What is a butter knife used for

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Different cutleries have different functions, and studying their differences will help you acquire good table manners. You may have encountered table and butter knives when you dine in restaurants. They’re both knives, although they look different, so how different are they?

A table knife has a pointed end and sharper edge, making it a useful tool when cutting up meat and tough vegetables during meals—it’s more versatile than a butter knife. On the other hand, a butter knife is smaller, with a duller edge—mostly used for cutting and spreading butter.

In this article, I’ll go over the characteristics of each of these blades to help you understand the differences. You’ll also learn how to use each one.

What Is a Table Knife?

A table knife is the longest type of knife in any flatware set. It’s predominantly used for cutting food to smaller bits on a plate-often with a fork in one hand.

Table knives have the same color as spoons and forks in cutlery sets. They come in either continental or place sizes. You’ll find the place size measurement in the United States, where table knives are typically 9 1/4″ (23.49 cm) in length. Table knives are 3/4″ (1.90 cm) in length in the European continental-size measurement.

The handles on table knives have an ergonomic design, making them comfortable to hold while eating.

A Table Knife Is Great for Cutting Many Types of Foods

The table knife is very versatile. In formal settings, it’s mostly used to slice and cut up food in bits, as mentioned above. The knife’s slightly serrated blades make slicing most cooked foods a breeze. You can use it to cut up fish, poultry, leaner cuts of meat, and all kinds of vegetables.

In less formal settings, you can use a table knife in a wide range of applications. Some people use table knives in other ways, including spreading butter or jam and moving food around on the plate.

You can also use a table knife to carve out meat from a roast, cut unsliced bread, and slice cheese into smaller bits. It can be a struggle to eat most full meals without a table knife unless you like eating with a mixture of your fingers and a fork. Of course, such table manners may attract uncomfortable stares in most places outside your home.

If you’re looking for a multipurpose knife, it’s hard to go wrong with a table knife. You can find knives specially made for certain foods in upscale formal settings. These include salad knives and fish knives. However, the table knife is often enough to do the job in more traditional restaurants.

Table Knives May Be Uncomfortable for Some People

Due to the length, a table knife is generally safer than a steak knife when cutting foods down to smaller portions. There’s little to no risk of damage to the plate. The handle area of the knife is also thick enough to provide you with a comfortable grip while eating.

On the flip side, table knives are typically heavier, so they may feel a bit too much for kids or adults with small hands.  

What Is a Butter Knife?

A butter knife has a small blade and a dull edge meant for cutting and smearing butter on a slice of bread. Compared to table knives, butter knives are smaller in size. They’re lightweight and also come with shorter handles. 

Most butter knives are made of stainless steel or plastic.

A Butter Knife Is Not Meant for Cutting Tough Food

Butter knives are predominately used to cut butter, jam, mayonnaise, or similar spreads. They don’t have the sharp edge necessary to cut through tougher food.

You’re likely to find butter knives on breakfast tables or anywhere the meals require the use of butter. With a butter knife available, you won’t have to use steak or table knives to cut your butter.

In formal settings, the knife returns to the butter plate after you’ve cut some of the butter onto your bread plate. You may also get a butter spreader (more on it below) to spread the butter across the bread properly.

At home or in less formal gatherings, the butter knife can serve as the tool for cutting butter as well as spreading it across your bread.

Butter Knives Are Safe for Kids To Use

Butter knives are great for spreading any food items that are jelly-like inconsistency. However, they’re also useful enough to serve some of the functions of a standard table knife. The knife’s edge is typically blunt, so you don’t have to worry about kids getting hurt while using one. Some butter knives have a serrated edge, which can effectively double as a table knife.

Unfortunately, the dull edge on a butter knife means you can rarely find any use for most of them besides spreading butter or acting as accompaniment when eating grains with a fork. It’s very difficult to cut tough foods using one of these. Even with models that have a serrated edge, you can’t achieve a clean cut.

A Butter Knife and Butter Spreader Are Not the Same

Note that a butter knife is different from a butter spreader. You’re sure to find both types of knives if you attend a formal event. They look similar, but there are subtle differences that make them more suitable for their jobs.

A butter knife comes with a pointed end that helps slice through butter effectively. On the other hand, a butter spreader comes with a rounded end. The shape allows it to move around the bread surface without leaving a hole.

As mentioned above, you don’t need to have both at home. A standard butter knife is more than enough to get the job done while eating at home.

Table Knife vs. Butter Knife: Which Should You Choose?

You don’t have to choose between a table knife and a butter knife. There are many deals available on flatware in different online and high-street shops, so you can add both a table and butter knife and even throw in a spreader for good measure without spending too much.

You should choose the table knife if you want a versatile knife you can use to cut different types of foods. With a table knife, you can effortlessly spread butter, too. While a table knife should be your first choice, it won’t hurt to have a butter knife at home, too.

Don’t forget your kids when buying table or butter knives for the home. Look for sets with provisions for kids. If you can’t find one, you can buy a few separately.

