There are many beautiful designs of cutlery available in the market place and some of them will last longer, and stay looking good longer than others.  Why?

It’s partly to do with the materials we make cutlery from, and of course, how we look after them.

Most people know not to put wooden or plastic handled cutlery in the dishwasher, but did you also know that even the best cutlery should ideally be washed within an hour of being used?

This is because common foods like vinegar, eggs and even tomato sauce can permanently stain silverplate and will eventually also tarnish stainless steel.

To care for your cutlery properly, you need to know what it’s made of, so let’s run through the most popular materials and how they are used:

•  Handles are usually made from stainless steel or some kind of plastic. 
• The blades, tines or bowls (for knives, forks, or spoons) are almost always made from stainless steel, although silver and silver plated products are still available. 
• The working ends of forks and spoons are normally made from stainless steel as this is fairly easy to manipulate, whereas knife blades are expected to work much harder and are therefore made from a tougher stainless steel.

PLUS, LOOK OUT FOR:

The Rockwell Scale

Did you know that the hardness of a knife blade is measured on the ‘Rockwell Scale’? 

British Standards suggest that this should be a minimum of 52.  The majority of knife blades will be hardened to 52 or 54 on the Rockwell Scale.

Know your tang

Each piece of cutlery has a tang.  This is a metal post which is part of the metal ‘working end’ of the cutlery that is inserted into the handle.  The tang is glued or riveted into the handle to keep the product rigid.

A full tang means that the blade continues right to the end of the handle, whereas a half tang means that the blade only continues for half the length of the handle.

Full tang items command a higher price, as they are more durable and are worth looking out for particularly if you are buying plastic or wooden handles cutlery.

Know your stainless steel

Stainless steel cutlery is made from stainless steel sheet which comes in various grades and thickness according to quality. 

If the stainless steel is marked as ‘18/8’ this means that the steel has 18% chrome and 8% nickel content, and is the ideal material for cutlery and utensils. 

Another widely used grade is 18/10, which has a slightly higher nickel content and is the most common material for cookware.

Look out for chromium steel.  This can also be described as stainless steel, although it has no nickel content and is therefore a cheaper inferior product.  Chromium steel normally contains either 13% or 18% chrome, hence they are sometimes referred to as 13-chrome and 18-chrome.

Stainless steel products are then either mildly polished to give a satin finish or highly polished to give a shiny finish.

Hollow handles

Very high quality traditional table knives are made with a hollow handle.   This is a hangover from the days when quality cutlery was largely made from silver, this meant the amount of silver used was kept to a minimum so that the cost was not prohibitive. 

However even today with stainless steel it does make for a lighter product that is easier to decorate with elaborate patterns.

Designs

Parish Patterns is the name given to a large choice of cutlery patterns that have been available for centuries. 

The name ‘Parish’ derives from the different parishes of Sheffield.  These include Bead, Dubarry, Harley, Jesmond, Kings, La Regence, Old English, Queens, Reed and Ribbon and Rattail.  All of these designs are still made today alongside contemporary designs.

Canteen

A canteen is the name given to a ‘box’ that is specially manufactured to hold cutlery.  In many cases they are made from wood, and velvet lined, but nowadays with the trend for buying cutlery to co-ordinate with new tableware, canteens are often produced in cardboard or acrylic to keep the cost to a minimum.

CARING FOR CUTLERY

• Cutlery should be kept clean and dry; it should not be left in water to soak. 
  
• Cutlery should always be washed within an hour of use. If not cleaned promptly, common foods like vinegar, eggs and even tomato sauce can permanently stain silverplate and will eventually also tarnish stainless steel.
  
• It is preferable to wash sterling and silverplate by hand in warm, soapy water and dry it with a soft towel. Dishwashers are generally acceptable for forks and spoons, but they should be removed before the heat drying cycle. The high heat of the machine can cloud and even pit the surface of the silver. Knives should be washed by hand.
  
• Sterling and silverplate should never be washed with stainless steel as the metals react with one another to dull the finish of the silver.
  
• Sterling silver is rather soft and scratches more easily than silverplate or stainless steel. Scratching is virtually inevitable, especially for pieces with rounded edges, and even has a name: it is referred to as the "patina of your silver." The patina can add character to cutlery.  Some cutlery is offered with matt or satin finishes which makes tiny scratches less visible.
  
• Sterling and silverplate that is not used very often should be stored in a silver chest or a drawer lined with a tarnish preventing felt. Felt bags are also used to protect silver from tarnishing. Sterling and silverplate should be stored in a dry place. Humidity can cause tarnishing. If silverware becomes tarnished, as it inevitably will, it should be cleaned with a high quality silver polish and then buffed with a soft cloth.
  
• Stainless steel cutlery should be perfectly safe in a standard dishwasher cycle.  It generally "stains less" than other metals, but still make sure you clean and dry it properly.
  
• However it is generally not recommended to put plastic or wooden handled cutlery into the dishwasher.