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Nope, not which tyres for....
Not Brexit related
Not which why toilet roll goes on (dangly sheets to the front)
Not which order for jam and cream on scone (clearly jam on top)
Not whether it is ever acceptable to have ketchup on beans (no it is not)
But, what order (left to right) should cutlery go into the slots in a cutlery tray drawer insert
I think it is very obvious, left to right, Forks, then Knives and Spoons. This means forks and knives reflect the order they are laid on the table (except for weirdy left handers)
Mrs S insists on them going knives then forks and you always say knives and forks in that order. Freak.
What do the assembled cutlery experts of STW think?
you have a cutlery drawer?
ok, boomer. 😉
Knives - Forks - Spoons.
This is the order you say them and therefore this is the order you store them.
Mrs franksinartra is correct.
Chopsticks.
Spoons - Forks - Knives in our house.
Then in the big trays you ram a load of utensils that really should be in a pot on the kitchen worktop. These then jam all the time causing you to rattle the draw like mad hoping they will drop 2mm to allow it to open.
Forks-knives-spoons. You are correct OP
Mrs franksinartra is correct
Mrs Franksinatra doesn't empty to dishwasher every morning though.
Whilst I appreciate that you are correct in much of your list (the cream/jam application, for example), I'm afraid Mrs Sinatra is correct wrt cutlery.
I have no idea where the scullery maid stores the flatware.
Brown sauce for beans.
Jam first.
The Daily Mail covered this. Is that where the idea came from? Interestingly its in the "Femail" section so I guess it's up to your wife.
DM link if you really care: https://www.****/femail/article-8233271/Debate-erupts-right-way-arrange-cutlery-drawer-stack-yours.html
Mrs S insists on them going knives then forks and you always say knives and forks in that order. Freak
But (as you correctly say) we lay a table fork > knife.
I believe the reason it is spoken 'knife - fork' is something to do with the pitch of the words (ie, ping pong, spic span, pitter patter, riff raff, ding dong etc) – it's easier/more natural to say the word combinations that way around in our language.
Back to the OP though... My wife puts cutlery away as you would expect, all facing the same way for knives, forks, large spoons etc. But then she just bungs in teaspoons in any which way!! Drives me mad!!!
Who cares about toilet paper, Jam first, ketchup on beans is fine....Knife fork spoon...
I believe the reason it is spoken ‘knife – fork’ is something to do with the pitch of the words
It's probably more that fork 'n knife sounds a wee bit sweary.
Knife fork spoon, of course.
Because we eat with a knife and fork, not with a fork and knife. And the spoon is optional if you have a dessert or soup.
Because we eat with a knife and fork
But then you grab the forks in your right hand and the knives in your left and have to swap them over when you are laying the table.
It's just wrong.
Who cares about toilet paper
I do.
Before Covid / WFH I was in an ongoing war with an unknown pervert at work who kept turning the loo roll the wrong way round so that the loose paper hangs against the wall.
I, obviously, as any right thinking person would, kept turning it back to the proper way.
Hangings too good for 'em
Not which order for jam and cream on scone (clearly jam on top)
Freak. And you're wrong about the cutlery, too. And @johndoh's wife is clearly a Pro and knows what she's doing.
Because we eat with a knife and fork
But when you eat with a knife and fork you hold them fork and knife (assuming you are right handed)
But then you grab the forks in your right hand and the knives in your left and have to swap them over when you are laying the table.
Only if you walk all the way around the table to lay it, perhaps if Sir lives in a castle and has a huge dinner table He might like to do this (or get the maid to do it), but my table's not that large and I just lean over...
My wife puts cutlery away as you would expect, all facing the same way for knives, forks, large spoons etc. But then she just bungs in teaspoons in any which way!!
Wow. That is disgusting. I genuinely feel for you.
