This $6 IKEA Item Has Saved Many of My Dinner Parties, and It Can Work for You, Too

When you’re hosting a holiday or dinner party, you probably spend a lot of time planning what to put on your table. From delicious entrees and sides to the beautiful platters and plates you serve them on, setting the table is an important part of meal planning. A lot of people tend to focus first on decorative elements like table linens, place cards, and centerpieces. Who doesn’t love practicing a little floral arranging, after all? The thing that can make the biggest difference — good or bad — to your tablescape might actually surprise you, though, and I’m here to let you in on my budget-friendly secret surrounding this element. 

If you’re short on place settings for hosting bigger groups of people, it takes some creativity to fill in the gaps. One of the best things I did years ago was invest in a white everyday dinnerware collection that I can easily mix and match with my neutral set of china. When they’re combined, my table still looks clean and cohesive, but once seated, guests sometimes notice each place setting combo is slightly different than the next. That is, until the table’s filled with food. 

That’s why I think the thing that matters most when setting the table for dinner parties and holidays is the silverware. While plastic cutlery has taken on a number of styles and colors over the years, no silver- or gold-colored plastic fork feels like the real thing when you’re picking up a piece of prime rib or turkey, not to mention that plastic flatware isn’t good for the environment. If you’re like me and only have service for eight in your kitchen drawer though, you need to fill those gaps with something. Well, I found something about ten years ago when walking around the IKEA Marketplace. Next to the paper napkins and ridiculously well-priced wood cutting boards was the most affordable silverware I had ever seen, the 16-piece MOPSIG set. I picked up the floor model and was instantly impressed with how solid it felt in hand for the price, and then I quickly did the math. I could keep shelling out for cheap plastic utensils every time I hosted a gathering, or I could invest a little more upfront now and never have to buy imposters again. So that’s exactly what I did. Six dollars for four settings? That’s a price that sounds almost too good to be true, especially for stainless steel!  

Now whenever the guest count exceeds what’s in my silverware drawer, I use this simple set instead of filling in around my everyday flatware or swapping in plastic cutlery. It’s never going to be my mother’s silver, but it doesn’t have to be. It’s solid, has some style, and I love that it can be washed in the dishwasher. I also worry less about a fork going missing since it’s so darn affordable.

At this price, everyone should have a set — or four! — of these stashed with their entertaining supplies. I use mine every Easter and Christmas but also when I host BBQs, or for smaller get-togethers when we simply want to jump to dessert without having to wash all the salad forks. 

The MOPSIG flatware — time saver, energy saver, waste saver, and style saver!