Eating utensils
Cutlery
(also referred to as
silverware
,
flatware
, or
tableware
) includes any hand
implement
used in preparing, serving, and especially eating
food
in
Western culture
. A person who makes or sells cutlery is called a
cutler
. The city of
Sheffield
in England has been famous for the production of cutlery since the 17th century and a train ? the
Master Cutler
? running from Sheffield to
London
was named after the industry.
[1]
Bringing affordable cutlery to the masses,
stainless steel
was developed in Sheffield in the early 20th century.
[2]
The major items of cutlery in
Western culture
are the
knife
,
fork
and
spoon
. These three implements first appeared together on tables in Britain in the
Georgian era
.
[3]
In recent times, hybrid versions of cutlery have been made combining the functionality of different eating implements, including the
spork
(
sp
oon / f
ork
),
spife
(
sp
oon / kn
ife
), and
knork
(
kn
ife / f
ork
). The
sporf
or
splade
combines all three.
Etymology
[
edit
]
The word cutler derives from the
Middle English
word 'cuteler' and this in turn derives from
Old French
'coutelier' which comes from 'coutel'; meaning knife (modern French: couteau).
[4]
The word's early origins can be seen in the Latin word 'culter' (knife).
Composition
[
edit
]
Metallic
[
edit
]
Sterling silver
is the traditional material from which good quality cutlery is made. Historically, silver had the advantage over other metals of being less chemically reactive. Chemical reactions between certain foods and the cutlery metal can lead to unpleasant tastes. Gold is even less reactive than silver, but the use of gold cutlery was confined to the exceptionally wealthy, such as monarchs.
[5]
Steel
was always used for more utilitarian knives, and
pewter
was used for some cheaper items, especially spoons. From the nineteenth century,
electroplated nickel silver
(EPNS) was used as a cheaper substitute for sterling silver.
In 1913, the British metallurgist
Harry Brearley
discovered
stainless steel
by chance, bringing affordable cutlery to the masses.
[2]
This metal has come to be the predominant one used in cutlery. An alternative is
melchior
, corrosion-resistant nickel and copper alloy, which can also sometimes contain manganese and nickel-iron.
Titanium has also been used to make cutlery for its lower thermal conductivity and weight savings compared to steel, with uses in camping.
Plastic
[
edit
]
Plastic
cutlery is made for
disposable
use, and is frequently used outdoors for
camping
,
excursions
, and
barbecues
for instance. Plastic cutlery is also commonly used at
fast-food
or
take-away
outlets and provided with
airline meals
in economy class.
Plastic is also used for children's cutlery. It is often thicker and more durable than disposable plastic cutlery.
Wooden
[
edit
]
Wooden
disposable cutlery is available as a popular
biodegradable
alternative. Bamboo (although not a wood) and maple are popular choices.
Edible
[
edit
]
Edible cutlery is made from dried grains.
[6]
These are made primarily with rice, millets or wheat. Since rice cultivation needs a lot of water, manufacturers market millet based products as more environment friendly. The
batter
is baked in moulds which hardens it. Some manufacturers offer an option of flavoured cutlery. Edible cutlery decomposes in about a week if disposed.
Industry
[
edit
]
At Sheffield the trade of cutler became divided, with allied trades such as
razormaker
,
awl
bladesmith,
shearsmith
and forkmaker emerging and becoming distinct trades by the 18th century.
Before the mid 19th century when cheap
mild steel
became available due to new methods of
steelmaking
, knives (and other edged tools) were made by welding a strip of
steel
on to the piece of
iron
that was to be formed into a knife, or sandwiching a strip of steel between two pieces of iron. This was done because steel was then a much more expensive commodity than iron. Modern blades are sometimes
laminated
, but for a different reason. Since the hardest steel is brittle, a layer of hard steel may be laid between two layers of a milder, less brittle steel, for a blade that keeps a sharp edge well, and is less likely to break in service.
After fabrication, the knife had to be sharpened, originally on a
grindstone
, but from the late medieval period in a
blade mill
or (as they were known in the Sheffield region) a cutlers wheel.
