What Is Used To Make Cooking Utensils? (4 Materials)
When considering the best utensils for you there are a lot of things to take into notice. First of all, you will need to assess what are your needs with a utensil, and what you will be mostly using it for. There is a difference between which utensil material should be used when mixing dough or flipping a pancake.
There are four main materials that utensils are made and the materials are Stainless Steel, Nylon, Silicone, and Wood. We will review each of them separately and list all the pros, cons, and when you should be using a utensil made with that specific material.
Let’s start with Stainless Steel.
Stainless Steel
There are serious advantages with stainless steel that no other material has, let’s see the pros first.
Pros
– Strong and Durable and will last a lifetime, therefore you won’t need to keep them oiled and honed regularly, and you can simply just use them all the time.
– Rust and Corrosion Resistant, therefore you can simply wash them in a dishwasher and be done with it, no need to hand wash and dry carefully after each use.
– Sturdy so it won’t splinter or break and contaminate your food, there is no stress when using this kind of utensil.
Cons
– Heat Conducting that may result in burning hot handles however most of the utensils are built in such a way that this won’t be a problem.
– Can Leach Heavy Metals such as nickel, iron, chromium into the food if mixing a highly acidic food for long periods of time.
– May Scratch the surface of cookware if not being careful, and if using a poor set of cookware this will be the case, with the right kind of quality cookware not so much.
– Aren’t the most Pleasant utensil material to use, however you definitely can find stainless steel utensils that aren’t uncomfortable to use!
That being said stainless steel is a perfect choice for commercial kitchens and for a person that wants great durability and useability and doesn’t care so much about the looks and doesn’t want to hand wash the utensils all the time.
Nylon
Nylon haves specific pros and cons as well when compared to the other materials, let us review that next.
Pros
– Safe to use with all cookware and it won’t scratch the surface of any cookware.
– Durable and strong so you can stir anything with them without them breaking or damaging.
– Easy to clean so you can place it in the dishwasher.
– Pleasant to use with the usually comfortable handles and construction.
Cons
– Low heat resistance so after 400 °F (~200°C) it may melt if kept in there a long time, also the low-quality nylon utensils might break and bend
Nylon utensils are a great choice for home cooks that won’t usually cook burning hot dishes that require constant mixing. Might be a great choice for a restaurant as well for example flipping and turning.
Silicone
Silicone haves attributes that no other material has, but with great pros comes cons as well, let’s examine silicone further.
Pros
–Sanitary design and material so any food won’t get stuck on it and they repel bacteria and impurities.
– High Heat Resistance that you wouldn’t think of because they can look like plastic or nylon, however, most of the utensils can withstand 480°F (250°C) temperatures.
– Durable so they will last many years and they won’t get damaged, cracked, or bent. Despite the durability, they won’t scratch any surfaces of your cookware either.
– Easy To Clean because you can easily place them in a dishwasher. With waterproof attributes, they won’t get damaged by water over time.
– Nonstick material that will ease your life if you need to wash them quickly by hand, scraping the dough from the bowl, or anything in between.
Cons
– Too Flexible for some tasks and might not be able to mix the thickest meals, however, there are metal ones that are coated with silicone and those will be really sturdy and will get the job done.
–Heat might be an issue because there is a temperature limit so take care of what kind of meal you are mixing, this isn’t usually a problem tho.
– Warranty times for the products are usually low.
In conclusion, silicone is the ultimate choice for bakeries, home kitchens, and some silicone utensils will be a great choice for a commercial kitchen as well, reflect your needs and you will find the answer if silicone is the way to go for you
Wood
Let’s see the last but not least in our list and what wood is capable of better than the others, and where it will be inferior at.
Pros
– Comfortable and Pleasant to hold thanks to the smooth, sanded, and oiled handles.
– Natural material so it’s perfectly safe to cook with wood and it won’t leach any chemicals in the food.
– Strong and durable, the perfect tool for mixing because it won’t bend at all.
– Won’t Get Hot even when mixing super hot meals, therefore it’s the perfect material for tasting and comfort.
– Beautiful design for most people and they can look extremely elegant and spice up the kitchen’s overall look!
Cons
– Odors might pinch on the wood at some point in its time and that isn’t pleasant. Therefore it’s important to wash it almost immediately after use and dry it carefully.
– Hand Washing is required in order to keep the wooden utensils functional and intact.
– Hygiene Issues are common with wooden utensils because food can get stuck in the cracks and it also absorbs moisture which can increase bacteria growth. It’s important to oil and sand wooden utensils from time to time.
Wooden utensils are the way to go for a person who appreciates looks and wants an elegant set of utensils to brighten up the kitchen. They are also practical however they need somewhat of maintenance so that shouldn’t be a problem when considering a wooden utensil. Great for a commercial kitchen as well if there is time for handwashing and maintenance.
Conclusion
With that being said you should now have the basic information of the utensil materials and hopefully helped you to estimate what kind of utensils would be the best choice for you!
Think about your needs and using purposes and we are certain that your choice will be beneficial to you!