with stainless steel utensils. This number refers to the composition of the metals in that stainless steel. 18/0 means there is 18% chromium and 0% nickel while 18/0 means 18% chromium and 10% nickel. It seems like a small difference but having that 10% nickel (18/10) makes the flatware shinier, more durable, and more rust and corrosion-resistant. Flatware without nickel (18/0) is more affordable though and still offers durability that works well for home usage.

Flatware Design

Design preferences are always going to be subjective. You may simply want to choose the flatware that speaks to you aesthetically and makes sitting around the table even more of a pleasure. Remember to keep in mind what kind of dinnerware you have at home though so that your utensils can match in terms of color and/or material. You may also want to factor in style like if you&#;re going for a more vintage look (more decorative embellishments, teardrop-shaped handles), or something more modern (straight lines, bolder color options). 

Certain design elements of flatware will affect whether the pieces are comfortable in your hand and easy to use while eating. For example: how long a fork&#;s prongs are, how wide or curved the spoon is, whether or not the knife is serrated, and what the shape of the utensil handles are. As pretty as some flatware may be, you don&#;t want to feel annoyed by it every time you eat with them!

Number of Place Settings

The first question to ask yourself when deciding the number of place settings to get is how big is your household. You want at least the same number of flatware sets as you do the number of people eating regular meals at your house. It doesn&#;t hurt to have extra though so you don&#;t have to wash that same set of utensils before you sit down for every meal.

The next question is whether or not you entertain frequently. If you rarely have people over for dining, then you may find it&#;s not worth it to invest in extra flatware sets unless you just hate doing the dishes. On the other hand, if you host dinner parties often, then going for a 65-piece set, which includes place settings for 12 people, should give you enough to go around. 

Material and Care

Flatware can be made from a wide variety of materials including stainless steel, silver, plastic, and wood. You can also easily find flatware that mixes materials, many times with one kind of material used for the head of the utensil and another for the handle. What material your flatware is made out of will determine how you should care for it. For example, if you have silverware or silver-plated flatware, then you&#;ll need to put in the work to polish it to remove the tarnish that naturally occurs. If you have stainless steel flatware, then you shouldn&#;t use abrasive materials like steel wool on it while cleaning because it can cause scratches, which may lead to corrosion in the future.

Generally speaking, stainless steel flatware is dishwasher safe, and you may just need to do a quick polish or wipe down to remove any fingerprints or water spots. Some manufacturers may recommend that you wash on the top rack and use a certain temperature cycle, or that you use a specific kind of towel or detergent with their flatware set. Be sure to check the product maintenance information.

Frequently Asked Questions

• What is the difference between silverware and flatware?

  Some people use the terms silverware and flatware interchangeably, but there is an important distinction. Flatware is the overarching term for eating utensils, including forks, knives, and spoons. Flatware can be made from a variety of materials including stainless steel, plastic, and wood &#; the sky&#;s the limit. Silverware, however, is flatware that&#;s specifically made from silver, whether it&#;s completely silver or silver-plated.

• How do you polish silver or silver-plated flatware?

  Not all flatware needs to be polished to look its best, but if your utensils are silver or silver-plated then they really should be polished to maintain their condition. If you don&#;t polish silver or silver-plated flatware, it can get tarnished or discolored over time due to a natural chemical reaction with the air. There are a variety of ways to go about polishing, and you&#;ll find tons of silver polish products on the market. 

  
  One way that many people swear by is to line a pan or other container with aluminum foil, add in a good amount of baking soda (some add salt too), and then fill the vessel with boiling hot water. Throw in your silverware and make sure it&#;s touching the foil. Let it all soak (longer if the silverware is very tarnished), and then wipe the pieces down with a soft towel once you take them out. We like this method given how you can tackle many pieces at once, and how it only requires items you probably already have lying around the kitchen.

Other Flatware Sets We Tested

Strong Contenders

CB2 Rush 20-Piece Flatware Set ($129 at CB2)
We were impressed by how attractive this flatware set is, and we thought the spoons were perfect in terms of their size, shape, and feel. Unfortunately, we found the small fork to be too awkwardly sized and narrow to be of much use and the knife&#;s short blade wasn&#;t effective enough for our liking.

What Didn't Make the List

When we tested the Cambridge Silversmiths 16-Piece Jubilee Flatware Set, we just couldn&#;t ignore their poor construction even when considering the affordable price. We couldn&#;t shake the feeling that these seemed like utensils for kids given their very large, round handles. Aside from not feeling comfortable to use, they also have a cheap feel due to the plastic adhered to the metal of the handles and how lightweight each piece is. During one wash in our tests, the plastic of a utensil already got scratched so we don&#;t think they&#;re designed for longevity. 

Our Expertise

Cindy Brzostowski is a writer and avid home cook with previous experience in publishing cookbooks. Her writing has been featured in Allrecipes, Blue Apron, The Kitchn, and EatingWell, among other publications.

Contact us to discuss your requirements of Embossed Stainless Steel Flatware. Our experienced sales team can help you identify the options that best suit your needs.