Your sense of taste isn’t the only thing that makes a meal enjoyable—touch also contributes to the experience. And the subtle differences in the weight, balance, and texture of your flatware can set the tone of a meal before you even start eating.
Eating in a cafeteria? You’ll likely be dining with a thin metal fork. A fine dining restaurant? Expect heavy utensils that make a design statement and communicate the restaurant’s point of view—maybe you’ll even be treated to a chilled salad fork. For home use, it’s still worth taking the time to find a flatware set that you like and feels good in the hand. It’s something you’ll use almost every day, after all.
To find the best flatware for everyday use, we tested 12 stainless steel sets ranging from .80¢ to $10 per piece ($16 to $199 per set) and in a variety of finishes, including polished, matte, and bronzed.
The Winners, at a Glance
The Best Flatware Set: Made In Flatware
The Made In flatware is simple and elegant. We think the classic design will fit into any kitchen. During testing, we found these durable stainless steel pieces to be perfectly balanced and pleasantly heavy in the hand.
Also Great: Robert Welch Westbury Flatware Sets
This set is available in a mirror or satin finish. We tested the latter and found the satin finish and v-shaped handle added a subtle design flare to this simple flatware. This set performed well in durability, ease, and cleanup tests and was just really nice to use. It’s available in a single setting or as a 20-, 42-, or 50-piece set.
The Best Budget Flatware Set: Oneida Voss 45-Piece Flatware Set
This set includes service for eight people and five extra serving pieces, including a cute, shell-shaped sugar spoon. The thick handles feature a slight depression in the handle, which we found pleasing to hold.
The Best Flatware That’s Available in a Few Finishes: Crate & Barrel Caesna Mirror 5-Piece Flatware Place Setting
This well-designed set performed well during testing. The pieces were balanced, durable, and smooth. It’s available in mirror, satin, and something called “Air Silver.” It can be purchased as a 3-, 5- or 20-piece set.
The Best Slightly Embellished Flatware Set: Lenox Portola 65-Piece Flatware Set
This set performed well during testing, and it’s a great value. The set includes service for 12 as well as additional serving pieces like a large slotted serving spoon and serving fork. The flared and embellished handles add a subtle design element.
The Tests
- Tomato Soup Test: To test the spoons, we poured two ounces of tomato soup into bowls and used each set’s spoon to eat it. Spoons were evaluated for size, function, and balance.
- Chicken Breast Test: To test each set’s knife, we prepared a roasted chicken breast and sliced through it on a dinner plate. Knives were evaluated for function and feel.
- Salad Test: To test the dinner and salad forks, we prepared a batch of farro salad. We used each fork to eat a serving of the salad, evaluating how well they stabbed and scooped small pieces, as well as considering the overall experience of using the forks.
- User Experience Test: We shared a meal of soup and salad with friends to gather broader feedback on each set.
- Cleanup Tests: We cleaned each set by hand and ran dishwasher-safe utensils through the dishwasher. After cleaning, we inspected each item for tarnish or wear.
What We Learned
Finding the Best Flatware Set Was a Weighty Decision
Weight was one of the key factors that determined how pleasant a utensil was to hold. Imagine the difference between drinking water from a paper cup and a heavy glass. Even if they hold the same amount of water, the heavy glass feels more satisfying and conveys a sense of quality. Thin sets of flatware like the LIANYU 20 Piece Silverware Flatware Cutlery Set were much lighter than our winners. The LIANYU dinner fork weighed in at 49 grams. This was significantly lighter than the Oneida fork, which weighed 72 grams, and the Made In fork, which weighed 54 grams.
At the Same Time, the Best Flatware Was Balanced
If your flatware is perfectly balanced, you shouldn’t even notice it. It should feel like a natural extension of your hand. Balanced sets like the Robert Welch Westbury were easy to wield. Each individual piece was comfortable when held in the correct place (near the end of the handle). Others, like the Oneida Mooncrest, felt wobbly in hand. This was most noticeable with the large spoon. To hold this piece comfortably we had correct for the off-center balance, which meant holding only the very end of the handle.
