Cutlery Buying Guide

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Of course, one of the key items for your restaurant has to be cutlery, after all where would you be without knives, forks, spoons and other essentials? Depending on your type of establishment, you will choose modern or traditional styles but the best advice would be to select cutlery sets that are hardwearing, durable and simple in design so they won’t date quickly. There are many different types of cutlery materials, for restaurants seek out dishwasher safe sets for ease and cutlery that will not need polishing up. Your cutlery should reflect your brand, livery and décor so buy the right type for your needs, at Alliance there are many different cutlery styles and materials including stainless steel, easy-grip, polycarbonate and even disposable available at excellent price points. Also available are cutlery stands, storage, trays, specialist cutlery and cutlery cleaning equipment.

The Different Types of Cutlery

Cutlery means knives, forks and spoons but within these, there are different types of knives, forks and spoons! Here’s a list of the different items:

The Different Cutlery Materials

The most popular cutlery materials are stainless steel, silver, polycarbonate and disposable.

Silver Cutlery

Silver cutlery is the highest grade you can buy but it is not a wise choice for restaurants unless extremely high end as it needs careful cleaning, is not suitable for dishwashers and must be polished regularly to combat tarnishing. While it is resistant to stains and corrosion it is quite soft and prone to denting and damage. Restaurants are better suited to stainless steel.

Stainless Steel Cutlery

The Alliance stainless steel sets are forged out of high grade stainless steel which is a combination of iron and chromium. This gives it its strength and protects cutlery from bending out of shape. You can expect rust resistance and stain resistance from stainless steel cutlery but it can be prone to finger prints and become pitted over time so it’s important to follow a good care routine to prevent this from happening. There are a huge number of stainless steel styles and sets to choose from within the Alliance pages to suit all different types of restaurants.

Easy Grip Cutlery

As it sounds, the easy-grip cutlery range is comfortable to hold and made out of stainless steel with plastic handles. This style is easy to care for too and has a satisfyingly chunky style.

Polycarbonate Cutlery

Polycarbonate is a raw material used regularly in food manufacturing. It is lightweight, heat resistant and shatter resistant so it is extremely durable and practical. The Alliance polycarbonate cutlery comes in an array of bright, fun colours – ideal for young restaurant customers these are suitable for low-temperature dishwasher use.

Disposable Cutlery

Disposable cutlery is made out of plastic, polylactic acid, polystyrene or more modern wood and the Alliance ranges include environmentally friendly bio-degradable cutlery. For your convenience, there are also useful cutlery service packs available to buy and there are various neutral colours including transparent styles.

Caring for Stainless Steel

Being the most popular choice for restauranteurs, it’s important to know how to care for your stainless steel cutlery. While handwashing is always best, obviously this is not always practical! When washing it in a dishwasher always remove it once the cycle is finished rather than leaving it in the damp as this can cause the sheen to dull. Of course, you can polish up stainless steel using a soft cloth with a splash of olive oil or lemon juice, you can also use white vinegar to remove stains. Polish it up until dry. Never soak cutlery, use scouring pads or use harsh detergent. Alliance stocks a number of different cutlery cleaning methods within the web pages for your convenience.

For further information on buying cutlery visit the Table-Top pages or contact the Alliance customer care team.

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