Spoon in or Spoon Out?

Updated on July 10, 2012
M.P. asks from Minneapolis, MN
31 answers

Arguments at home in the kitchen because of this.

Do you leave your cooking spoons, ladles, forks, and what not IN the pot or do you take them out and put them on a spoon rest?

I leave them in the pot when cooking, because I generally have 20 things going on, and its easier UNLESS they are completely metal. I take them out so I dont burn my hands. Husband and mother in law SCREAM that they have to have them out.

I am exaggerating but they do put up a stink if I leave them in the pot for more than a few seconds after taking my hands off of it.

What can I do next?

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M.M.

answers from Los Angeles on

Have they said *why* they feel the need to have the spoons out? Personally I always take them out because they can get hot, I could see myself accidentally knocking them up and out at me with hot food/water ;-) and also because I'm paranoid (in the case of plastic or wood) that the material is cooking off into my food (plus my wooden stuff seems to warp easier).

4 moms found this helpful

C.P.

answers from Columbia on

I take mine out. If I have 20 things going, I don't want to have to wash 20 spoons later! I'll take it out, rinse it and use it for other things.

3 moms found this helpful

B.C.

answers from Norfolk on

They get hot in the pot.
I take them out.
But then you could wear an Ove-glove, and then - who cares?
When Hubby and/or MIL are doing the cooking, they can do as they please.
When you are cooking - no spectator comments.
Shush them out of the kitchen if you have to.

3 moms found this helpful

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J.T.

answers from New York on

Mostly out... but if I have a lot going on and need to stir again, then I will leave thme in...

Now for my unsolicted opinon on your Hubby and MIL (feel free to ignore) : Tell them they have two choices if they do not like it - 1. Get out of the kitchen or 2. Cook the meal thmeselves...

:)

5 moms found this helpful

F.H.

answers from Phoenix on

I take them out and put it on the spoon rest. Not because they get hot (mine are not metal) but because its never occured to me to leave them in there. I guess I was just taught to stir then put the spoon on the rest, so that's what I still do. =)

4 moms found this helpful

L.M.

answers from New York on

Oh MartyMomma you gotta gotta get your MIL out of your business!!! She is just too much. Who gives a f___ spoon in or out. Yikes, cut that cord. I have read alot of your posts. She needs to go.

3 moms found this helpful

S.T.

answers from Washington DC on

i'm not too fussy about it and don't have those cool spoon rests that would make it easier. i think i do take the spoons out more often than not and just lay them on a plate or near the sink. but i do often leave wooden spoons in cuz i'm lazy that way.
if dh and MIL are that wacky about it i'd roll my eyes and accommodate them. and make them give me chocolate for being so awesome.
:) khairete
S.

3 moms found this helpful

M.L.

answers from Chicago on

I take them out and place them on a trivet. However there are times I've left them in - not any big deal unless they are all metal - ouch!

2 moms found this helpful

A.D.

answers from Alexandria on

Out

They always get hot.
I'm scared they will melt.
And my child is always under my feet and I'm afraid he will knock the off or pull one down and slosh w/e it is on himself.

2 moms found this helpful

J.W.

answers from St. Louis on

I have knocked spoons out of pots spilling hot stuff on me to know it is safer all around to pull them out. Even if you have twenty things to do you only have four burners, pull the spoons out!

The other thing is my kids pull them out too. :(

2 moms found this helpful
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K.R.

answers from Dallas on

I take it out. Metal gets hot and plastic ones (when heated) will release chemicals.

2 moms found this helpful
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☆.A.

answers from Pittsburgh on

Out. Spoon Rest. That goes into the dishwasher.

Did you know a wooden spoon laid across the top of a pot (boiling pasta, for example) prevents boil over?

2 moms found this helpful

M.D.

answers from Washington DC on

We take them out and our kids are learning to take them out as they are learning to cook.

2 moms found this helpful
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K.L.

answers from Des Moines on

I usually set it on the spoon rest. Sometimes I will rest it on the top of the pan.

