Alternatives To Wooden Spoons?

[BlessedMommy]

Are there any good alternatives to wooden spoons that are easily washable? What about silicone? Can it be easily washed and cleaned if it comes into contact with gluten?

[kareng]

Metal spoons would wash the best.

[BlessedMommy]

Right. I was hoping for something that wouldn't scratch the pans, though.

[luvs2eat]

My wooden spoons work just fine since the hubs is totally skeeved out my the feeling of holding/using a wooden spoon... so they're ALL gluten free... haha.

[GottaSki]

How about marking yours with nail polish on the handle....works for my hand tools that disappear with hubs and sons...since they have bright fushia marking them they haven't disappeared once.  If the gluten eaters are still using your tools...how about a set in easy access to them and yours are stored in a drawer?

[BlessedMommy]

I'm actually planning on making my home entirely gluten free, but wanted to have something washable, just in case. 

[moosemalibu]

I prefer wooden utensils. In fact super particular about them, too. I was so very sad to hand over my collection of wooden utensils to my sister when I switched the house to gluten free after diagnosis. I have been on the hunt for the perfect collection ever since. I have only ever used nylon utensils camping and they melt from the heat... so not  a good alternative. Silicone may work.

[IrishHeart]

I have a fantastic set of stainless utensils that I will never part with and I have had them for 20 years (as in, "you will have to pry them from my cold, dead hands") ...but I do prefer the silicone utensils for many reasons and with certain pieces of good cookware.

 

They can detach (take the head off the spatula for example) and get very clean in the dishwasher.

They do not melt, they do not discolor, they do not scratch anything.

 

I loathe wooden utensils.

Never liked them, they hold odors and they stain. I had a huge discussion (read as: argument) with a North End Bostonian Italian grandma over this once....about why she felt  it had to be a wooden spoon stirring that pot of pasta sauce,...and in the end,

she finally saw the light.

 

[cyclinglady]

I use both stainless and wooden spoons.  The gluten ones are clearly marked with my daughter's name and kept with her gluten pot and colander.  I only have one silicon spatula that is used for my husband's non-stick egg pan.  All my other pans are stainless and cast iron which I adore!  

[Pegleg84]

The only utencils that can be used for both gluten/gluten free is stainless steel, and nothing that has little bits where stuff can hide and not get cleaned properly. If you're using wood or any kind of plastic/silicone, they need to be dedicated gluten free.

 

I love wood, but yeah, they don't have near as long a life as I'd like. Metal all the way for anything that isn't non-stick. I should get some silicone stuff, but I just don't like the look/feel of it.

[BlessedMommy]

So in the end, I ended up buying up buying basically a few of each type (except plastic):

 

I got some wooden,some silicone utensils, and some metal utensils for my kitchen.

 

The metal ones are great for when I'm making a dish to pass for a potluck and want to ensure that they can be washed thoroughly. I love the silicone spatula because it doesn't scratch up my non stick pans, nor does it melt, like plastic. 

 

I think that silicone is a lot better than plastic, in terms of heat resistance.

[FruitEnthusiast]

I have never liked wooden spoons or cutting boards because I don't feel like they ever get clean. I won't use 'em, that's just me. I have always had food issues my whole life of one type or another so I figure why wonder what has soaked into the wood and is lurking there... no offense to wooden spoon fans.

 

I have some mixing spoons I love that are white plastic but are shaped exactly like wooden spoons, so they are very comfortable to hold. They are made by Martha Stewart, come in a pack of three in different handle lengths, but I've had them a long time. It was great when her kitchen stuff was sold at K-mart, that's where I got them. Now I guess her stuff is at Macy's and more pricey. Love her vintage looking vintage kitchen stuff... that's getting off the subject a bit

 

I'm pretty sure I've used them to cook with for stirring. I'm a little leery of the silicone type since they're new but then again, I still feel funny when I use my microwave after all these years... doesn't stop me from using it though.

[CathyO]

I got rid of all my wooden spoons and bowls. 
I now have silicone, which are fine.
I eventually want to get some new wooden spoons, just haven't done it yet.

Everything is gluten-free in my house that would require cooking in one of my pots, so I can't cross contaminate them.

 

I throw the silicone in the dishwasher.  One was a gift at Christmas from my son, and it has divots where the sit on the edge of a pot, which is nice.
 

[NatureChick]

If you still have pans that have regular non-stick coating that you are afraid of scratching, you may want to do some research into the dangers of the chemicals used in those coatings. If you have to have non-stick, look into silicone, otherwise no coating at all is best.

Of course, if you are currently transitioning from a gluten to a gluten-free kitchen, you may be getting rid of any pots or pans that had non-stick coatings anyway. I've never owned any so I haven't paid attention to the details, but I know that scratched coatings mean gluten contamination that can't be washed away.

 

[FruitEnthusiast]

If you still have pans that have regular non-stick coating that you are afraid of scratching, you may want to do some research into the dangers of the chemicals used in those coatings. If you have to have non-stick, look into silicone, otherwise no coating at all is best.

 

I always wonder about non-stick coating like teflon, if it's safe, even with no scratches. When I look it up online I find both pro and con points of view. Do you have a good link that talks about the dangers. I'd like to answer this question for myself and I think it's relevant for all of us since we tend to be sensitive. I've become super sensitive.

 

Silicone too, that's a newer material, how do we know it's safer? There are so many surfaces to choose from: steel, aluminum, iron, what is the safest surface to cook on?

 

I make homemade chicken soup that slow cooks for two hours and my aluminum pan has to be scrubbed afterward. Someone I know suggested using a new non-stick pan, but I wonder about using it over such a long cooking time.