How many tines do you prefer on your fork??

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larry_stewart

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So lately I've been eating out more than I usually do. I have noticed that some restaurants have forks with 3 Tines while others have forks with 4 Tines.

At home, mine have always had 4, which is what I prefer.

Is there a reason why some have 3 and others have 4? or is it just a matter of design or preference ?

Personally, being the old crotchy person that I am, it almost annoys me when I have a fork with only 3.

Anyway, stupid question on a stupid subject, but just curious.

Thanks,

Larru
 
If you're eating with a three-tined fork, would it make you feel better if you called it a trident?

It's all a matter of style.
 
I prefer using a Left Handed Fork. Four. It's hard enough eating Peas without using your knife to chase those little critters around on your plate,

Also those kind you get at KFC--Sporks.

Lately, I have been looking at buying new flat ware. Getting tired of mis-match and I think I did not get all my pieces back from DxW's from Thanksgiving. Though I don't see them at her house either. Neverminde all that. I suppose now I will have to go back on line and count Tines.

What I need is to find a good estate sale where they had a large family.
 
I don't think I've ever had to eat off a 3 tined fork but I think it would be a pain in the neck. Doesn't food fall off when you are trying to convey it to your mouth? Especially if you use the American technique rather than the European one.
 
The food stays n three-tined forks just fine. When I was first married (1970) we bought a set with three-tined forks. There really isn't much of a difference in use.
 
Doesn't really matter to me. For over 40 years our everyday Reed & Barton flatware has been working just fine. It's a Colonial-style with 3-tined forks. My children grew up using this silverware and didn't seem to have any difficulty and I never had a challenge eating with the forks. As long as my fork isn't bent, I don't really care.
 
I don't think I have ever used a three tined fork. Is it the same width as a four tined fork? Are the tines wider? How about the spacing, is it wider?
 
We got a bunch with a set I got years ago from Penney's, along with small and large 4 tined forks. We never use the 3 tined unless the others are all in the dishwasher. I think they're for salads, and the same size as the other regular forks.
 
My Mom got us a set of "colonial" flatware (3-tine) when she bought us a full set of Pfaltzgraff Folk Art dishware. (Mom was a little excited to learn she was gonna be a grandma) We used those for ages. There must be no problem getting food-to-mouth with them, as I gained 40 pounds during the time I used them. :ermm:

When Mom died, I got her set of flatware, giving my "good" set from the in-laws to our daughter. As you can see, we have a set each of 3- and 4-tine. I've since started to use the 4-tine, since the handle is a more comfortable fit in my hand. Oddly enough, I've now lost about 15 pounds while using the 4-tine. :LOL:

Side-by-side, you can compare all aspects of tine width, fork length, etc., seeing as how I lined them up nicely with the checked pattern of the place mat.
 
We have three tine and four tine here. I also have some hand made 2 tine forks in our Rendezvous kitchen box. Can't recall ever having trouble with any of them, 'course I would recommend caution using the 2 tine forks especially if you are guilty of excessive cheerfulness. :LOL:
 
The three tine fork is a carry over from the Colonial days. We have a Silversmith company about five minutes from where I live. My sister and I went in there one time looking for a matching piece to her set. We saw a very old c.1700 set of sterling silver and I am afraid to put the price here because it will burn a hole in my monitor. But the forks were all three tined. On the counter was a booklet telling about the set. It supposedly was made by Paul Revere. But in this city every piece of silver is said to have been made by him. The only reason I would believe it was the price. It was a complete set for 12 people. I guess they had large families in those days. Surprisingly, it was a very plain pattern that is still around today. :angel:
 
I don't think I've ever had to eat off a 3 tined fork but I think it would be a pain in the neck. Doesn't food fall off when you are trying to convey it to your mouth? Especially if you use the American technique rather than the European one.

Functionally I never had a problem with it, but visually it throws me off. Usually I just stare at it and wonder " Why not just add the extra tine? " .

Almost sounds like a bad Seinfeld episode :LOL:

And to confuse me even more :wacko:, last night I ate at a restaurant that had square ended soup spoons. It looked like a coal shovel. In the beginning it functioned Ok, but at the end, when trying to get the last drop ( to two) it didn't efficiently scrape the curved bottom of the bowl leaving the last drop on the bowl and not on the spoon, and eventually in my mouth. Being a classy guy;) in a classy restaurant, picking up the bowl and licking it was out of the question, but the thought did cross my mind :LOL: . Ok truth is, if I picked up the bowl to lick it in a restaurant, my wife would have divorced me on the spot ( Ive done it before and got the lecture)

larry
 

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