Teaspoons > dessert spoons > knives > forks in our current layout. But that's just because of where the cutlery drawer is in the kitchen and what's needed most and is quickest to get from that side of the drawer. There should be no hard and fast rules, go with the flow.
However, in the cutlery drawer of the dishwasher all of the same type should be placed together. They really should teach dishwasher stacking in schools.
Who cares about toilet paper, Jam first, ketchup on beans is fine….Knife fork spoon…
You and me are not going to get on well are we?
wash cutlery -> put cutlery in that little Ikea cutlery drainer that everyone has
at dinner time: fish cutlery back out of that little Ikea drainer
cutlery drawer? I think I know where that is...
Simple answer is to only have sporks, one for each member of the household, each responsible for cleaning their own spork. Do away with the cutlery drawer, use it to stash spare batteries and bulbs instead.
Obviously you need a second house rule: No serving food that cannot be eaten with a spork and/or fingers...
You are welcome...
What about the mustard spoons, fish knives, grapefruit spoons and those little stabby things for eating corn on the cob?
Where do they go?
Our drawer insert forces the knife first approach as they are too long for the other sections, so it's knife, fork, dessert spoon, tea spoons in our drawer.
Who cares about toilet paper,
Literally anyone who is of sound mind. Roll must feed over towards the front obviously.
Knives, forks and spoons is the correct order. You must thank your wife for enlightenment but don't feel bad about yourself. All of us get things wrong occasionally.
What about the mustard spoons, fish knives, grapefruit spoons and those little stabby things for eating corn on the cob?
Where do they go?
In the 'still eating utensils but slightly more random of nature' drawer to the side.
What about the mustard spoons, fish knives, grapefruit spoons and those little stabby things for eating corn on the cob?
Where do they go?
In the spikey drawer of doom underneath the cutlery drawer
In the ‘still eating utensils but slightly more random of nature’ drawer to the side.
In the spikey drawer of doom underneath the cutlery drawer
Both wrong. They are in the sideboard cutlery drawer in one of the dining rooms. The stabby corn eaters are in a ziplok bag to avoid separation / puncture wounds
The stabby corn eaters are in a ziplck bag
Get you with your ziplock bags.
Our cutlery drawer goes front-to-back rather than side-to-side.
#Anarchy
But, what order (left to right) should cutlery go into the slots in a cutlery tray drawer insert
How absolutely bizarre. I was pondering this very critical and life-affirming question not two days ago. I was going to start a thread asking about whether there was a 'right' way to do it and then promptly forgot.
This means forks and knives reflect the order they are laid on the table (except for weirdy left handers)
Speaking as a weirdy left-hander, I use a knife and fork the conventional way round as I think the righties have got it wrong to start with.
If you were to use a spoon or fork on its own you would, one would assume, use your dominant hand. Yet introduce a knife into the equation and you swap hands to eat with your off-hand? That's the behaviour of a stone bonker.
Our cutlery drawer goes front-to-back rather than side-to-side.
It doesn't sound promising for your toilet paper.
That's right handers for you, I'm afraid. Bunch of weirdos.
I think the righties have got it wrong to start with.
It's a hangover from medieval times when steel was super expensive and everyone ate with their own, general purpose, knife only, if they had one at all.
The fork was added much later and everyone was already deep in the right hand - knife groove. Expect lefties obvs. Weirdos.
It's also much easier to cut something if the knife is in your dominant hand. the fork only needs to hold it in place which requires less strength and dexterity . If you're eating fork only, no cutting is required.
Ours goes front to back (compartments horizontal) so is utter rubbish
Also we had slugs in there one day, and a (wood) mouse on another. So now Mrs R insists (no discussion allowed) that the cutlery drawer always has a tea-tree-oil-infused teacloth wrapped around it. Even though I’ve since sealed the pest’s access-hole/s, also live-trapped and since relocated the mouse far away.
Drives me mad. I’d rather keep a spork in a pouch than venture near our cutlery drawer.
