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Generally, when we review gear, we’re looking for top performers for tasks like blending, crisping, and cutting. But narrowing down the best silverware sets is far more subjective. Because unless it’s oddly shaped for artsy aesthetic purposes, most flatware does exactly what it’s supposed to do: Transport food from a plate or bowl to your mouth. Ideally it also comes out of the dishwasher unscathed.
The best silverware sets
- BA’s favorite flatware set: Made In
- The best budget flatware set: Oneida Colonial Boston
- The best modern silverware set: Fortessa Jaxson
Beyond being a functional tool, good silverware will also feel nice in your hand and elevate your tablescape—both matters of personal preference. So to help narrow down your options, I reviewed six of the most popular, highly rated sets you can order online and used them in my own home for at least a few weeks.
Below, find my (admittedly subjective) take on the best silverware sets to buy right now, whether you want classic, modern, or something in between.
New in this update: I found a nice gold-toned flatware set that has (so far) retained its finish even after multiple runs through the dishwasher, and I’ve continued long-term testing both my all-time-favorite flatware set and a great mixed-material set. I also added a section on what to look for when buying a silverware set.
BA’s favorite flatware set: Made In
Pros and cons
Pros:
- Timeless look
- Shiny but not too shiny
- Well balanced
- Very nicely weighted
- Durable
- Dishwasher-safe
Cons:
- Pricey
The details
Material: 18/10 stainless steel
Pieces in each place setting: Dinner fork, salad fork, tablespoon, dessert/teaspoon, dinner knife
Additional pieces available: Yes
Dishwasher-safe: Yes
If you’re looking for silverware that’s substantial and timeless, let me introduce you to the professional-quality flatware from Made In. The brand’s DTC tableware and cookware are manufactured in partner facilities worldwide and are used in restaurants from New York to Los Angeles. This mirror-polished flatware, specifically, comes from Italy, and it’s very versatile: casual enough for everyday use yet nice enough for special occasions. Design-wise, it’s curvy in all the right ways, perfectly hefty but not too heavy, and free of any ornate embellishments. While all of the pieces are on the large side compared to similar brands (which I happen to really like), there’s a very discernible difference in size between the teaspoon and tablespoon, as well as the salad fork and dinner fork. Given the high quality, the price is nice too; a 20-piece set (four 5-piece place settings) is just under $200.
Long-term testing: I’ve been using Made In’s silverware set as my everyday flatware since 2022, and I can’t imagine I’d ever want to swap it for anything else. Most of my pieces go through the dishwasher at least once a day, and they still look great, with minimal signs of wear and tear. After two years of heavy use (and losing two of the place settings in my divorce), I ordered a second set. Even though I thought my original pieces still looked great, I wondered if, because of normal wear and tear, they’d stand out when mixed with the new set. Well, I’m pleased to report that I honestly have no idea which pieces I’ve had for years and which ones I’ve had for months.
When I originally reviewed silverware sets, Made In didn’t offer any serveware. In 2024, the brand released a matching three-piece serving set that includes a large three-prong fork, a large serving spoon, and a large slotted spoon. It’s just as stylish, substantial, and durable (a.k.a. dishwasher-safe) as the flatware.
The best budget flatware set: Oneida Colonial Boston
Pros and cons
Pros:
- Classic design
- Available in 20- or 45-piece sets
- Open stock replacements available
Cons:
- Handle scratches easily
The details
Material: 18/0 stainless steel
Pieces in each place setting: Dinner knife, dinner fork, salad fork, dinner spoon, teaspoon
Additional pieces available: Yes, in 45-piece set
Dishwasher-safe: Yes
If this Early American–inspired flatware looks familiar, it probably is. Although the form has been minimally altered for a slightly more modern design aesthetic, it’s pretty much the same Onedia cutlery set that graced so many honey oak dinner tables in the ’80s and ’90s. Made from 18/10 stainless steel, the contemporary Colonial Boston flatware features a brushed satin handle that is, unfortunately, a little scratch prone (but hey, the scratches might just add to the vintage vibe). This affordable flatware is available in a 20-piece set (service for four) or a 45-piece (service for eight plus a serving spoon, pierced serving spoon, sugar spoon, serving fork, and butter knife). Colonial Boston flatware is also available as open stock—meaning you can buy extra spoons, forks, and knives (as well as iced-tea spoons) without buying four whole table settings or turning to eBay for the original stuff.
