From a simple ladle to a versatile kitchen aid: Cooking spoons from RÖSLE.
From a simple ladle to a versatile kitchen helper: cooking spoons from RÖSLE
We all know it: the classic wooden spoon used for mixing food. And of course its partner, the ladle. Both types of wooden spoon are so common that they have even found their way into art and literature - just think of Wilhelm Busch's Widow Bolte, whom the artist sent into the cellar with an oversized wooden spoon to scoop up sauerkraut.
The widow Bolte's cooking spoon was most likely a wooden one, as for a long time no other material was available for making kitchen utensils. Modern cooking spoons are much more versatile - in terms of material, shape and intended use. In the following, we explain what types of wooden spoons there are and what you should look out for when choosing one.
Shape, intended use, material: how to choose the right wooden spoon
Cooking spoons are differentiated according to their shape, which is determined by their intended use. The bowl of a ladle, also known as a ladle or soup ladle, is shaped like a hemisphere. The “bowl” is the part of the spoon that holds the food. Depending on the size and depth of the bowl, the food can be portioned accordingly. It therefore makes sense to purchase different sized ladles for different dishes such as soups, sauces, vegetables or desserts.
Sauce spoons, ladles, vegetable spoons, portion spoons, pan and wok spoons as well as the corresponding serving spoons are among the variants of the ladle. Ideally, a sauce spoon is equipped with a pouring rim all the way around, while a model with snouts that allow drip-free portioning is a good choice for serving sauce spoons. Pouring spoons, on the other hand, are used to pour liquid over roasts in the oven, for example, so they should have a long handle and a flatter bowl.
With a vegetable spoon, you can transfer vegetables or gratin to the plate in the right portions. If the vegetable spoon is perforated, excess fat or water can drip off. A serving spoon is also used for portioning in the pan and therefore ideally has a protective silicone rim. The same applies to a pan and wok spoon, which can be used to mix, stir, lift and serve food.
With a little skill, all the cooking spoons mentioned can also be used for serving. This is even easier if you purchase special serving spoons for this purpose, as these usually have a shorter handle and a drip-free bowl, making them ideal for serving at the dining table.
When you think of a wooden spoon, you don't necessarily have a spaghetti lifter, meat fork, salad servers or cake server in mind. However, these kitchen gadgets are also indispensable for portioning and serving.
Other cooking spoon variants and important selection criteria
Cooking spoons that act as skimmers or ladles are not intended for portioning or serving, but for skimming and lifting. If cloudy foam forms on the chicken soup, for example, it can be easily removed with the slotted spoon. The onion, which is cooked in a classic chicken soup, can also be removed without any significant loss of liquid. The same applies to dumplings, pelmeni, gnocchi and more.
A classic slotted spoon has a long handle and a flat, perforated bowl. Variants include slotted spoons and straining spoons, which are similar in design to a blanching spoon. The perforated spoon is replaced by a coarse-meshed stainless steel wire mesh so that liquids can drain away quickly while foam is skimmed off. The straining spoon also has a wire mesh and is used to remove fried food from pots and pans. Multifunctional spoons are the versatile cooking spoons for draining, portioning or stirring.
Instead of wood, high-quality stainless steel is the material of choice for manufacturing kitchen utensils today. A combination with silicone or nylon (PPA polyphthalamide) can also be useful for cooking spoons, as these materials are also food-safe, temperature-resistant and - unlike wooden cooking spoons - dishwasher-safe.
Cooking spoons must always be to hand and are therefore usually kept open and in the immediate vicinity of the hob. An open container or a bar on which cooking spoons can be hung with hooks or eyelets are suitable for this purpose. However, an open container has two disadvantages: The more cooking spoons and kitchen spoons it contains, the more chaotic it becomes.
The container also quickly becomes a receptacle for dust or other dirt particles that collect in it. A kitchen rail on which all kitchen utensils can be stored hanging seems to be the better solution. When choosing your wooden spoons, make sure that they have a suitable hook or eyelet.
To make it easy to work with the wooden spoon in large pots, it should also be at least 30 cm long and ergonomically shaped.
Stylish, hygienic, versatile: cooking spoons from RÖSLE
Cooking spoons from RÖSLE are made from food-safe and corrosion-resistant 18/10 stainless steel. The kitchen spoons in the new BASIC LINE entry-level range feature nylon handles and are designed with a handle length to perfectly suit the intended use in small and medium-sized households.
The matt black nylon elements are robust, protect pots and pans from scratches and are a stylish addition to the stainless steel handle in terms of shape and color. Cooking spoons from the BASIC LINE range are available individually as cooking spoons, sauce spoons, skimmers, ladles, spaghetti lifters and pouring spoons with a practical hanging loop.
Silicone is somewhat more flexible than nylon. If it is used in combination with a tapered spoon on the cooking spoon, this has the advantage that the spoon is also suitable for completely removing food that is located in the corners and curves of the cookware. In our SILICONE cooking spoon range, you will find a versatile multifunctional spoon made of 18/10 stainless steel as well as a pouring spoon, portion spoon, spaghetti lifter, sauce spoon, pan spoon and wok spoon with a temperature-resistant (up to 220 °C) silicone rim that protects against scratches.
We have ladles in five different designs so that you can choose the size of your ladle to suit your individual needs and dishes. Like almost all of our cooking spoons, these are made with a hook (hook spoon) or with a round handle and eyelet (round spoon), so you can choose your favorite here too. The RÖSLE slotted spoons are just as varied and are available with either a fine or coarse perforation on the flat ladle.
You can also add sauce spoons with a pouring rim, pouring spoons with a long handle, vegetable spoons with perforations and rounded edges, spaghetti lifters that also serve as portioners, serving spoons or pan and wok spoons to your customized set of cooking spoons.
Boiling and straining spoons and a meat fork round off the complete range of kitchen spoons. You will also find a range of serving spoons optimized for serving in different versions in our VS600 series, which, in addition to the aforementioned cooking spoons, also includes a beautifully designed 2-piece salad servers, a cake shovel (cake server) and a serving fork
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