How to Hold a Fork Properly: American vs European Style

An expert-backed guide to eat with a fork and knife

Co-authored by Tami Claytor and Bailey Cho

Last Updated: July 17, 2024 Fact Checked

• Holding a Fork "European Style"
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• Holding a Fork "American Style"
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• Is the European or American style better?
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• Why are there 2 different styles to hold a fork?
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• Expert Q&A
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• Tips

|Show more |Show less

Proper table etiquette depends on the country you’re in, but there are 2 popular ways to eat with a fork and knife: the European (or Continental) style and the American style. In this article, we’ll teach you how to hold your fork using both of these styles, plus provide tips on choosing the most efficient method. We also spoke with etiquette coach Tami Claytor for the most important rules when using cutlery.

Best Way to Hold a Fork

Hold the handle between your thumb and your middle, ring, and pinky fingers. Place your index finger at the end of the handle where it meets the base of the fork tines. Let the end of the handle rest in the crease of your palm.

Steps

Section 1 of 4:

Holding a Fork "European Style"

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1. 
   1
   Hold the fork in your left hand. Most Europeans hold their knife and fork throughout the entire meal. They keep the knife in their right hand for cutting, and the fork in their left hand for eating. The European style is considered more efficient than the American style because you don’t have to switch your fork to your other hand or set it down until you are finished eating.

   • Always start with silverware that is on the outside and work your way in.
   • If you're eating European (or Continental) style, set the table with the fork on the left side of the plate and the knife on the right side of the plate.
2. 
   2
   Use the fork with the tines facing down. Hold the handle between your thumb and your middle, ring, and pinky fingers. Place your index finger at the end of the handle where it meets the base of the fork tines, and let the end of the handle rest in the crease of your palm. Think of it like a surgeon’s scalpel, with the tines of the fork facing down toward the plate.

   • The lower you place your index finger on the fork handle, the more leverage you'll have picking up your food and eating it.
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3. 
   3
   Pick up the knife in your right hand. Hold your knife in the same closed-fist manner as your fork, and use it as a tool to push food onto the tines of your fork. If you’re cutting meat or a tougher food, pierce the food with the fork in your left hand and use a gentle sawing motion with the knife in your right hand. Always cut your food with the tines facing down.

   • You can actually push more food securely onto your fork with the European method than with the scooping American method.
4. 
   4
   Rest the fork on your plate with the tines facing down. If you want to take a break in the middle of your meal, place your fork and knife perpendicular to each other, with the handles on opposite sides of the plate and the blade of the knife facing toward you. When you’re finished eating, rest your fork and knife parallel on the plate; if you view the plate as the face of a clock, the tines and blade should be at 10:00 and the handles at 4:00.

   • Whether you’re cutting food, placing it in your mouth, or resting your fork on your plate, keep the tines of your fork down. Do not turn the fork up or put it into your right hand.
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Section 2 of 4:

Holding a Fork "American Style"

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1. 1
   Hold your fork like a pencil. Americans hold forks in their dominant hand, whether it’s on the right or left. According to Claytor, the correct way to hold a fork is to “hold it by your index finger and your thumb, and then rest it on your third finger.” The end of the fork should rest on the webbing of your hand (the space connecting your index finger and thumb).
2. 
   2
   Eat with the tines of the fork facing up or down. Traditionally, the tines of the fork should be facing upward, but most Americans do not pay attention to this when eating. It may be easier for you to pick up food with the tines up, like a shovel, but feel free to hold the fork however it feels the most comfortable to you.
3. 
   3
   Cut food with the knife in your right hand and the fork in your left. Use your left hand to hold the food in place with the tines of your fork, then use a sawing motion to slice the food with your knife. Claytor says you should “cut four to five small bites” of food and “never cut the whole [thing] at one time.”

   • This is the same technique as the European (or Continental) method.
4. 
   4
   Switch your fork to your right hand to eat. After you've cut the food into pieces, place your knife on the edge of the plate with the blade facing inward. Then, switch your fork to your right hand and bring the food to your mouth. Switch the fork back over to your left hand when you’re ready to cut another piece of food, and continue switching hands every time you need to cut more pieces.
5. 5
   Rest the fork on your plate with the tines facing up. If you’re still eating your food, place your fork and knife perpendicular to each other with each handle on the same side of the plate. Position the knife on the edge of the plate with the blade facing toward you. When you’re finished eating, place your utensils parallel to each other on the plate; if the plate was a clock, the tines and blade should be at 10:00 and the handles at 4:00.

   • For both American and European styles of dining, your fork and knife are in the same position when you’re finished eating.
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Section 3 of 4:

Is the European or American style better?

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1. Many believe the European style is more efficient than the American style. Modern eaters and etiquette critics claim that the European style is less disruptive to the eating process because you keep your fork and knife in your hands the entire time. With that being said, there is no “right” or “wrong” way to hold a fork, as long as you can eat your meal comfortably, so practice both styles and choose the one that feels most comfortable to you.

   • If you’re a slow eater, the European style of dining may speed up the process.
   • If you’re a fast eater, the American method might be better since it takes longer to cut your food and switch the utensils in your hands.

Section 4 of 4:

Why are there 2 different styles to hold a fork?

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1. The American “zig-zag” style developed in 19th century France. During this time, French nobility came up with more rigorous table etiquette, including cutting a piece of food with a knife in the right hand and a fork in the left hand. American followed the French, and it became a trend to eat using your dominant hand. By the 1850s, the French stopped this “zig-zag” style of fork-switching (also called “cut-and-switch”), but Americans continued to do it.
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Expert Q&A

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• Question

  Is there a wrong way to hold a fork?

  

  Tami Claytor
  Etiquette Coach

  Tami Claytor is an Etiquette Coach, Image Consultant, and the Owner of Always Appropriate Image and Etiquette Consulting in New York, New York. With over 20 years of experience, Tami specializes in teaching etiquette classes to individuals, students, companies, and community organizations. Tami has spent decades studying cultures through her extensive travels across five continents and has created cultural diversity workshops to promote social justice and cross-cultural awareness. She holds a BA in Economics with a concentration in International Relations from Clark University. Tami studied at the Ophelia DeVore School of Charm and the Fashion Institute of Technology, where she earned her Image Consultant Certification.

  

  Tami Claytor

  Etiquette Coach

  Expert Answer

  Not necessarily. If you want to follow proper etiquette, hold the fork between your index finger and thumb, with the middle part of the fork resting on your third finger.

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• Question

  When using a fork the American style, do you insert the fork into your mouth with the tines still scooping down like the European style or do you flip the fork before you put the food into your mouth?

  

  Community Answer

  The above article says Americans might do it either way, but they typically consider "tines up" to be the proper way of using a fork.

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Tips

• According to Claytor, you should sit up straight while eating and “pick up your food and bring it to your mouth, instead of bending over.”
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• Claytor also recommends holding your fork “a little diagonal or parallel to the table, rather than vertical,” before piercing your food.
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