It’s a hangover from medieval times when steel was super expensive and everyone ate with their own, general purpose, knife only, if they had one at all.
The fork was added much, later and everyone was already deep in the right hand – knife groove. Expect lefties obvs. Weirdos.
Is that so? I always wondered.
Mine goes ( l-R) fork, spoon , spoon, knife the knife slot is longer due to a teaspoon slot along 3/4 of the front and my knives will not fit in any other slot
Is that so? I always wondered.
Yes, Lefties ARE weirdos.
What about the mustard spoons, fish knives, grapefruit spoons and those little stabby things for eating corn on the cob?
In the second cutlery drawer of course.
Literally anyone who is of sound mind. Roll must feed over towards the front obviously.
I have a vertical loo roll holder
I have a vertical loo roll holder
Is it a knitted flamenco dancer?
Lefties are sinister.
Bit OT, but are animals mostly right-handed like humans. I assume they will be, but never really gave it any thought until now.
Polar bears are all left handed. FACT*
* An inaccurate one. They are mostly ambidextrous.
Hols was up all last night getting that photo ready
This is why animals have bones, to act as holdy bits.
Lefties are definitely superior, although we do have to swap the knife over if we need to spread butter :/
Knives – Forks – Spoons.
+1
you have a cutlery drawer?
ok, boomer.
Why? Where are GenZ / GenA storing cutlery these days? 🤷♀️
Wow, we've been doing it wrong all these years! Ours goes spoon, fork knife with no length adjustment necessary.
I might change the order tonight after I've washed up, just to wind SWMBO up. 😈
Ours goes spoon, fork knife
As does mine. Because We've Always Done It This Way, it's probably a legacy from my gran.
Chuck it all in together.
Front to back K-F-S-TS long stuff like skewers and chopsticks to the right.
Hols is trying to look smart but silverware has no place in the kitchen/scullery and should be in its case in the dining room dresser with the good plates after being polished under the supervision of the butler.
Who cares about toilet paper
I do.
Before Covid / WFH I was in an ongoing war with an unknown pervert at work who kept turning the loo roll the wrong way round so that the loose paper hangs against the wall.
I, obviously, as any right thinking person would, kept turning it back to the proper way.
Hangings too good for ’em
Facing forwards, just to really piss them off at the end
Knives – Forks – Spoons
+1
teaspoons in the horizontal slot below the above, everything else chucked in the other compartment or in the draw below
Knife, fork and spoon.
Because the knife is slim, the fork is a bit wider and the spoon even widerer.
teaspoons, spoons, forks, knives.
Knife, fork and spoon.
Because the knife is slim, the fork is a bit wider and the spoon even widerer.
So... why not spoon, fork, knife? Equally valid logic assuming your compartments are all the same size.
Equally valid logic
Oh, it's logic you're looking for is it?
OK here's the logic. The majority of the population (i.e. Non-weirdos) are right handed.
It's more convenient for a right hander to take things from the right hand side of the drawer.
Therefore the most commonly used items should be placed in order from the most used at the right to the least used at the left.
In our house that'd be spoons (the kids usually get through at least 2 bowls of cereal each every day), then forks and then knives used the least.
Which would give you the classic Knife - Fork - Spoon left to right configuration. As it should be.
For me from left to right it's serving spoons (long slot), spoons, forks and then knives, with tea spoons in the slot underneath the spoon, fork and knife slots.
I am however a lefty and I can confirm that I am weird.
spoons, forks and then knives
Exactly what the logic suggests for a weirdo southpaw.
The locations are generally predetermined for the big serving spoon compartment and the little tea spoon at the front compartment.
Despite my original posting I am relatively relaxed about spoons, they can be on far right or far left, but the fork knife order is the one that makes my skin itch. You lay the table with a fork on the left and knife on the right. Why on earth would any sane person put them the opposite way around in the drawer?
Why on earth would any sane person put them the opposite way around in the drawer?
because logic.