Disposable cutlery
[
edit
]
Plastic
[
edit
]
Introduced for
convenience
purposes (lightweight, no cleanup after the meal required),
disposable
cutlery made of
plastic
has become a huge worldwide market.
[7]
[8]
Along with other
disposable tableware
(paper plates, plastic table covers,
disposable cups
,
paper napkins
, etc.), these products have become essential for the
fast food
and
catering
industry. The products are emblematic of
throw-away societies
and the cause of millions of tons of non-biodegradable
plastic waste
.
[9]
The European Union has banned such plastic products from 3 July 2021 as part of the
European Plastics Strategy
.
[10]
[11]
Bans are also planned in the UK and Canada.
[12]
[13]
[14]
Wooden
[
edit
]
As an ecofriendly alternative to non-degradable plastic, wooden cutlery is gaining popularity. Some manufacturers coat their products in food-safe plant oils, waxes and lemon juice for a longer shelf life making these safe for human consumption. Cutlery is then cured for a few days before leaving the manufacturing plant.
[15]
Manufacturing centres
[
edit
]
Traditional centres of cutlery-making include:
See also
[
edit
]
References
[
edit
]
- ^
British Pathe.
"The Master Cutler"
.
britishpathe.com
.
- ^
a
b
"Made in Great Britain, Series 1, Steel"
. BBC
. Retrieved
28 March
2019
.
- ^
Extraordinary Origins of Everyday Things
. Reader's Digest. 27 November 2009. p. 49.
ISBN
978-0276445699
.
- ^
The Sheffield Knife Book, Geoffrey Tweedale, The Hallamshire press, 1996,
ISBN
1-874718-11-3
- ^
Miodownik, Mark (29 April 2015).
"Stainless steel revolutionised eating after centuries of a bad taste in the mouth"
.
The Guardian
.
- ^
"Edible Cutlery Market to Witness an Outstanding Growth During 2018 to 2026"
.
The Guardian Tribune
. 23 August 2019. Archived from
the original
on 28 December 2019
. Retrieved
2 September
2019
.
- ^
"Environmental Impact of Plastic Cutlery and Some Affordable Solutions"
.
Conserve Energy Future
. 7 December 2018
. Retrieved
3 June
2019
.
- ^
"GUIDES: EATS"
.
Plastic Pollution Coalition
. Retrieved
3 June
2019
.
- ^
Schnurr, Riley E.J.; Alboiu, Vanessa; Chaudhary, Meenakshi; Corbett, Roan A.; Quanz, Meaghan E.; Sankar, Karthikeshwar; Srain, Harveer S.; Thavarajah, Venukasan; Xanthos, Dirk; Walker, Tony R. (2018). "Reducing marine pollution from single-use plastics (SUPs): A review".
Marine Pollution Bulletin
.
137
: 157?171.
doi
:
10.1016/j.marpolbul.2018.10.001
.
PMID
30503422
.
S2CID
54522420
.
- ^
"EU Plastics Strategy"
.
European Commission - European Commission
. Retrieved
3 June
2019
.
- ^
Valdivia, Ana Garcia (22 January 2019).
"The End Of Plastic Cutlery, Plates And Straws: EU Market Says Goodbye To Single-Use Plastic Products"
.
Forbes
. Retrieved
3 June
2019
.
- ^
"Government to ban single-use plastic cutlery"
.
BBC News
. 28 August 2021.
- ^
Aiello, Rachel (7 October 2020).
"Canada banning plastic bags, straws, cutlery and other single-use items by the end of 2021"
.
CTVNews
.
- ^
"Ban on single-use plastic cutlery comes into force in England"
.
BBC News
. 1 October 2023
. Retrieved
2 October
2023
.
- ^
"Wooden cutlery manufacturing"
.
How it's Made
. Archived from
the original
on 30 July 2019.
Further reading
[
edit
]
- Hey, D.
The Fiery Blades of Hallamshire: Sheffield and Its Neighbourhood, 1660?1740
(Leicester University Press 1991). 193?140.
- Lloyd, G. I. H.
The Cutlery Trades: An Historical Essay in the Economics of Small Scale Production
. (1913; repr. 1968).
External links
[
edit
]
Look up
cutlery
in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.
Wikimedia Commons has media related to
Cutlery
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