Davide Punto Cucina: Utensils: Should They Be Made of Plastic or Wood?

Don't freak out! We'll explain the difference between plastic and wooden utensils.

Kitchen utensils are always essential when preparing different meals at home; however, there has been the question of what is the best material for each type. Nowadays, you can find tons of them made by various elements.

For example, in your favorite store, there will be at least four versions of the same spatula, and online versions can be anything you can think of. So, picking the correct tool based on your tastes and expert recommendations is the best way. Plastic and wood are the most used materials, but stainless steel is gaining popularity.

Wooden kitchen utensils

This material is excellent for non-stick surfaces, that way pots and pans won't have any scratch. Wooden can’t conduct heat, so it doesn’t matter if you leave the spatula inside while cooking, you won’t get a burned hand. They can last a lifetime with proper care and use, besides being eco-friendly: by using wooden tools, you are contributing to nature and the environment since they don’t require any plastic.

Problems are: they can get stained quite easy, leaving them in water for too long can damage them, without right care the glossy finish can disappear leaving crack and splinters.

Plastic kitchen utensils

It has been one the most used materials around the world; although, with the environmental problems, society is starting to say NO to plastic. For that reason, silicone is the new trend in kitchen utensils, thanks to several reasons:

High heat resistance: some companies said that their products can resist up to 600° Fahrenheit, so they won’t melt with hot oil or syrups.

Stain resistance: when using a silicone spatula in strong colored food -such as tomato sauce- it won’t get that red color because it is a non-porous material, which makes it easy to wash and clean.

Great for non-stick surfaces: is a very soft material that works perfectly with non-stick pans and pots.

Long durability: there is strong food that can produce a chemical reaction with some plastic and steel materials, but silicone utensils won’t have issues with it, you can use them with any ingredient.

The only problem with these is that they can be too soft for some hard preparations (like syrups,) and your grip over them can be tricky so take that in mind when buying one.

Stainless steel utensils

One of the most important points of this material is its durability: it won’t get rusted or peeled; and it can last a lifetime, even for the next generation. It’s less expensive than other materials (especially with pots and pans), and it’s easy to maintain: just water and soup or the dishwasher. They are great with acidic meals like tomato sauces, the surface won’t get any damage, and there won’t be a risk of leaking any chemicals. Plus, they look lovely in the kitchen.

Stainless steel has two problems: first, the terrible distribution of heat that produces a slowly cooking display, besides strange temperature changes. Second, delicate ingredients such as eggs, fish, and lean meat can stick to the steel surface; a huge issue especially for breakfast.

You can find many versions of the same utensils and tools; the problem is the versatility of the materials and, sometimes, sticking to a single one is no good. There are many ways to use them for different preparations: just find the right one and your cooking skills will improve. Come to Davide Punto Cucina to degust the best dishes in San Juan!