Article by Pat Morgan
Part Two – Cutlery For Your HomeBuying Antique Cutlery – What to Look ForSecond-hand items can be less expensive and better quality than new ones, and often have an element of history, too. A fun way to build up a serving set is buying it piecemeal, either in sets of six or by buying single pieces at a time. More common patterns can be picked up cheaply at yard sales, estate sales and flea markets. You can also try local antique dealers in your neighborhood, or a specialist dealer for bigger sets.Condition is probably the most important criterion when buying an old cutlery set. The tines on forks should be equal lengths and the spoons should retain their original shape and not have sharp tips. Look out for unworn decoration on the more elaborate patterns, as this will make it more valuable. Second-hand, silver-plated cutlery sets are plentiful, but may be damaged. Breathe on vulnerable areas (eg the back of the bowls or tines) to reveal any differing color of the underlying metal.How much cutlery should I buy? The information about cutlery presented here will do one of two things: either it will reinforce what you know about cutlery or it will teach you something new. Both are good outcomes. The rise of the single household means that the amount of cutlery people buy is less determined by the number of people in the house and more by how many times the dishwasher is loaded before the clean stuff runs out. People buy place settings by this factor as much as family size. With this in mind, think about how many place settings and what components you require. Do you entertain often or are your eating arrangements a more casual affair? Do you really need a full service or will it just end up collecting dust? Why waste valuable space on soup spoons if you never serve soup? However, if you do have many formal dinners, then stocking up could be a good investment. If you have people over for dinner on a regular basis, buy two sets of knives and forks so you won’t have to wash up between courses. Similarly, if you’re always losing teaspoons, buy 12 instead of eight. For this reason, designs that allow you to buy individual components are a good idea – you can also replace the odd spoon or fork that will inevitably go astray.Care and Cleaning Washing by hand is by far the best way to clean all cutlery, but very few people have the time or the patience for it. As a result, most flatware, including silver, is now dishwasher safe, but there are still a few rules to follow:Avoid soaking your cutlery as mineral salts in the water can attack the surface of the metal. â?¢ Remove stainless steel from the dishwasher promptly as it is prone to corrosion if left in a moist atmosphere. â?¢ Avoid prolonged contact with very hot fat, salt, vinegar, egg, tomato sauce, acidic fruits and wine, as these can cause surface blemishes. â?¢ Stainless steel can’t rust, but it can pick up marks from steel wool or non-stainless-steel implements. â?¢ Never mix silverware with stainless steel in the wash as it can cause a chemical reaction and leave stains. â?¢ Never use silver polish on stainless steel. â?¢ After you have cleaned off silver polish, wash the pieces in warm soapy water before using. â?¢ Keep silver and plated cutlery in an air-tight container or in a special anti-tarnish roll when not in use. â?¢ Some areas of silver cutlery tarnish faster than the rest of the piece as they are in direct contact with food, so mainly polish these areas. As your knowledge about cutlery continues to grow, you will begin to see how cutlery fits into the overall scheme of things. Knowing how something relates to the rest of the world is important too.
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Not sure about purchasing your first set of cutlery? Any questions about cutlery should be answered to your satisfaction.