Now here’s something to chew on. What common household item do you have and put in your mouth 50 times a day? This is more than just your toothbrush. And when was the last time you thought about it?
I hadn’t paid much attention to my cutlery since I bought them 30 years ago. I just stood there, in the drawer, waiting to bring food to my mouth, which I appreciate. But I recently discovered that I had half as many forks and spoons as knives. What happened? We started with the same number of each.
“The forks ran away with the spoons!” I cried for Greg Owens, co-owner of Sherrill Manufacturing, the last remaining cutlery manufacturer in the U.S., so I thought he might care. (You do, but I like to support products made in the United States.)
Owens, who unlike me, actually thinks a lot about cutlery, had heard it before. “Forks and spoons are often lost in trash cans, lunch bags, picnics and camping trips,” he said, and then threw himself into a bit of history.
He explained to me how he and his partner Matthew Roberts, both veterans of the steel business, grew when, in 2005, Oneida Limited, one of the world’s leading cutlery manufacturers, closed its manufacturing plant. in the United States, which had been making silver since 1860 (thinks Abraham Lincoln), and moved all operations to the coast.
“Oneida could buy finished cutlery made in China cheaper than metal to produce its product in the United States, so they left,” Owens said.
Owens and Roberts took over the manufacturing facility, continued to employ many of the workers, and christened the new Sherrill Manufacturing operation, which is named after the New York City headquarters. A few years later, they started making Liberty Tabletop cutlery, which now sells 33 patterns online directly to consumers.
Now, alert readers will remember that last week’s columns on household items that you shouldn’t buy online had cutlery listed. You need to see it and feel it in person before you commit. You will not receive any arguments from Owens, who encourages customers to request samples. However, direct selling online is what makes it possible for Liberty to compete on price with imports. “We can avoid retail stores, which often handle 70% of profits,” he said.
Since 90% of the cutlery sold in the United States today comes from China, Owens is proud to say, “We’re 100% American. We use the hydropower from Niagara Falls, we get our metal from Pittsburgh, so we know it meets U.S. quality standards, no mysterious metal, and we offer American jobs. “
But back to me.
I still had a serious problem with the fork and spoon. I checked online at Replacements Unlimited, the company that sells individual pieces of porcelain, glass, and silver for people who have broken or lost parts or have gaps in their sets. No luck. I found the brand of my old cutlery, but not the style.
Which meant only one thing: new cutlery. When I started buying something I hadn’t bought in decades, and would probably never buy again, I thought I’d better learn what to look for. Here’s what I found to make the cut:
• Material: The key quality to look for when choosing stainless steel cutlery is the metal content. The back usually has a stamp that says 18/10, 18/8 or 18/0. This ratio represents the amount of chromium to nickel in the metal alloy. Nickel (the second number) gives the utensils their shine and durability, and reduces their susceptibility to stinging, oxidizing, clouding and staining. Because nickel is expensive, many manufacturers skimp on it. Today, most imports are 6/18, said Owens, whose company only manufactures 10/18 cutlery.
• Production quality: In addition to the metal ratio, another way to judge cutlery is by the quality of its finish. The pieces should have a uniform shine with no bites, no irregular pattern details and no areas that look worn or too polished. Look between the tips of the fork. A lower product will show roughness there.
• Style: Cutlery designs fall into three categories. There is modern, which is elegant and stylish with little or no pattern. Traditional, often featuring floral designs, ornate ornaments, and curved or violin outlines. And decorative, where the handles incorporate textures such as hammered, dotted or woven effects, or colored handles, not metallic, which are usually less durable. Choose something you won’t get tired of. That said, Liberty offers an affinity line with fun motifs that include skulls (a hit with the set of bikers), Celtic heritage, and Woodstock (a hippie flashback).
• Finished: Today’s cutlery includes polished, brushed or ornate finishes. The smoother the finish and the simpler the pattern, the more fingerprints, bumps and scratches will be shown, “and that’s not necessarily bad,” Owens said. Printed cutlery is more lenient.
• Size: Cutlery size is divided into two general fields: American and European standard. Standard American cutlery is usually an inch smaller than European-sized pieces. For example, a standard American fork measures about 7 inches, while its European counterpart measures 8 inches. While some American consumers still prefer the traditional American size, the trend is toward less ornate, larger, and heavier pieces, known in the industry as European size. The only way to know what you like best is to try it before you buy.
Since there are more things in this story, join me next week when my husband and I try on four sets of cutlery and discover, and sometimes disagree, their most subtle points.
Marni Jameson is the author of six books on the home and lifestyle, including “Downsizing the Family Home – What to Save, What to Let Go.” Contact her at marnijameson.com.