The best modern silverware set: Fortessa Jaxson
Pros and cons
Pros:
- Modern style
- Nicely weighted
- Different finishes available
- Dishwasher-safe
Cons:
- Perfectly round spoons are kind of awkward in the mouth
The details
Material: 18/10 stainless steel
Pieces in each place setting: Salad fork, dinner fork, table knife, soup spoon, teaspoon
Additional pieces available: Yes
Dishwasher-safe: Yes
Abstract adaptations of everyday items are cool and all, but I don’t want a fork that looks like a Cybertruck if I can’t overload it with a giant bite of salad. Actually, I wouldn’t want a fork that looks like a Cybertruck even if I could fit more than a single bean onto its three tiny tines. That’s why, for those of you with more abstract aesthetics, I offer up Fortessa Jackson, which is modern flatware that’s also functional. The slim four-sided handles are nicely weighted and give this line its modern look. It’s available with both polished and brushed handles (I prefer the brushed). More importantly, the parts that are supposed to cut and move food actually do, as long as you don’t mind perfectly round spoon heads, that is.
The best mixed material silverware set: Mepra Fantasia
Pros and cons
Pros:
- Modern look
- Multiple color options
- Durable resin handles
- Dishwasher-safe
Cons:
- Expensive
Pro or con, depending on whom you ask: comically small “teaspoon”
The details
Materials: 18/10 stainless steel and resin
Pieces in each place setting: Dinner fork, salad/dessert fork, tablespoon, teaspoon, dinner knife
Additional pieces available: Yes
Dishwasher-safe: Yes
Mixed-material flatware (wood or resin handles, metal fork tines) is an easy way to add visual interest to your table setting, but most of what you can find online is low-quality or high-maintenance. That colorful bistro-style stuff looks cheap, and wood-handled flatware generally requires hand-washing. But then there’s Mepra’s popular Fantasia line. This high-quality Italian-made flatware is made of 18/10 stainless steel with resin handles and comes in a variety of colors (options vary by retailer), and it’s durable and dishwasher-safe. Overall, the pieces are noticeably smaller than most of the other sets I tested—especially the “teaspoon,” which is so tiny it looks more like a sugar spoon. It may be laughably small, but it’s actually my favorite little spoon to use for eating yogurt or ice cream and stirring my lattes. Initially, I was worried that the slightly textured white resin handles on the set I tested would stain, particularly if left in the sink or put through the dishwasher with something vibrant like tomato sauce. But after long-term testing and many, many runs through the dishwasher, the handles are still bright white.
The best lightweight silverware set: Henckels Alcea
Pros and cons
Pros:
- Lightweight
- Durable
- Dishwasher-safe
- Classic design
- Affordable, from a trusted brand
Cons:
- No additional serving pieces available
- Doesn’t feel high end
The details
Material: 18/10 stainless steel
Pieces in each place setting: Dinner fork, salad fork, dinner knife, dinner spoon, teaspoon
Additional pieces available: No
Dishwasher-safe: Yes
Heft can be indicative of quality, but accessibility-wise, heavy flatware isn’t always ideal. So if you’re in search of something lightweight that still looks and feels nice (though far from luxurious), the 18/10 mirror-polished Alcea from Henckels is a great option. Henckels is a Zwilling/J.A. Henckels sub-brand that generally offers similar products (both are probably best-known for their knife sets) at lower prices. Depending on where you shop, you can get a 60-piece set of this durable, lightweight flatware for about $100–$120.
The best semiformal silverware set: Lenox Pearl Platinum
Pros and cons
Pros:
- Nicely weighted
- Mirror polish looks very luxurious
- Semiformal look but not too formal for everyday use
Cons:
- Serving pieces not currently available
The details
Materials: 18/10 stainless steel “with platinum accents”
Pieces in each place setting: Dinner fork, salad fork, tablespoon, teaspoon, knife
Additional pieces available: Not currently, but you may be able to find some second-hand or backstock
Dishwasher-safe: Yes
While “silverware” and “flatware” are used interchangeably to refer to forks, knives, and spoons, everything I’ve tested here is technically flatware. To truly qualify as silverware or “silver flatware,” the pieces would need to be made with silver or at least be silver-plated, and I did not test any sterling silver flatware sets. That said, if you want something that looks like it might have come from Tiffany, but you don’t have $1,300 to drop on a single place setting, the Lenox Pearl Platinum flatware offers a similar elegant look thanks to a mirror polish and minimal embellishments. Though the knife handle is hollow, the rest of the pieces are nicely weighted, and Lenox offers a limited lifetime warranty against defects.
The best silverware set if you want serving pieces included: Mikasa French Countryside
Pros and cons
Pros:
- Serving pieces included in set
- Very affordable
Cons:
- Embellishments may be a little busy for some
The details
Material: 18/10 stainless steel
Pieces in each place setting: Dinner fork, salad fork, tablespoon, teaspoon, knife
Additional pieces available: Yes (included)
Dishwasher-safe: Yes
Mikasa may be best known for colorful vintage and contemporary dinnerware sets, but the brand actually has all of your tabletop needs covered with dinnerware, serveware, drinkware, and even flatware. And if you like the shiny Lenox flatware above, but prefer to spend your money on something that includes serving pieces, consider Mikasa’s French Countryside. The two sets are visually quite similar (the Mikasa has slightly more embellishment minimalists may not love), but both the 45-piece and 65-piece Mikasa sets come with standard 5-piece place settings plus, a 5-piece serving set (a serving spoon, pierced serving spoon, cold meat fork, sugar spoon, and butter knife).
