what is a butter knife
A butter knife is a small, blunt knife with a rounded or pointed tip, used solely for slicing butter for spreading on bread. It has been a popular silverware or cutlery piece for several centuries.
Antique Victorian butter knives are often elaborately carved objects, often made primarily of silver. Nowadays, when a person buys a set of cutlery, he usually comes with one of those knives.
Tip
The butter knife tip, which is often shared, is to avoid using a knife that was used to cut other foods to cut off chunks of butter. By offering a butter knife, diners can be sure that the only thing the knife will touch, other than butter, will be the bread that people will spread it on, or possibly ears of corn and a few other things covered in butter.
Butter
In some cases, people simply use the butter knife to cut the butter they need, then use their own knife to spread the butter over the food. This gives the person more time to butter any food that calls for it without hogging the butter while using the knife.
Modern butter knife
The modern butter knife often looks a lot like a regular cutlery knife, but is usually about half the size. It may have a pointed or rounded tip. Many people prefer the rounded tip style, as this prevents the eater from accidentally pricking the bread they are buttering. One with a rounded tip may also be called a butter spreader.
Someone who would like to use a butter knife that is unique or interesting may want to consider an antique one. These can be very beautiful and buyers can often find some that go well with the cutlery or cutlery they already own. Some, especially the rare ones, can be quite expensive.
Dedicated
People who are dedicated to their cutlery or cutlery pattern, but would like to have more than one butter knife for large parties can usually order additional knives from the company. As long as the pattern is still being made, the company can likely provide any additional pieces needed. Discontinued patterns can often be found on online auction sites or through companies that deal in older silverware.