A large kitchen or barbecue fork and protector for preventing injuries from sharp tines of the fork and preventing food contamination from bacteria and dirt on the tines. The guard is movable on a shank of the fork from a covering relationship with the sharp pointed tines to an uncovering relationship with the sharp pointed tines. The guard is comprised of a hub portion which closely fits the shank and a cover portion which encloses the tines in the covering portion. In a first embodiment, the guard is retained on the shank at the covering and uncovered positions by a permanent magnet mounted in the guard. In a second embodiment, the guard is retained on the shank at the covering and uncovered positions by the friction of the guard on the shank.