Cutlery refers to the knives, forks, and spoons we use for eating. When you set the table for dinner, you're laying out the cutlery: a fork on the left, a knife and spoon on the right.

Different cultures use cutlery in different ways. In America and Europe, people typically use both a fork and knife together, while in many Asian countries, people prefer chopsticks over Western-style cutlery. Some foods, like pizza or chicken wings, are perfectly fine to eat with your hands, but try eating soup or spaghetti without cutlery and you'll quickly see why these tools matter.

Fancy restaurants sometimes use multiple pieces of cutlery for different courses: smaller forks for salad, larger ones for the main dish, and special tiny forks for dessert. The basic rule is to work from the outside in, using the outermost pieces first. But at home, one good fork, knife, and spoon will handle just about any meal.