Nylon or wooden utensils?

Michael in Maryland said:

Is there some general rule as to when one should use wooden utensils,
and when to use nylon? (I like stainless steel, myself. But there are
situations where using steel utensils is of questionable wisdom.)

If you're using really high heat, you can wind up melting parts of the
nylon ones. Wood's almost always good.

Carol

Michael in Maryland said:

Is there some general rule as to when one should use wooden utensils,
and when to use nylon? (I like stainless steel, myself. But there are
situations where using steel utensils is of questionable wisdom.)

If you're using really high heat, you can wind up melting parts of the
nylon ones. Wood's almost always good.

Carol

Damsel wrote on 08 Aug 2005 in rec.food.cooking

Quoted message said:

Michael in Maryland said:

Is there some general rule as to when one should use wooden utensils,
and when to use nylon? (I like stainless steel, myself. But there are
situations where using steel utensils is of questionable wisdom.)

If you're using really high heat, you can wind up melting parts of the
nylon ones. Wood's almost always good.

Carol

I love my silicon spatulas. Useable at heat upto 500F and moves stuff
around well in any pan.

--
The eyes are the mirrors....
But the ears...Ah the ears.
The ears keep the hat up.

Michael in Maryland said:

Is there some general rule as to when one should use wooden utensils,
and when to use nylon? (I like stainless steel, myself. But there are
situations where using steel utensils is of questionable wisdom.)

As the Dupont ads said in the 50's "It's Nylon - or nothing..."

--
Best
Greg

Mr Libido Incognito said:

Damsel wrote on 08 Aug 2005 in rec.food.cooking

Quoted message said:

Michael in Maryland said:

Is there some general rule as to when one should use wooden utensils,
and when to use nylon? (I like stainless steel, myself. But there are
situations where using steel utensils is of questionable wisdom.)

If you're using really high heat, you can wind up melting parts of the
nylon ones. Wood's almost always good.

Carol

I love my silicon spatulas. Useable at heat upto 500F and moves stuff
around well in any pan.

Fortunately, Target sells silicone utensils at a reasonable price - so
the masses can now afford them.

Michael in Maryland said:

Is there some general rule as to when one should use wooden utensils,
and when to use nylon? (I like stainless steel, myself. But there are
situations where using steel utensils is of questionable wisdom.)

My preference is to use strickly stainless steel complemented with a
couple of non-stick and cast iron pans. My preference for utensils is
nylon or silicon. I don't use wood anymore because I can't be sure they
harbor any germs.

Michael in Maryland said:

Is there some general rule as to when one should use wooden utensils,
and when to use nylon? (I like stainless steel, myself. But there are
situations where using steel utensils is of questionable wisdom.)

My preference is to use strickly stainless steel complemented with a
couple of non-stick and cast iron pans. My preference for utensils is
nylon or silicon. I don't use wood anymore because I can't be sure they
harbor any germs.

Mr Libido Incognito said:

Damsel wrote on 08 Aug 2005 in rec.food.cooking

Quoted message said:

Michael in Maryland said:

Is there some general rule as to when one should use wooden utensils,
and when to use nylon? (I like stainless steel, myself. But there are
situations where using steel utensils is of questionable wisdom.)

If you're using really high heat, you can wind up melting parts of the
nylon ones. Wood's almost always good.

Carol

I love my silicon spatulas. Useable at heat upto 500F and moves stuff
around well in any pan.

This is a ditto. I have several pieces of silicon utensils and I've
never burnt any of my Paderno (?nylon). Have you tried the silicon bbq
brush? That thing is really nice. My only complaint is I wish the
handle were a littl longer. It goes through the dishwasher ok and at
least I know it is clean!

Mr Libido Incognito said:

Damsel wrote on 08 Aug 2005 in rec.food.cooking

Quoted message said:

Michael in Maryland said:

Is there some general rule as to when one should use wooden utensils,
and when to use nylon? (I like stainless steel, myself. But there are
situations where using steel utensils is of questionable wisdom.)