Consider the Spoon
When testing the spoons, the most noticeable feature was size. There’s room for preference here, but to pass our test a spoon needed to be small enough to comfortably eat with and large enough to hold a satisfying bite of soup—without it dripping down the sides. The Zwilling set included a small spoon that at seven-and-a-quarter inches long and one-and-a-half inches wide resulted in an unsatisfying bite of soup. On the opposite end of the spectrum, measuring over eight inches long and one-and-three-fourths inches wide, the Our Table dinner spoon felt comically large and difficult to eat with.
Flatware Should Be Smooth and Polished
The ideal flatware had soft, rounded edges (okay, except for the knife). Some sets we tested were smooth and polished all the way around, which made for a seamless eating experience. Others had slightly rough edges that caught on our mouths. The Crate & Barrel, Robert Welch, and Made In utensils were the smoothest. Others, like the Oneida Mooncrest, had unpolished edges on the sides of the fork tines, which just didn’t feel great to eat off of.
Sharper Wasn’t Better
Everyday cutlery is often kept in a drawer and heaped into the dishwasher. You want to be able to grab a handful without cutting yourself. For the knife, this means that the blade should be dull enough for safety, but sharp enough to slice through chicken. The best-performing knives had small serrations that helped them cut through meat without creating a sharp blade. The non-serrated options were either dangerously sharp, like the Laguiole Jean Dubost, or frustratingly dull, like the Knork Original Collection.
The Criteria: What to Look for In Flatware Set
Choose a flatware set that creates the feeling of everyday luxury. Look for perfectly balanced pieces with a pleasant heft and a design that suits your taste. Choose a high-quality, rust-resistant material like stainless steel, so that your set will last forever. To make your life easier, find a set that’s dishwasher-safe. This will simplify daily use and cleanup.
The Best Flatware Set: Made In Flatware
What we liked: The Made In set is simple and timeless. We found each piece to be well-balanced with smooth, rounded edges and a satisfying heft. Its knife cut through chicken easily, while it’s spoon held the perfect bite of soup. Overall, you can’t go wrong with something so well-made and elegant.
What we didn’t like: This set is expensive. At $199 for 20 pieces, it comes with enough for a service for four. Unfortunately, Made In doesn’t offer additional single settings, so you’d have to purchase a whole other 20-piece set if you wanted, say, enough flatware for six people. Made In also does not include matching serving pieces.
Price at time of publish: $199.
Key Specs
- What’s included: Dinner fork, salad fork, dinner knife, soup spoon, dessert spoon
- Number of pieces: 20
- Material: 18/10 stainless steel
- Care: Dishwasher-safe
Also Great: Robert Welch Westbury Flatware Sets
What we liked: This lovely flatware set breezed through all of our tests. It was durable and easy to clean and had a nice weight in hand. It’s available in two finishes. Plus, notice the subtle v-shaped handle: this adds a slight touch of personality to an overall classic design. We liked that you can purchase service for four, then add additional settings as needed.
What we didn’t like: At $50 for five pieces or $200 for a 20-piece set, this set is among the most expensive we tested. Serving pieces are not included, but a matching serving spoon and fork can be purchased separately.
Price at time of publish: $200.
Key Specs
- What’s included: Dinner fork, salad fork, dinner knife, soup spoon, teaspoon
- Number of pieces included: 20 (though you can purchase a 5-, 42-, or 50-piece set)
- Material: 18/10 stainless steel
- Care: Dishwasher-safe
The Best Budget Flatware Set: Oneida Voss 45-Piece Flatware Set
What we liked: This flatware is a great value. The set includes service for eight, plus additional serving pieces like a slotted serving spoon and a cute, shell-shaped sugar spoon. The pieces themselves are pleasantly heavy in the hand. The thick handles featured a slight depression, almost like a thumbprint, that felt natural to hold.
What we didn’t like: This set didn’t demonstrate the same attention to detail as the more expensive sets. While the pieces were functional, the edges of the fork tines were slightly rough.
Price at time of publish: $130.
