In common usage, a butter knife may refer to any non-serrated

table knife A table knife is an item of cutlery with a single cutting edge, and a blunt end – part of a table setting. Table knives are typically of moderate sharpness only, designed to cut prepared and cooked food. History In early periods in the West ...

designed with a dull edge and rounded point; formal

cutlery Cutlery (also referred to as silverware, flatware, or tableware), includes any hand implement used in preparing, serving, and especially eating food in Western culture. A person who makes or sells cutlery is called a cutler. The city of Sheffie ...

patterns make a distinction between such a place knife (or table knife) and a butter knife. In this usage, a butter knife (or ''master butter knife'') is a sharp-pointed, dull-edged knife, often with a sabre shape, used only to serve out pats of

butter Butter is a dairy product made from the fat and protein components of churned cream. It is a semi-solid emulsion at room temperature, consisting of approximately 80% butterfat. It is used at room temperature as a spread, melted as a condiment ...

from a central

butter dish A butter dish is defined as "a usually round or rectangular dish often with a drainer and a cover for holding butter at table". Before refrigerators existed, a covered dish made of crystal, silver, or china housed the butter. The first butter dish ...

to individual diners' plates. Master butter knives are not used to spread the butter onto

bread Bread is a staple food prepared from a dough of flour (usually wheat) and water, usually by baking. Throughout recorded history and around the world, it has been an important part of many cultures' diet. It is one of the oldest human-made food ...

: this would contaminate the butter remaining in the butter dish when the next pat of butter was served. Rather, diners at the breakfast, the luncheon, and the informal dinner table use an individual butter knife to apply butter to their bread. Splint, Sarah Field. The Art of

Cooking Cooking, cookery, or culinary arts is the art, science and craft of using heat to prepare food for consumption. Cooking techniques and ingredients vary widely, from grilling food over an open fire to using electric stoves, to baking in vario ...

and Serving. Cincinnati, Ohio: The Procter & Gamble Co., 1930. "Table Service in the Servantless House" pp. 3-4, "The House with a Servant" p. 27 Individual butter knives have a round point, so as not to tear the bread, and are sometimes termed butter spreaders. If no butter spreaders are provided, a dinner knife may be used as an alternative.Stewart, Marjabelle Young. Comonsense Etiquette: A Guide to Gracious, Simple Manners for the Twenty-First Century. New York: St. Martin's Press, 1999. p. 50

References

{{portal bar, Food Serving utensils Kitchen knives Butter ja:ナイフ#テーブルナイフ

See also

References