Between the naturalness of wood and the strength of stainless steel, your heart balances? Our article will help you weigh the pros and cons before making your choice when shopping for the kitchen utensils. In the shops, you can find a large number of choices, and you should pick what suits you best. If you are interested in visiting kitchen utensils shops, you can visit
the Shops for example to find many addresses that you can visit when shopping.
Wood or stainless steel: utensils under the magnifying glass
Here is a question often debated in the domestic and professional culinary world: should stainless steel or wooden kitchen utensils be preferred? While wood contains the flavour of a certain natural nostalgia, stainless steel is praised for its robustness and ease of cleaning. How to slice and when to use one or the other? What are the advantages of each and the differences between the two? If the time has come for you to renew your kitchen equipment, here are the concrete answers to your questions.
The advantages of wood
Let's start with a very practical aspect: wooden spatulas do not scratch. Gentle on cooking surfaces, they keep cast iron pans or metal pots and pans intact. By the way, they don't produce the unpleasant sound of metal. Unlike stainless steel cookware, their wooden counterparts do not transmit heat. So you can safely forget them on a hot pan while cooking: the handle will remain cold. This makes them extremely practical when preparing dishes that need to be stirred regularly, such as soups or risottos.
The beauty and ecology of wood
Of course, stainless steel kitchen utensils can also be designed in a superb design. However, wooden spoons and spatulas, when exposed, offer the warmth of a beautiful and natural material in the kitchen, especially when they are handcrafted. With time and repeated use, this material tends to adapt to its owner's hand. This is why it is often preferred by great chefs. Ecological, biodegradable and non-toxic, bamboo or beech utensils do not interact with ingredients as plastics would and do not leave a metallic taste or chemical products.
Utensils that are difficult to clean
In spite of all its obvious qualities, wood has one major disadvantage: it is much less easy to clean than stainless steel kitchen utensils for several reasons. It absorbs fat quickly, which can make rinsing difficult and result in indelible stains. Also, some ingredients such as beetroot, or very colourful spices such as turmeric, can stain it permanently. Wooden kitchen utensils generally do not appreciate prolonged dampness. It is therefore preferable to keep them away from the dishwasher, otherwise mould may appear, or worse, cracks may appear.
Less resistance than stainless steel
Wooden utensils can break more easily than stainless steel ones. Even if you love your beautiful wooden spoons and spatulas, you'll probably not keep them as long as their metal counterparts. This is because wood, when subjected to temperature variations and repeated trips under the tap will tend to become brittle over time. This is especially true for the thinnest and most economical utensils, which generally do not burn for long in the kitchen. In order to keep them in good condition for as long as possible, it is necessary to take a certain amount of care, for example, avoid running them under too hot water.
Stainless steel kitchen utensils: the advantages
One of the main qualities of stainless steel, in addition to being rustproof, is its high resistance. Equipping yourself with cutlery, utensils and cookware in this material is a real long-term investment. When you need a sturdy tool, to cut a thick piece of meat for example, stainless steel will be a faithful ally. Stainless steel cookware is very easy to maintain and does not stain. A final argument in their favour: stainless steel spatulas are very effective for scraping dishes and surfaces that are not afraid of scratching.
The disadvantages of stainless steel
Like any self-respecting quality material, stainless steel is more expensive than wood. This is due to a more complex manufacturing process, but also to its extraordinary strength and practicality. While stainless steel kitchen utensils tend to be more expensive than those made of wood, stainless steel can also scratch non-stick dishes, with which the natural material is much softer. Once their coating has been scratched, pots and pans gradually degrade and retain food that starts to stick.