Picture this. You are running late for work and decide upon the classic breakfast of bread and butter, but guess what? You don't have a butter knife to spread some butter over perfectly toasted bread! Can your regular spoon or forks or knife be able to evenly spread the butter for you? We don't think so! Worst, the regular knife might just cut the bread into two. Butter knives are quite a saviour and help you do this morning task quite easy for you. They are not sharp like a regular knife, so even kids can use them. One can use them to spread jams or sauces too! And if you are thinking to buy one right away, we've got 4 of the best butter knife options you could choose from.

4 Butter Knife Options To Choose From For A Perfect Bread-Butter:

1. Crystal - Stainless Steel Butter Knife

This one is perhaps one of the best deals you can get! Made with stainless steel, looks crystal clear and classy and extremely inexpensive.

2. Stainless Steel Cutlery Set 

Anti-corrosion, heat-resistant and extremely durable, this butter knife comes in a set of 3 that can also be used as a dinner knife. It is sturdy, light and made with stainless steel with a rust-free finish.

3. Prisha India Craft Steel Copper Hammered Butter Knife

Here is a beautiful set of 2 knives with silver and brown colour made with steel and copper. These knives are easy to clean, comfortable to hold and is said to come with a Sample Copper Cleaning powder.

4. Truwiser Palette Knife Butter Cake Cream Sandwich Spatula Smoother Icing Spreader

Made with a stainless steel blade and a plastic handle, this butter knife or spatula can be easily used for everything from spreading butter and cheese to icing and cream.

About Aanchal MathurAanchal doesn't share food. A cake in her vicinity is sure to disappear in a record time of 10 seconds. Besides loading up on sugar, she loves bingeing on FRIENDS with a plate of momos. Most likely to find her soulmate on a food app.

Close your eyes and imagine a generous helping of warm, decadent pat of butter slathered on a delicious piece of fresh baked bread. You take a bite and revel in the heavenly mix of salty, savory flavor while the aroma of your hot dinner awaits.

You’re ready to dig in.

With fork in hand, you pick up your knife and prepare yourself for a feast.

If you’re like most people, you’ve probably given very little thought to which knife you’re using at the table and why.

But, have you ever stopped to think about why there are so many knives for different purposes?

After all, when it comes to flatware, there’s a lot to keep track of. Not including forks and spoons, with just knives alone, there are several you might see at a formal occasion. In fact, there are specialty knives for everything from the first course to that tasty dessert.

But back to our delectable meal for a moment…

Do you remember which knife you used to spread the butter or cut that first bite of beef?

No, you say?

Why should you?

A knife is a knife, right?

Well, not exactly, and that’s definitely the case when we’re talking about butter knives and dinner knives.

So what makes each one unique?

The difference between a butter knife and a dinner knife is that the butter knife is a smaller knife with a duller edge but semi-pointed tip that is used exclusively for slicing butter whereas a dinner knife is a sharper (slightly serrated), all-purpose knife with a pointed end that is used for slicing meat, poultry, vegetables or other items consumed during a meal.

Most modern flatware sets will include butter knives and dinner knives so it’s unlikely you don’t have any familiarity with them.

That said, they serve different functions which we’ll discuss in more detail below.

What Is a Butter Knife?

Butter knives are usually shared amongst people during a meal. Its primary function is to provide a shared utensil specifically for slicing butter so that diners aren’t forced to use a dinner or steak knife to cut butter.

Usually the butter knife is replaced once the butter has been transferred from the butter plate to the diner’s bread plate but for informal gatherings, it can also be used to spread butter on the bread (or other foods). In formal settings, a butter spreader is used for this function.

What Is a Dinner Knife?

In contrast to a butter knife (or butter spreader), the typical dinner knife can serve multiple functions.

Obviously, you don’t need to use it to slice or spread butter!

Dinner knives are almost always the longest knives in a flatware set. As mentioned earlier, it is used for cutting food or moving around on the plate. Modern dinner knives come in two sizes – place size or continental size. Place size is the term used in the United States, whereas continental size is the term used in Europe.

The size of the American (place sized) dinner knives is 9 1/4″ in length. The size of the European (continental sized) is 9 3/4″ in length.

Dinner Knife Uses

Practically speaking, it would be impossible to eat most foods without the help of a dinner knife unless, of course, you don’t mind using your hands!

The dinner knife’s slightly serrated edge makes it perfect for slicing most cooked foods with the possible exception of thicker cuts of meat or roasts. It slices easily through fish, poultry, leaner cuts of meat and virtually all vegetables.

As an all-round, multipurpose knife, the dinner knife is hard to beat.

In formal settings, it’s possible to find knives that are specially suited for certain foods or courses – such as salad knives or fish knives. However, in most restaurants and most homes, the humble dinner knife is more than enough to get the job done.

What Is the Difference Between a Butter Knife and a Butter Spreader?

Butter knives and butter spreaders are not the same thing, but unless you are attending a formal event, you might not know it. However, strictly speaking, the knives each serve a different function.

Butter knives have pointed ends so that they can slice through butter and are used to transfer the butter to your bread plate.

Butter spreaders are rounded at the end so that they won’t puncture bread and are used to spread the butter on bread once it’s on the bread plate.

I’m Griffin and I make my living as a freelance writer and wannabe sci fi author. Besides my obsession with words, I have a few others which may or may not include craft beer, backcountry hikes and spending time with loved ones – preferably in that order. Thanks for checking out my work and I hope you enjoy it!