If you're using really high heat, you can wind up melting parts of the
nylon ones. Wood's almost always good.

Carol

I love my silicon spatulas. Useable at heat upto 500F and moves stuff
around well in any pan.

This is a ditto. I have several pieces of silicon utensils and I've
never burnt any of my Paderno (?nylon). Have you tried the silicon bbq
brush? That thing is really nice. My only complaint is I wish the
handle were a littl longer. It goes through the dishwasher ok and at
least I know it is clean!

Michael in Maryland said:

Is there some general rule as to when one should use wooden utensils,
and when to use nylon? (I like stainless steel, myself. But there are
situations where using steel utensils is of questionable wisdom.)

Wood is washed by hand. Nylon goes in the machine. I
look at the centuries digits of the date and let that
be my guide. Am I in a century that has dishwashers?
I am. So wood utensils are for fun and for show not
for regular use (in my biased and religious opinion).

Michael in Maryland said:

Is there some general rule as to when one should use wooden utensils,
and when to use nylon? (I like stainless steel, myself. But there are
situations where using steel utensils is of questionable wisdom.)

Wood is washed by hand. Nylon goes in the machine. I
look at the centuries digits of the date and let that
be my guide. Am I in a century that has dishwashers?
I am. So wood utensils are for fun and for show not
for regular use (in my biased and religious opinion).

"Doug Freyburger" <[email hidden]> wrote in message

Quoted message said:

Wood is washed by hand. Nylon goes in the machine. I
look at the centuries digits of the date and let that
be my guide. Am I in a century that has dishwashers?
I am. So wood utensils are for fun and for show not
for regular use (in my biased and religious opinion).

I put wood in the DW. For me, they are for regular use.

"Doug Freyburger" <[email hidden]> wrote in message

Quoted message said:

Wood is washed by hand. Nylon goes in the machine. I
look at the centuries digits of the date and let that
be my guide. Am I in a century that has dishwashers?
I am. So wood utensils are for fun and for show not
for regular use (in my biased and religious opinion).

I put wood in the DW. For me, they are for regular use.

at Tue, 09 Aug 2005 03:42:34 GMT in <dd9gf1pulsd5jgsubt40q453qctimc9s62@
4ax.com>, [email hidden] (Michael in Maryland) wrote :

Quoted message said:

Is there some general rule as to when one should use wooden utensils,
and when to use nylon? (I like stainless steel, myself. But there are
situations where using steel utensils is of questionable wisdom.)

While there's no catch-all set of rules, and in fact in some situations it
really won't matter what you use, there are specific cases where there's a
definite right tool for the job.

Good-quality wooden utensils with thick handles give you the kind of
stiffness and grip necessary to plough through stiff, dense mixtures, for
instance, mixing chocolate chip cookie dough. In a similar situation a
metal utensil might bend and a plastic one break. Wooden utensils are also
valuable where in a stirring process it's desirable to incorporate some
air, because the porous surface will pull air into the mixture well. Wood
is also nice for very large, hot pots putting out plenty of steam, because
the handle neither gets hot nor slippery. You don't want to use wood,
however, with very delicately-flavoured mixtures, because either the
flavour of the wood or of previous foods touched by the implement may
transfer to the food being cooked now. So it's not a good option for making
custard.

Metal utensils are the tools of choice when a scraping action is necessary.
This makes them good for milk-based sauces, custards, etc. where otherwise
things have a tendency to stick to the bottom of pots, pancakes and their
kin, and for preparations like risotto. They also are the proper tool where
penetration or positive, fang-like grip are useful, e.g. lifing a turkey
out of its pan. Metal is furthermore the proper choice for maximum
flexibility, when that's important, e.g. in palette knives, fish spatulas,
and the like. Metal, however, is poor for nonstick surfaces and tender
foods that must not be damaged in handling.

Plastics are good when you have delicate or fragile items that need to be
handled with dexterity. They're generally the best option for working with
nonstick surfaces. And they're useful for highly reactive sauces or
liquids, especially things with lemon juice and/or tomato juice. Needless
to say, they're risky at or around high temperatures, and also are not a
good choice when working with very oily substances, such as chocolate, nut
butters, fried chicken, etc.

