Why Every Baker Needs A Wooden Spoon In Their Kitchen

Any chef can benefit from keeping a wooden spoon in their arsenal, but for bakers, these tools are essential. Most of the humble wooden spoon's power comes from its material. Unlike metal or plastic spoons, wood is extremely strong so you can stir thick batters with ease. This makes wooden spoons great for mixing up solid, chilled cookie dough or gooey brownie batter; the handles of metal or plastic spoons are usually too flimsy for these tough jobs, and can easily break or bend. Some bakers also like to use wooden utensils instead of metal ones when in the kitchen because the combination of metal and some acidic ingredients can be unpleasant to the palate.

There are many other reasons wooden spoons reign supreme over other utensils. Metal spoons conduct heat, which can be detrimental if you're mixing something that needs to maintain a certain temperature since the metal will absorb the heat. This difference may be small, but baking is an exact science where even seemingly minuscule changes can alter the final product. Not to mention, plastic spoons can melt under high enough temperatures. As an added bonus, wooden spoons are soft enough that they won't damage your pots and pans as you mix and scrape. Metal and plastic spoons can scratch cookware, which makes it difficult to clean up afterwards, especially if you're dealing with a non-stick surface.

A basic smooth wooden spoon should get you through most of your mixing, scraping, and scooping needs. It can even help you prevent over-baked cheesecake! Additionally, there are many other varieties with unique properties that make them better suited to different baking tasks. Slotted wooden spoons are typically used for recipes with lots of sauce or stew so you can separate liquids from solids. In the baking world, you can use a slotted spoon to pick up pastries that you're frosting, like donuts out of a glaze. Some wooden spoons have square edges to make scraping or kneading easier, while one iteration has a big hole in the middle of it just for stirring risotto.

When choosing your first wooden spoon, start out with a normal wooden spoon, and if you find your tool kit lacking, go for a slotted spoon or one with an edge. If you can't decide, try a spoon set like the IOOLEEM Bamboo Wooden Spoons for Cooking set. Many of these sets include spatulas as well, which are helpful for flipping pancakes, serving cookies, or folding dough. 

The only downside to wooden cookware is that it takes more work to clean than other utensils. Putting your wooden spoons in the dishwasher or leaving them exposed to water for long periods of time can damage and warp the wood, ruining them over time. Instead, wash your spoons by hand with hot water and soap, then set them out to dry.