A nice gold-toned flatware set: Fable 20-Piece Flatware Set
Pros and cons
Pros:
- Modern style
- Lightweight
- Different finishes available if you don’t want gold
- Dishwasher-safe (though we recommend hand-washing)
Cons:
- Though more durable than other brands, the gold finish will eventually wear away with regular use, especially if you put it in the dishwasher
The details
Material: 18/10 stainless steel, PVD (Physical Vapor Deposition) matte gold finish
Pieces in each place setting: Salad fork, dinner fork, table knife, soup spoon, teaspoon
Additional pieces available: Yes
Dishwasher-safe: Yes (though, again, we recommend hand-washing)
Before I go any further, I must tell you that I do not recommend gold-toned utensils for everyday use—especially if you put your flatware in the dishwasher. That’s because the finish will eventually wear away. A polished gold will last longer than a matte gold, and hand-washing exclusively can extend its glow, too, but unless you have a cool $200K to drop on a set of flatware and serving utensils made with actual gold, your gold flatware won’t stay gold forever. The same is true for matte black, copper, champagne, and any other trendy metallic finishes that are applied over the stainless steel.
All of that said, gold flatware can look so cute on the table—especially for holidays, dinner parties, and other special occasions. And maybe you don’t even mind that the finish might not last last forever, as long as it looks good for a while.
So if you have your heart set on matte gold flatware, a well-made set like Fable’s will keep its gold color a lot longer than whatever trendy set you pick up at Target. That’s thanks in part to its PVD (Physical Vapor Deposition) finish, which can last longer than other (cheaper) gold finishes. Though it pained me to do so, I put just one of my place settings through the dishwasher for a week, and it still looks as good at as the untouched pieces (cheaply coated flatware will often start to lose its finish after just a few dishwasher cycles). The pieces are nicely weighted, and the design is clean and modern—not quite as timeless as the Made In set, but not so modern it will be outdated in a year or two.
How we picked the best flatware sets
Most of the gear we test and review here has to perform in some way (think blenders making smoothies, air fryers crisping nuggets, or chef’s knives mincing garlic and breaking down squash, and even steak knives cutting through meat). But unless it’s oddly shaped for artsy aesthetic purposes, flatware generally performs as intended.
Understanding that not everyone prefers the same things I do, I put together a shortlist that included a variety of styles, finishes, and price points and then spent hours reading customer reviews because I didn’t want to bother testing anything that had lots of seemingly legitimate complaints regarding durability.
Finally, I ordered the sets that remained and used them at home for weeks, noting how they felt in my hand and how well they held up after many, many dishwasher cycles.
What to look for when buying a silverware set
Functionality
First and foremost, flatware needs to do a good job of getting food from your plate or bowl to your mouth. So if the salad fork is so artsy looking that it won’t actually hold a piece of lettuce, or if the teaspoon is so small you can barely slurp soup from it, it’s not going to be functional everyday flatware for you.
Ergonomics
The pieces—especially the fork—should feel nice in your hand. This means no sharp edges that press into your skin, a nice balance from end to end, etc.
Style
Obviously, you want your flatware to look good on the table, but taste is objective, so consider what is most important: A timeless or modern look? A polished or matte finish? Ornate details or no frills? And if you change up your decor often, you might want to go for something nondescript and versatile.
Durability
Your everyday flatware should be durable, especially if you plan to put it in the dishwasher. If it bends or scratches easily, it’s no good.
Availability
Some flatware is available as open stock, meaning if you lose a spoon or knife, or just need a few more forks, you can buy those without having to purchase a new full set. Classic patterns from older brands usually offer open stock, while it’s often harder to get replacement pieces from newer or DTC brands. And if you want matching serving pieces, check to make sure those are available too.
18/0 vs. 18/10 stainless steel
Stainless steel is a great material for modern flatware, but not all stainless-steel flatware sets are created equal. Stainless steel is an alloy (a metal made by combining multiple metallic elements), and you’ll typically find stainless-steel flatware labeled as either 18/0 or 18/10. The 18 is the percentage of chromium in the alloy. Chromium hardens steel, and it’s also what makes it “stainless” because it helps prevent corrosion. The second number tells you whether or not the alloy also has 10% nickel—which can make stainless steel shinier and more corrosion resistant.