Materials

Kitchen utensils can be made from a variety of materials, so it’s important to purchase ones that’ll suit your pots & pans. If you’ve got non-stick equipment we’d recommend you go for silicone as this won’t scratch and damage the surfaces of your pans.

Stainless steel

The most common material used, it provides strength & durability as well as a sleek finish. Not recommended for non-stick pots & pans.

Wood

A classic favourite and won’t scratch your pots & pans. It’s tough and won’t break easily, but over time it can become warped and stained.

Silicone

The darling of the modern kitchen. Available in a rainbow of colours, it won’t stain easily and will keep its like-new appearance for a long time. As it’s soft & flexible it’s the best to be used on your non-stick pans without a fear of damaging them.

What Do They Do?

Got your spatula confused with your skimmer? Don’t worry. We’ve pulled together a handy guide that explains what each utensil does. So there’ll be no more using your mixing spoon for whisking or spatula for stirring.

Ladle

• Designed to be used for serving soups, stews or sauces
• The long straight handle allows you to work with hot liquid at a safe distance
• The deep bowl allows you to scoop up liquid without twisting

Masher

• Features a flat base with slots that squeeze and squash whatever you’re mashing
• An essential tool for making mashed potato, baby food or guacamole
• Using a masher tends to give you a fluffier, lighter texture compared to other methods of mashing

Mixing Spoon

• As the name suggests, this spoon is for mixing ingredients
• If you’re stirring something hot use a wooden spoon as it can’t conduct heat and ensure you won’t get burnt
• Metal spoons are better for folding or creaming butter and sugar by hand

Slotted Spoon

• Use this spoon for serving food that cook in liquid but do not need to be served with it
• Perfect for retrieving potatoes, vegetables or pasta from boiling water
• The long handle and well position slots ensure your hands are kept well away from hot water

Skimmer

• Similar to a slotted spoon but shape more resembles a ladle
• Removes the top layer from liquids or sauces
• Also useful for deep frying such as retrieving homemade doughnuts

Spatula

• Used for lifting, flipping, or spreading
• The long handle will keep your hand away from what is being lifted or spread, as well as away from a hot surface

Tongs

• Perfect for serving salad or spaghetti and grilling meat or fish
• They allow you to move, rotate & turn food with delicate precision
• Choose silicone ones if you’ve got non-stick pans

Turner

• Similar to a spatula but the thinner shape allows more precision when turning
• Slides easily under food
• Ideal for flipping burgers or fish

Whisk

• Can be used to blend ingredients quickly or incorporate air into a mix
• Excellent for whisking egg whites or heavy cream to increase the volume
• Some whisks have different shaped loops dependant on their function
• The standard balloon whisk is suitable for most kitchen tasks