Kitchen Essential

Decanters and carafes

Decanters are usually stoppered to prevent loss of bouquet from fine old red wines. Spirit decanters which often come in pairs may be simple yet elegant in shape, but are more often made of deeply etched glass. These too need stoppers. Silver tags hung round the necks identify the contents.

Robust young red wines benefit from exposure to the oxidizing process of air and are frequently served in a carafe, which has no stopper.

Cutlery

The price of cutlery varies enormously according to he material it is made from and the quality of the finish. At the lowest end of the scale is stainless steel cutlery, although this rises in price depending on the quality of the steel and the degree of workmanship. Stainless steel is extremely practical and suits informal meals, but it is not always appropriate for more formal occasions.

Next in the price range comes cutlery made of stainless steel with wood, bone, china or stoneware handles. Silver-plated cutlery follows, with the price again dependent on the thickness and quality of the plate and the workmanship involved. Few people today can afford solid silver cutlery, so silver plate, especially Sheffield plate (which is silver- plated copper) is a perfectly acceptable alternative.

Pewter is another option. Modern pewter is much improved on the old variety, containing no lead (which was a health hazard and also caused blackening). The eating parts are generally made of stainless steel and the cutlery can safely be washed in a dish-washer. The handles may be silver-plated or finished simply with the soft subtle glow of pewter. In either case any tarnishing may be removed easily with a good silver polish.

Bronze is also popular for cutlery and is as easy to care for as silver. Top of the price list and outside most people’s budget is gold-dipped steel.

Before you make your choice, spare some thought for the time you can afford keeping your cutlery clean. Stainless steel is the easiest and will stand up to constant washing in a dish-washer. Unless badly stained it needs no special cleaning or polishing although you can buy cleaning materials for stainless steel which can be used to brighten dull items. Bone or wood handles do not stand up well to prolonged immersion in water, so need very careful washing to keep the handles out of water. Silver cutlery needs regular cleaning and polishing but there are products available which keep them untarnished for quite a long time.

Size and pattern

Cutlery is made in an enormous range of styles and sizes. The decision on style is, of course, a matter of individual taste and is probably governed by what will match the rest of the tableware you have or hope to acquire. Size has more practical considerations. Hold and feel the cutlery before you decide. Do you find the balance acceptable and do the handles fit comfortably into your palms or rest on your fingers?

Quantities

If you are short of funds then you can cope initially with a knife, fork and spoon apiece. In such circumstances it makes good sense to buy a repeatable pattern and build up your stock gradually. The leading British manufacturers sell cutlery in full canteens for six or twelve or more settings, in individual place settings and some designs in individual pieces. You can also buy special steak knives and forks in sets of six.

A typical place setting comprises the following: meat knife, butter/cheese/dessert knife, meat fork, dessert fork, soup spoon, dessert spoon and teaspoon. If you make a practice of serving starters other than soup, you may need extra cutlery such as small pointed grapefruit spoons. Melon is eaten with a small knife and fork, or a spoon and fork if preferred, and hors d’oeuvres with a small fork only. A set of pearl-handled or unusual cutlery, co-ordinated with, but not matching anything else, may be used for starters. The forks can double at tea-time for eating pastries in place of conventional pastry forks. Many canteens and place settings include teaspoons and coffee spoons, but not all. Proper coffee spoons are smaller because after- dinner coffee is traditionally served in small cups.

Cruet sets

Enclosed salt and pepper pots are designed to take pre-ground salt and pepper. For peppercorns and salt crystals, which actually give a far better flavour, you need pepper and salt mills. These are usually made from wood or perspex and range from 7-10 cm (3-4 in) tall to 30 cm (12 in) tall. The grinding blades will not last forever and cannot be resharpened but good-quality mills will last for a number of years.

For formal occasions old-fashioned salt cellars are very suitable. These are usually made from glass, silver or porcelain and the salt is transferred to the side of the plate with a small silver spoon. Mustard is also served in a small container with a glass liner and spoon.

A wide range of matching cruet sets is generally available, and it is worth hunting for antique or second-hand sets which can be extremely pretty, and tone with antique or second-hand china and glassware to create a period effect.

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