Apr. 30, 2024
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Thin sets of flatware like the LIANYU 20 Piece Silverware Flatware Cutlery Set were much lighter than our winners. The LIANYU dinner fork weighed in at 49 grams. This was significantly lighter than the Oneida fork, which weighed 72 grams, and the Made In fork, which weighed 54 grams.
At the Same Time, the Best Flatware Was Balanced
If your flatware is perfectly balanced, you shouldn’t even notice it. It should feel like a natural extension of your hand. Balanced sets like the Robert Welch Westbury were easy to wield. Each individual piece was comfortable when held in the correct place (near the end of the handle). Others, like the Oneida Mooncrest, felt wobbly in hand. This was most noticeable with the large spoon. To hold this piece comfortably we had to correct for the off-center balance, which meant holding only the very end of the handle.
Consider the Spoon
Spoons had to be large enough to hold a bite of soup, but not too large to be tough to eat from.
Serious Eats / Madeline Muzzi
When testing the spoons, the most noticeable feature was size. There’s room for preference here, but to pass our test a spoon needed to be small enough to comfortably eat with and large enough to hold a satisfying bite of soup—without it dripping down the sides. The Zwilling set included a small spoon that at seven-and-a-quarter inches long and one-and-a-half inches wide resulted in an unsatisfying bite of soup. On the opposite end of the spectrum, measuring over eight inches long and one-and-three-fourths inches wide, the Our Table dinner spoon felt comically large and difficult to eat with.
Flatware Should Be Smooth and Polished
The ideal flatware had soft, rounded edges (okay, except for the knife). Some sets we tested were smooth and polished all the way around, which made for a seamless eating experience. Others had slightly rough edges that caught on our mouths. The Crate & Barrel, Robert Welch, and Made In utensils were the smoothest. Others, like the Oneida Mooncrest, had unpolished edges on the sides of the fork tines, which just didn’t feel great to eat off of.
Sharper Wasn’t Better
Both of these knives represent poorer performers: the left was too dull and the right was too sharp.
Serious Eats / Madeline Muzzi
Everyday cutlery is often kept in a drawer and heaped into the dishwasher. You want to be able to grab a handful without cutting yourself. For the knife, this means that the blade should be dull enough for safety, but sharp enough to slice through chicken. The best-performing knives had small serrations that helped them cut through meat without creating a sharp blade. The non-serrated options were either dangerously sharp, like the Laguiole Jean Dubost, or frustratingly dull, like the Knork Original Collection.
How Much Should You Spend on a Flatware Set?
Flatware's just not that cheap. The most budget-friendly set we recommend costs (at the time of writing) $65 for a four-piece set. Our overall top pick is $200 for four settings. That said, our senior commerce editor, Riddley Gemperlein-Schirm, has owned the Made In set for three years and has no complaints. "It still looks as good as new after truly countless times through the dishwasher," she says. "I even bought a second set." That's saying something since flatware can be prone to rusting and bending. No one wants to eat off a fork with uneven tines.
The Criteria: What to Look for In a Flatware Set
Serious Eats / Madeline Muzzi
Choose a flatware set that creates the feeling of everyday luxury. Look for perfectly balanced pieces with a pleasant heft and a design that suits your taste. Choose a high-quality, rust-resistant material like stainless steel, so that your set will last forever. To make your life easier, find a set that’s dishwasher-safe. This will simplify daily use and cleanup.
Our Favorite Flatware Sets
What we liked: The Made In set is simple and timeless. We found each piece to be well-balanced with smooth, rounded edges and a satisfying heft. Its knife cut through chicken easily, while it’s spoon held the perfect bite of soup. Overall, you can’t go wrong with something so well-made and elegant.
What we didn’t like: This set is expensive. It comes with enough for a service for four. Unfortunately, Made In doesn’t offer additional single settings, so you’d have to purchase a whole other 20-piece set if you wanted, say, enough flatware for six people. Made In also does not include matching serving pieces.
Key Specs
Serious Eats / Madeline Muzzi
What we liked: This lovely flatware set breezed through all of our tests. It was durable and easy to clean and had a nice weight in hand. It’s available in two finishes. Plus, notice the subtle v-shaped handle: this adds a slight touch of personality to an overall classic design. We liked that you can purchase service for four, then add additional settings as needed.
What we didn’t like: This set is among the most expensive we tested. Serving pieces are not included, but a matching serving spoon and fork can be purchased separately.
Key Specs
Serious Eats / Madeline Muzzi
What we liked: This flatware is a great value. The set includes service for eight, plus additional serving pieces like a slotted serving spoon and a cute, shell-shaped sugar spoon. The pieces themselves are pleasantly heavy in the hand. The thick handles featured a slight depression, almost like a thumbprint, that felt natural to hold.
What we didn’t like: This set didn’t demonstrate the same attention to detail as the more expensive sets. While the pieces were functional, the edges of the fork tines were slightly rough.
Key Specs
Serious Eats / Madeline Muzzi
What we liked: This set performed well in all of our tests. Its neutral design veers towards modern with a slightly softened angle between the head of the spoon and the handle. It’s available in mirror, satin, and “Air Silver,” which appears to be shinier than the other two options. It’s also designed by Robert Welch, the maker of one of our other favorite flatware sets.
What we didn’t like: It’s not the priciest offering we recommend, but it’s still up there. Matching serving pieces are available but must be purchased separately.
