Silver Service

What is a Silver Service Waiter?

Silver Service

Silver Service

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Silver Service

Silver Service

Referred to by the French as "English Service" or service anglais, silver service technique has all but died out in private homes (except perhaps for those of great wealth).
Silver service actually describes the process of serving diners from a "silver" service dish to the diners plate, rather than the more common practise of serving the plate to the diner.
Thus the silver service waiter or waitress must bring the Food to the guests via a platter and must be well acquainted with the appropriate etiquette and technique (see below).

Origins

Silver service waiting has it's origins in the manors, country seats and fine houses of the British middle and upper classes of previous centuries.
It has a sister term of "butler service" which emanates from the age old practise of giving the waiting staff Sunday evenings off - the butler, who presumably was not given the evening off - would serve the diners from a silver platter which he carried from person to person. One can easily imagine that the Food on the platter would be the re-presented meats etc. from a large Sunday lunch - perhaps the guests were still rather full?

Silver Service Etiquette

• Meals are served to the diners from platters carried to them, not by laying down plates of Food on the table.
• The guest to the host's (hostesses) right is served first.
• Service is conducted in a clockwise direction.
• Food is always served from the left and cleared from the right.
• Glasses are served and cleared from the right
• Glasses are laid out to the right in a diagonal fashion with the water glass in front of the diner - ordered in sequence for the wines by course.

Is silver service still popular?

It is a convivial practise although not always particularly practical. This being said - many people really enjoy the sense of history and even grandeur that comes with this rare type of dining and in the right setting it can really add style to an event or function.

Where would I be able to find a Silver Service Waiter?

Generally any quality hospitality staffing group or caterer should be able to offer you Silver Service for a dinner - and occasionally some restaurants too. Certain venues that you may choose for a special event, especially those with large private dining rooms should be able to provide you with appropriately trained staff.

Silver Service

Make Chocolate Cake

This is a very good chocolate cake recipe that is healthy and you won't have to hear that same old advice from your doctor as to why shouldn't you eat chocolate cake!

Make Chocolate Cake

Make Chocolate Cake

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Make Chocolate Cake

Make Chocolate Cake

Ingredients to make a chocolate cake:

1 cup soy milk

3/4 cup cocoa powder

1 cup unsweetened applesauce

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

2 cups whole wheat flour

1-1/2 cups raw sugar

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon sea salt

4 egg whites (large), at room temperature

Preparation on how to make a chocolate cake:

1. Heat up oven to 350 degrees. Spread out two 9-inch round cake pans or one 9x13x2-inch pan with vegetable oil Cooking spray and sprinkle with whole-wheat flour.

2.Heat the soymilk in a medium size saucepan until its hardly boiled. Remove from heat and whisk in the cocoa until thickened and almost smooth (some tiny lumps will remain). Let stand 2 to 3 minutes to cool slightly. Whisk in the applesauce and vanilla extract.

3.Mix the flour, 1-1/4 cups of the raw sugar, the baking powder, soda, and sea salt in a large bowl.

4.Beat the egg whites in a medium size bowl with an electric mixer until thick and foamy. Gradually beat in the remaining 1/4 cup of raw sugar and continue beating until stiff peaks form when the beaters are lifted.

5.Pour the cocoa mixture over the whole-wheat flour. Stir just until blended.

6.With a rubber spatula, gently stir about a quarter of the egg whites into the whole-wheat flour mixture. Fold in the remaining egg whites until no white streaks remain. Pour into the prepared pan or pans.

7.Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool completely. Garnish with your favorite fresh fruit.

VANILLA FROSTING

2 egg whites, at room temperature

1/2-teaspoon cream of tartar

1/4-cup honey

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1-cup instant nonfat dry milk powder

1.In a bowl, beat the egg whites until foamy. Add the cream of tartar and continue beating, adding the honey and vanilla.
2.Gradually add the nonfat dry milk powder, beating constantly, until the frosting is a good spreading consistency.

It's not so hard to make a chocolate cake! Enjoy!

Make Chocolate Cake

How To Install Furring Strips to Concrete Walls

If you are planning to finish a baseMent you will most likely need to install furring strips to the concrete walls so that the walls can be sheetrocked.

How To Install Furring Strips to Concrete Walls

How To Install Furring Strips to Concrete Walls

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How To Install Furring Strips to Concrete Walls

How To Install Furring Strips to Concrete Walls

Attaching furring strips to concrete walls can be easily done using 2"x2"s or 2"x3" kiln dried wood studs, liquid nail glue, and some fluted concrete nails.

Due to moisture in the baseMent, I prefer to use a 2"x4" pressure treated stud laid flat along the bottom of the wall. Lay the stud on its flat side up against the wall. The furring strips will sit on top of the pressure treated stud, such that there is effectively a moisture barrier between the baseMent floor and the kiln dried studs.

The kiln dried studs should be placed on 16 inch centers along the wall, again resting on the pressure treated 2"x4". The kiln dried studs should run the enTire height of the concrete wall.

To secure the bottom plate and studs to the wall, I first run a bead of Liquid Nails (designed to adhere to concrete and wood), along the enTire length of the bottom plate/stud. If you are using 2"x3"s for the furring strips, the glue should be applied to the wider side, such that when the stud is installed, you effectively have the flat side of the stud attached to the wall.

Start with the application of glue on the pressure treated bottom plate.

Next, using a drill and a masonry bit, drill pilot holes into the bottom plate. The holes should be placed every 16 inches along the length of the plate and should penetrate the concrete walls approximately 1.5". Then using 3" fluted nails and a 3-5 lb sledge hammer, pound the nails into the holes. Note: I prefer to drill and pound a nail, one hole at a time to eliminate alignMent problems.

Once the bottom plate has been installed, repeat the process on the vertical kiln dried studs. Install one stud at a time, again on 16 inch centers. Make sure they stand straight and level.

To help hold the vertical stud in place while you are drilling holes and pounding in concrete nails, I like to toe nail the bottom of the stud into the bottom pressure treated plate first.

Once the glue has set up, the furring strips will be strongly Fastened to the wall and ready for drywall.

Note, however, you may want to apply pink board insulation in between the studs to provide some level of insulation between the concrete walls and the finished sheetrocked wall. Simply cut the insulation to the proper width, apply some Liquid Nails to the back side of the insulation board, and then press the insulation in-between the studs.

How To Install Furring Strips to Concrete Walls