DESSERT FORK

• The dessert fork is a specialized fork ap­proximately 6 to 7 inches in length, that looks similar to a salad fork, only a little narrower. 
• It is not made as part of a flatware set. 
• The left tine is extrawide to provide leverage in cutting firm dessert, such as baklava.
• The dessert fork is used in formal and informal dining.

ICE-CREAM FORK

• The ice-­cream fork features a wide shallow bowl with three tines at the tip. 
• The spoon part is used to scoop and eat soft ice cream, and the tines to cut, spear, and lift firm bites to the mouth. 
• As two dessert utensils are provided in formal dining, namely a dessert.

PASTRY FORK

• The pastry fork evolved about 1880. 
• It looks similar to a salad fork, but it is narrower and slightly shorter, approximately 5 to 5½ inches long. 
• To provide leverage in cutting, the left tine is often notched. 
• The pastry fork is used in informal dining, although it is not essential; it is not used in formal dining where two dessert utensils are presented.