WOODEN SPOONS

No kitchen is complete without wooden spoons.  I have several and have worn out more than several in my many years of kitchen work.  They are wonderful to cook with for many reasons.  They are light in weight, do not get hot when left in the pot, are not hard on coated cookware, and usually are pretty reasonable in price.   They come in all kinds of sets and also sold individually.  Mine have a lot of stains and burn marks which means they have been hard at work in my kitchen.  I can't remember ever not having an ample supply and what new bride didn't get several as shower gifts.  Although not advised to go in the dishwasher I do it anyway just to make sure all germs are killed.

My kids and grandkids have lots of memories of licking the spoon after frosting a cake or making cookies.  They also have memories that are not so pleasant.  Aside from using wooden spoons to cook with they were always handy for a swift swat on the bottom when needed.  Therefore my wooden spoons gained much respect when they came out of the drawer as kids didn't know if it was for cooking something sweet or for just a quick paddling.  Sometimes all you had to do was mention the wooden spoon to get good results. 

SPARE THE SPOON, SPOIL THE CHILD