2 moms found this helpful
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G.B.

answers from Oklahoma City on

I sit them on something like a folded up paper towel because I think spoon rests are disgusting breeding grounds for disease and germs.

EEWWWEEE.

Some people never wash them!!!

I would rather use a paper towel and toss it after the meal is finished than to use one spoon rest for all the various utensils. I don't leave mine in either. Most of my food cooks with a lid on if I use the large electric skillet which is what I use most in my kitchen above all other cookware. I put the spoon on the handle on the side when I am using that one. It fits quite nicely.

2 moms found this helpful

E.D.

answers from Seattle on

Spoon soup?

I take mine out, unless I'm stirring every few moments and it's a wooden spoon.

2 moms found this helpful

C.M.

answers from Washington DC on

no I do not leave them in the pot. They get too messy and very hot if I do that.

2 moms found this helpful

T.C.

answers from Austin on

I usually take them out and set them on a spoon rest, the other burner grate, or the counter. One time I left a plastic spoon in, and it melted a groove in the handle where it was resting on the rim of the frying pan. Sometimes I'll use one spatula at the beginning when I'm stirring raw meat, and then switch to a clean one at the end.

2 moms found this helpful
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M.R.

answers from Chicago on

I always take them out. I usually keep a big empty bowl or a plate on the counter where I rest all the spoons I might be using right then. I think I find them less messier that way.. :)

2 moms found this helpful

M.J.

answers from Milwaukee on

Take them out as I don't want to burn them or melt them.

2 moms found this helpful
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A.S.

answers from Casper on

Wooden spoons are always in (I think I'm lazy, though ;)) I don't use metal, so that's not an issue. Plastic stays out, if I can remember.

2 moms found this helpful
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M.C.

answers from Washington DC on

out. place them on a dish or paper towel.

2 moms found this helpful
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S.B.

answers from Kansas City on

I usually rest them on the side of the pot, unless it's dripping sauce, then I will either leave it in the sauce or put it on my spoon rest, depending on how many things I have going at once.

1 mom found this helpful
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A.S.

answers from Boca Raton on

I take mine out but for no other reason than they get hot . . .

1 mom found this helpful
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B..

answers from Dallas on

The lips of y pans don't get hot, so I lay them horizontally across the pans/pots. I don't get anything hot spilled on me, and they are right where I need them.

1 mom found this helpful
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K.P.

answers from Seattle on

I generally take the spoons out, same with my husband. When I am cooking or prepping a ton of things at once, or when I am cooking something that needs stirring frequently then I will leave it in because it's easier, and all my spoons have the safety handles so they dont get too hot.

1 mom found this helpful
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K.C.

answers from Philadelphia on

I take them out. That's just my preference.

1 mom found this helpful
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A.C.

answers from Washington DC on

It depends on what I'm cooking and the spoon. But really ... this is what they get upset about? good grief if only my life where that worry free that I could have a hissy fit over a damn SPOON.

1 mom found this helpful
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S.W.

answers from Amarillo on

I take mine spoons out. It's a safety feature for me. Why would you reach over a pot to another and hit and knock a spoon out with hot contents flying around? Not a good scenario and not a good end result as I would usuallly be the one being burned.

If I had 20 things going on at once nothing would get done correctly. Somethings would be done sloppily and that's not good. Time to cut down on the many tasks of multitasking when cooking in the kitchen. So many things can go wrong so quickly. The only way that could happen is if I had a commercial kitchen and underchefs.

The other S.

PS I love to cook but I have to limit what I do to do it correctly.

1 mom found this helpful
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C.N.

answers from Baton Rouge on

I put them on a spoon rest or a saucer. The handles get hot if I leave them in the pot.

1 mom found this helpful

⊱.H.

answers from Spokane on

I take them out. Not sure what my husband does as I don't really care. If he is willing to cook, I am willing to leave him be.

1 mom found this helpful
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