This means forks and knives reflect the order they are laid on the table (except for weirdy left handers)
Weirdy leftie (in all senses) here.
And I have my fork in my left hand and knife in my right - YOU LOT HAVE GOT IT WRONG!
My logic - knife hand does the easy job. Cutting stuff on your plate - the knife goes nowhere near your mouth (unless you are a heathen). Fork hand - that does the fancy pants swizzly dexterous stuff. It deserves your best hand - not your second rate hand. If eating fork only surely you put it in your right hand - if so why not keep it there full time?
Weirdos.
The stabby corn eaters are in a ziplok bag to avoid separation / puncture wounds
Got a link for your kevlar ziplock bags?
Incidentally: knives - forks - spoons. Because sometimes you need a knife and fork, sometimes a spoon and fork (spaghetti), but (almost) never a knife and spoon.
Spoons – Forks – Knives
The Muffin Man is correct and I'll fight anyone who says otherwise.
I was surprised no-one had trotted that out Perchy.
Keeping the classics alive
Spoons go at one with side not bothered but forks then knifes is definitely a requirement of good order.
I get angry when people stack large plates on top of small plates. My mother in law does this. That alone is enough reason to dislike her.
I'm with Perchy on this. It's far more nuanced than just knives, forks, spoons.
Or you could optimise with a few of these but then you might find yourself pulling them out of your face.
Is that so? I always wondered.
Yes, Lefties ARE weirdos.
Leftie here 😉
Time Magazine 1969 -
"As TIME explained in 1969, “southpaws, gallock-handers, chickie paws and scrammies” were seen as sinister—literally, since the word means “left”—for centuries. “In the Middle Ages, for instance, the left-hander lived in danger of being accused of practicing witchcraft,” the article explained. “The Devil himself was considered a southpaw, and he and other evil spirits were always conjured up by left-handed gestures.”
Exactly what I was getting at, @convert.
It’s more convenient for a right hander to take things from the right hand side of the drawer.
Have you tried placing your feet four inches further left, thus solving the problem?
Like most left-handers I am acutely aware, far more than any righty could possibly begin to imagine, of the awkwardness of the world being wrong-handed. As a spurious example, take your bank card out of your wallet and offer it up to the ATM; oops, it's the wrong way around, I need to turn it 180'; complete a transaction, go to remove the card, there's an asymmetric plastic guard over the slot which means you physically can't get at it with your left hand and have to use your right. You've probably never even noticed it.
No big deal in the grand scheme of things, but our lives are filled with these left-hostile micro-aggressions. Trust me, "most commonly used cutlery being on the left / right" does not fall into this category.
The locations are generally predetermined for the big serving spoon compartment and the little tea spoon at the front compartment.
That's on the left in my drawer. You'd put spoons together, yes?
were seen as sinister—literally, since the word means “left”—for centuries.
Latin innit. Sinister = left, dexter = right. Hence also dexterity et al. Ambidextrous, you can use both hands as well as your right.
Knives, forks, spoons. The area for knives in the organisers is longer than the other two. Because the knives are a little longer than forks and spoons.
Jam first. It's more stable than cream.
Have you tried placing your feet four inches further left, thus solving the problem?
Impossible. Cutlery drawer is in the left hand corner of the kitchen innit.
Also, you do know that I just made all that shit up on the fly just to mess with you, right?
OP is almost entirely correct. But...
...clotted cream goes on top of jam. As per Devonshire/Cornish tradition.
Purely because, how do you spread a more viscous substance on top of a lesser one?
Also, you do know that I just made all that shit up on the fly just to mess with you, right?
left I think you'll find. Behind the mint sauce.
Thank you OP.
I've always felt our kitchen was lacking in its balance, it's a little thread pulled in the fabric of our Fung Shui.
I'm now able to walk into the kitchen, open the cutlery drawer and bask in todays change to make it fork-knife-spoon.