Updated on January 3, 2024
How to talk about kitchen utensils in French
France is famous across the globe for its gastronomy. It’s a world with its own specialties and traditions. Indeed, even before booking a table and ordering food, you’ll first have to know the difference between a brasserie, a bistro and a restaurant in France. And if you’re at home, you’ll need to master the vocabulary not just of food, but of all the utensils in French that surround it. La vaisselle (tableware) includes different types of objects, with all the necessary cutlery and dinnerware to create l’art de la table (fine tableware) that French people so cherish. Ahead of the actual meal, you’ll also need all the cooking utensils in order to prepare some fancy dishes.
Les couverts (cutlery) include all the hand tools you need to serve and eat food. If you’re invited to a fancy dinner, then you may even be presented with l’argenterie (silverware). Here are 15 of the most common cutlery:
| French | English |
| un couteau | a knife |
| un couteau à poisson | a fish knife |
| un couteau à fromage | a cheese knife |
| un couteau à pain | a bread knife |
| une fourchette | a fork |
| une fourchette à poisson | a fish fork |
| une fourchette à dessert | a dessert fork |
| une cuillère | a spoon |
| une petite cuillère | a small spoon |
| une cuillère à dessert | a dessert spoon |
| une cuillère à café | a coffee spoon |
| une grande cuillère | a large spoon |
| une cuillère à soupe | a soup spoon |
| une louche | a ladle |
| une pelle à tarte | a cake server |
It’s worth noting that une petite cuillère is a common expression to refer to either a dessert spoon or a coffee spoon, while une grande cuillère stands for a soup spoon.
Of course, cutlery would not be enough to eat and drink at a French table. Other elements of la vaisselle (dinnerware) are also required for that same purpose:
| French | English |
| une assiette | a plate |
| une petite assiette | a small plate |
| une grande assiette | a large plate |
| une assiette à soupe | a soup plate |
| une assiette creuse | a deep plate (i.e. a soup plate) |
| une assiette à fromage | a cheese plate |
| une assiette à dessert | a dessert plate |
| un verre | a glass |
| un verre à eau | a water glass |
| un verre à vin | a wine glass |
| une coupe à Champagne | a Champagne glass |
| une flûte à Champagne | a Champagne flute |
| une tasse | a cup |
| une tasse à café | a coffee cup |
| une tasse à thé | a tea cup |
Once again, une petite assiette is a common way to refer to either a cheese plate or a dessert plate, whereas une grande assiette is used only for the main dish of the meal.
More utensils are also needed in order to serve French food:
| French | English |
| un plat | a serving dish |
| un saladier | a salad dish |
| une soupière | a soup dish |
| une saucière | a gravy bowl |
| un bol | a bowl |
| un plateau à fromages | a cheeseboard |
| un dessous de plat | a hot dish stand |
| une carafe à eau | a water carafe |
Back in the kitchen, you’ll need more utensils to cook and bake some mouth watering dishes ahead of the meal:
| French | English |
| une casserole | a saucepan |
| une poêle à frire | a frying pan |
| une poêle à crêpes | a pancake pan |
| une plaque de cuisson | a baking pan |
| un moule à gâteau | a cake pan |
| une spatule | a spatula |
| une cuillère en bois | a wooden spoon |
| un éplucheur | a peeler |
| une passoire | a colander |
| un fouet | a whisk |
| un rouleau à pâtisserie | a rolling pin |
| une planche à découper | a cutting board |
Now that we have gone over the most important vocabulary around cutlery, dinnerware and other kitchen utensils in French, you also need a fast course on the proper table manners in France. There are a few elements of etiquette that may surprise you.
To start with, you should put your hands on the table, on each side of the plate, rather than on your lap under the table. It’s considered equally rude to put your elbows on the table. You may even hear parents tell their children, “Ne mets pas tes coudes sur la table” (don’t put your elbows on the table).
You should also wait for everyone to be served before starting to eat. When cutting a piece of food like meat, you should use your knife with the right hand and your fork with the left hand. You should then keep your fork in the left hand to bring the food to your mouth.
During more formal dinners, you should also avoid cleaning the sauce off your plate with bread.
If you want to enjoy food in France to its fullest, don’t forget to learn the most useful words for kitchen and dining utensils in French, as well as the most important rules for good table manners. These are part of the intricacies that make French gastronomy such an elegant and exquisite experience.
