Have you ever experienced, when u dine at one place, or even at your own home, the serving spoon flop into the dish, or drown inside the gravy that you have to use your hand or another spoon to rescue the drowning spoon? It happens to me several times and what's more embarrassing, those incidents happened when I was dining and entertaining the guests!! Of course I have to use the bigger serving plate / dish bowl when having extra people eating at my house, but due to my ignorance I never bought a proper set of serving flatware (yg ade couple of pieces tu orang hadiah ye… obviously tak cukup lah kalau ade 3-4 hidang) so as usual, I just use the tablespoon instead. Maka kejadian2 itu sering lah berlaku time orang datang.
Oleh kerana saya selalu menerima tetamu, maka keharusan membeli serving flatware telah bertukar menjadi satu kemestian. Dan oleh kerana saya saya tidak mampu membeli sterling silverware (walaupun saya SANGAT SUKA!) dan saya tidak pula akan membelinya (kalau pun mampu) kerana ade hadith sahih yang menegah penggunaan bejana serta peralatan makanan yg diperbuat dari emas dan perak…. So the stainless steel is the way to go!
I thought barang yang elok akan jadi lebih baik jika lebih ramai yg dapat memilikinya, so I spread the news to my friends and family di Malaysia (sharing is caring kan… and yes I'm a caring person… hehehe poyo). The feedback that I get was overwhelming! I've been told that a piece of Mikasa serving spoon the cheapest you can get is RM60! Iye ke?... Gosh!!! So for RM80 per set (original price was around RM350), no wonder I have to buy another 15 sets for them!! And more orders coming today… Insyaallah, I try to fulfill their request while the stock last. You readers (yg tak dapai email i) kalau nak order pun boleh lagi. Give me your email and I give you the details about these products.
Few things that I learn and I wish to share with you about buying the flatware. Apart from considering the design and the number of pieces, the quality of stainless steel is another most important thing to consider. The quality is determined by the mixture of alloy and the weight of the piece. Stainless steel is a metal alloy containing at least 10.5% chromium and more than 50% iron, with nickel added to help protect against rust and corrosion while adding a subtle, silver-like shine. The best stainless steel flatware contains 18% chromium and 10% nickel (usually 18/10 is engraved at the back of the spoon showing the percentage of chromium/nickel), followed by 18/8 then to the lower quality of 18/4 and 18/0 (no nickel – giving the matte finish of dull and darker color).
But some 18/10 (normally of an average brand) are much less expensive than 18/0 of the high end brand. JANGAN TERTIPU with the only look of shine and luster! Examine handles for durability. Durability of a flatware comes with weight! Solid steel pieces are the safest options; flatware with riveted handles can chip or break more easily, particularly with inexpensive handles. That's why it is always good to hold flatware pieces properly to test them before buying. The balance, weight, and proportion of the pieces should be comfortable to grip and turn.
Semoga bermanafaat… :)
