If you’re going to the bother of putting out lovely linen napkins for a special celebration meal, then make sure you add even more elegance by rolling silverware in an individual napkin for each place setting.
Not only will this add a decorative flourish to your table, but it will look like it’s been done professionally. And, if the table looks great, your guests will be eager to start sampling the food.
To find out how to do this like they do in restaurants, then read on…
First though, not only does rolling silverware in a linen look good, it’s also great for keeping your knives, forks and spoons clean and shiny.
- To begin, get together a square, quality, linen napkin. The thicker the linen, the stronger the napkin will be and the better for holding the cutlery (which can prove heavy).
- Lie the napkin flat on a table with a corner of the napkin aligned to the edge of the table.
- Place the knife diagonally across the napkin with the blade sticking slightly out (around ½ an inch longer than the napkin itself). Now, place the fork and then the spoon on top of the knife. The bottoms of each should be touching together.
- Fold the bottom corner of the napkin across the bottom of the silverware. At the same time, and with your other hand, hold the cutlery in place.
- The last stage is to fold one of the side corners across the silverware and roll into the napkin. Everything at this point should be folded very tightly. Roll once again and hey presto – your wrapped silverware is complete.
It’s all these extra little touches to your table that show your guests how much you appreciate them and are keen for them to have a lovely time.
Having a lovely table when your guests sit down also gives them something to compliment and talk about – which is ideal if they’re just meeting each other for the first time.
The best thing about rolling silverware in linen napkins is that it’s pretty easy to do. Considering how great the finished item looks, it involves very little effort at all. The secret is to use good quality linen napkins so the silverware doesn’t fall out after all your careful folding.
@tasteofhome: “If you’re hosting a buffet-style party, having flatware bundled together for easy grabbing is a great idea. Plus, with ribbons and twine, you can really customize the look of this napkin fold.”
Washing linen napkins
Of course, the hazard of having lovely napkins at the table means they’re forever in danger of getting stains on them. If this happens, then always keep your linen napkins pristine and clean by washing them in warm water in the machine.
Rub laundry detergent into stains as soon as you possibly can, then wash them in a warm wash afterwards (too hot and the stain may set). If it’s a grease stain caused by salad dressing or olive oil, etc then make sure the detergent you rub into the stain contains an enzyme to tackle the grease. Leave it to sit for 15 minutes before putting it in the washing machine on a warm setting.