I think you're right in thinking that steel has the widest application
range and it is a good default choice for most uses. Wood and plastic are
more specialised tools for individual jobs.

--
Alex Rast
[email hidden]
(remove d., .7, not, and .NOSPAM to reply)

at Tue, 09 Aug 2005 03:42:34 GMT in <dd9gf1pulsd5jgsubt40q453qctimc9s62@
4ax.com>, [email hidden] (Michael in Maryland) wrote :

Quoted message said:

Is there some general rule as to when one should use wooden utensils,
and when to use nylon? (I like stainless steel, myself. But there are
situations where using steel utensils is of questionable wisdom.)

While there's no catch-all set of rules, and in fact in some situations it
really won't matter what you use, there are specific cases where there's a
definite right tool for the job.

Good-quality wooden utensils with thick handles give you the kind of
stiffness and grip necessary to plough through stiff, dense mixtures, for
instance, mixing chocolate chip cookie dough. In a similar situation a
metal utensil might bend and a plastic one break. Wooden utensils are also
valuable where in a stirring process it's desirable to incorporate some
air, because the porous surface will pull air into the mixture well. Wood
is also nice for very large, hot pots putting out plenty of steam, because
the handle neither gets hot nor slippery. You don't want to use wood,
however, with very delicately-flavoured mixtures, because either the
flavour of the wood or of previous foods touched by the implement may
transfer to the food being cooked now. So it's not a good option for making
custard.

Metal utensils are the tools of choice when a scraping action is necessary.
This makes them good for milk-based sauces, custards, etc. where otherwise
things have a tendency to stick to the bottom of pots, pancakes and their
kin, and for preparations like risotto. They also are the proper tool where
penetration or positive, fang-like grip are useful, e.g. lifing a turkey
out of its pan. Metal is furthermore the proper choice for maximum
flexibility, when that's important, e.g. in palette knives, fish spatulas,
and the like. Metal, however, is poor for nonstick surfaces and tender
foods that must not be damaged in handling.

Plastics are good when you have delicate or fragile items that need to be
handled with dexterity. They're generally the best option for working with
nonstick surfaces. And they're useful for highly reactive sauces or
liquids, especially things with lemon juice and/or tomato juice. Needless
to say, they're risky at or around high temperatures, and also are not a
good choice when working with very oily substances, such as chocolate, nut
butters, fried chicken, etc.

I think you're right in thinking that steel has the widest application
range and it is a good default choice for most uses. Wood and plastic are
more specialised tools for individual jobs.

--
Alex Rast
[email hidden]
(remove d., .7, not, and .NOSPAM to reply)

Edwin Pawlowski said:

Doug Freyburger said:

Wood is washed by hand. Nylon goes in the machine. I
look at the centuries digits of the date and let that
be my guide. Am I in a century that has dishwashers?
I am. So wood utensils are for fun and for show not
for regular use (in my biased and religious opinion).

I put wood in the DW. For me, they are for regular use.

Wood also wears out much faster in the DW, so I could
view wood as daily use and disposable or as top shelf
and for occasional use. End result - when I do the
purchase I get nylon, when my MIL does the purchase
she gets wood, the stuff I purchase lasts longer, she
hassles me about ruining her wood.

Michael in Maryland said:

Is there some general rule as to when one should use wooden utensils,
and when to use nylon? (I like stainless steel, myself. But there are
situations where using steel utensils is of questionable wisdom.)

Think this is personal preference. Me, I like wood - but then I am
old(ish) 😉 But I do have some "nylon" utensils too. However, I would
not recommend using them in very hot oil.... heh heh heh. 'nuff said.

--
Cheers
Cathy(xyz)

Tomatoes and oregano make it Italian; wine and tarragon make it French.
Sour cream makes it Russian; lemon and cinnamon make it Greek. Soy sauce
makes it Chinese; garlic makes it good.

Alice May Brock