Goto Qingzhan to know more.
Key Specs
Serious Eats / Madeline Muzzi
What we liked: This set comes with enough flatware to host a large dinner party, including the serving fork. The pieces are easy to use and clean. For those looking to add a little peronsonality to the table, this set includes a flared and beaded handle.
What we didn’t like: The individual pieces of this set are on the lighter side. The dinner fork weighs 42 grams, which is noticeably lighter when compared to the 54-gram Made In fork.
Key Specs
Serious Eats / Madeline Muzzi
The Competition
FAQs
Which silverware sets don’t rust?
Stainless steel is our top material choice because it doesn’t rust easily. High-quality stainless steel is rust-resistant and will last a long time if cared for correctly. To prevent rust, always dry flatware completely before storing it.
What does 18/10 stainless steel mean?
Stainless steel is graded for quality. The grade is given as a fraction, which represents the amount of chromium and nickel present in the steel. These elements enhance durability and rust resistance. 18/10 stainless steel contains 18% chromium and 10% nickel, and is considered the highest quality.
What's the difference between flatware and silverware?
Although these terms are often used interchangeably, there is a difference. Flatware refers specifically to eating utensils like forks, knives, and spoons. Silverware can be used to refer to any item plated in silver.
How many flatware settings should you have?
Most people will find it helpful to have at least four place settings (20 pieces), but if you plan on hosting dinner parties or have more people to feed, a 65-piece set (12 settings) should do it. Some of our favorite flatware sets also allow you to purchase additional single settings, so you can scale your collection as needed.
What's the best way to clean flatware?
All of our favorite flatware sets are dishwasher-safe. However, some flatware sets (like the brushed gold one we tested) must be hand-washed. If your flatware has wooden handles, these will also need to be cleaned by hand. We always recommend checking the manufacturer's care instructions, just to be safe.
Why We're the Experts
As a food stylist and a hungry person, I have considerable experience buying cutlery. Whether you're looking for food photography props or a flatware set that will last for generations, I have all the tips you need for finding second-hand silverware.
Etsy is a popular online market for artists and vintage sellers. It turns out, Etsy is also a B Corp, which means that a third-party holds them to high social and environmental standards (yay!). All the second-hand items on Etsy are at least 20 years old and are usually in good condition, so they tend to be more expensive than items at second-hand stores or garage sales. However, there is a huge selection on Etsy so you might be able to find a great deal.
Food52 is a popular site for publishing and collecting recipes, but they also have an online vintage shop. This shop only carries high-quality vintage pieces, so they can get pretty pricey. If you want cutlery for food styling, entertaining or interior design, this is the place for you. However, if you're looking for an everyday flatware set, stick to the other seller options.
Of course, the most obvious places to buy second-hand goods are second-hand stores. Second-hand stores are my favorite places to buy utensils because I can look at the pieces' quality and test their comfort. To find second-hand stores near you, do some online searching or ask around.
Some second-hand stores only accept vintage items, while others accept newer used items. Like I mentioned earlier, vintage items are often pricier than newer second-hand goods, but may be of higher quality. More modern items are often less expensive but could be low-quality. Most shops specify on their websites or social media whether or not they are strictly vintage retailers.
I've found some of my favorite food styling pieces at garage sales and estate sales. These sales are perfect if you are on a tight budget, and they often have larger flatware sets than Etsy or Food52. Depending on the sale, you might also be able to find some high-quality vintage pieces. To find garage sales near you, just walk through a neighborhood on a sunny weekend morning — you're bound to find one!
Stainless steel is the most durable and safest cutlery material. It is heat-, cold- and water-resistant, won't bend or snap and isn't linked to any negative health effects.
Manufacturers label stainless steel according to the amounts of chromium and nickel it contains. Common grades for stainless steel cutlery include 18/10 (18% chromium and 10% nickel), 18/8 (18% chromium and 8% nickel) and 18/0 (18% chromium and 0% nickel).
Higher percentages of nickel make the stainless steel more resistant to corrosion, so most experts recommend buying 18/10 stainless steel. When buying second-hand, look for one of these ratios etched into the side of the flatware. If you can’t find the ratio on the flatware, ask the seller if they know the stainless steel’s grade.
Stick to cutlery than is made of entirely stainless steel rather than cutlery featuring wooden or plastic handles or other mixed-material decorative touches. Speaking from experience, mixed material cutlery just doesn't last. Inevitably, the wood warps from an accidental trip to the dishwasher, or the plastic breaks off from the rest of the piece. Mixed materials look great in food photography, but are not practical for everyday use.
Manufacturers create rose-gold, black and other metal cutlery colors through either electroplating or physical vapor deposition (PVD) coating. Both of these processes are subject to wear down over time. Again, these colors are great for food photography, but not for eating dinner. If you want your silverware to last, skip the trendy colors.
Maybe it's the snobby foodie in me, but I think silverware's weight distribution is super important! This is partially due to comfort, but also practicality. If I'm putting a knife or fork on my plate, I want to know that it will stay there without toppling onto the floor.
If you're at a second-hand shop or garage sale, test flatware's balance by picking up and assessing if it feels comfortable. You could also try to balance it horizontally on one finger to find its center of balance. Ideally, the center of balance should be in the middle of the utensil.
If you're shopping online, ask the seller if the pieces are top-heavy or bottom-heavy. They'll likely be happy to answer!
For more information, please visit bargain stainless steel flatware sets.
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