Key Specs
- What’s include: 8 dinner forks, 8 salad forks, 8 dinner knives, 8 soup spoons, 8 teaspoons, 1 serving spoon, 1 slotted spoon, 1 serving fork, 1 butter knife, 1 sugar shell
- Number of pieces included: 45
- Material: 18/10 stainless steel
- Care: Dishwasher-safe
The Best Flatware Set That’s Available in a Few Finishes: Crate & Barrel Caesna Mirror 5-Piece Flatware Place Setting
What we liked: This set performed well in all of our tests. Its neutral design veers towards modern with a slightly softened angle between the head of the spoon and the handle. It’s available in mirror, satin, and “Air Silver,” which appears to be shinier than the other two options. It’s also designed by Robert Welch, the maker of one of our other favorite flatware sets.
What we didn’t like: At $150 for 20 pieces, it’s not the priciest offering we recommend, but it’s still up there. Matching serving pieces are available but must be purchased separately.
Price at time of publish: $40.
Key Specs
- What’s included: Dinner fork, salad fork, dinner knife, soup spoon, teaspoon
- Number of pieces: 5 (though you can purchase a 3-, 5-, or 20-piece set)
- Material: 18/10 stainless steel
- Care: Dishwasher-safe
The Best Slightly Embellished Flatware Set: Lenox Portola 65-Piece Flatware Set
What we liked: This set comes with enough flatware to host a large dinner party, including the serving fork. The pieces are easy to use and clean. For those looking to add a little peronsonality to the table, this set includes a flared and beaded handle.
What we didn’t like: The individual pieces of this set are on the lighter side. The dinner fork weighs 42 grams, which is noticeably lighter when compared to the 54-gram Made In fork.
Price at time of publish: $126.
Key Specs
- What’s included: 12 dinner forks, 12 salad forks, 12 dinner knives, 12 soup spoons, 12 teaspoons, butter knife, serving fork, tablespoon, slotted tablespoon, sugar spoon
- Number of pieces: 65
- Material: 18/10 Stainless steel
- Care: Dishwasher-safe
The Competition
- Our Table Colby Satin 20-Piece Flatware Set: The spoons and forks felt light in the hand. This set was slightly imbalanced, making the pieces feel a little unwieldy. It also appears to no longer be available.
- CB2 20-Piece Essence Brushed Gold Flatware Set: This set is functional and pleasingly heavy. It lost points because it isn’t dishwasher-safe, but could be a good choice for those seeking a pop of color, or a special occasion set you're willing to hand-wash.
- Laguiole Jean Dubost 24 Piece Flatware Set: This set’s plastic handles feel inexpensive and brittle. The smaller spoon is quite tiny, and can’t hold a satisfying bite of soup or pudding.
- Zwilling J.A. Henckels Opus Flatware, 45-Piece Set: These pieces performed well, but the thin handles felt a little slight in hand.
- LIANYU 20 Piece Silverware Flatware Cutlery Set: The forks, knives and spoons in this set are very thin and light. They were inexpensive but flimsy.
- Knork Original Collection Cutlery Utensils: This set was thick and bulky. The knife blade isn’t serrated and is set at a flat angle which made cutting difficult.
- Oneida Mooncrest 45-Piece Flatware Set, Service This large set includes service for eight and additional serving pieces. The fork tines had rough edges that caught our mouths.
FAQs
Which silverware sets don’t rust?
Stainless steel is our top material choice because it doesn’t rust easily. High-quality stainless steel is rust-resistant and will last a long time if cared for correctly. To prevent rust, always dry flatware completely before storing it.
What does 18/10 stainless steel mean?
Stainless steel is graded for quality. The grade is given as a fraction, which represents the amount of chromium and nickel present in the steel. These elements enhance durability and rust resistance. 18/10 stainless steel contains 18% chromium and 10% nickel, and is considered the highest quality.
What's the difference between flatware and silverware?
Although these terms are often used interchangeably, there is a difference. Flatware refers specifically to eating utensils like forks, knives, and spoons. Silverware can be used to refer to any item plated in silver.
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