wooden spoon

Meaning

A kitchen utensil made of wood, used for stirring, mixing, and folding ingredients during cooking or baking. It is highly valued because it does not scratch non-stick pans and does not conduct heat.

Examples

• Always use a wooden spoon when stirring soup in a non-stick pot to avoid scratches.

  Always use a wooden spoon when stirring soup in a non-stick pot to avoid scratches.

• She gently folded the chocolate chips into the cookie dough with a wooden spoon.

  She gently folded the chocolate chips into the cookie dough with a wooden spoon.

• A wooden spoon won't get hot even if you leave it resting in a boiling pot of sauce.

  A wooden spoon won't get hot even if you leave it resting in a boiling pot of sauce.

• Do not put your wooden spoon in the dishwasher, or the wood might crack over time.

  Do not put your wooden spoon in the dishwasher, or the wood might crack over time.

• My grandmother always used an old, stained wooden spoon to stir her famous tomato sauce.

  My grandmother always used an old, stained wooden spoon to stir her famous tomato sauce.

Common Mistakes

• ✗ Stir the soup with a wood spoon.

  ✓ Stir the soup with a wooden spoon.

  While 'wood' is a noun, the adjective form 'wooden' must be used when describing objects made of wood.

• ✗ I washed my wooden spoon in the dishwasher machine.

  ✓ I washed my wooden spoon by hand.

  Aside from vocabulary, it is a practical mistake to wash wooden utensils in a dishwasher, as the high heat and moisture will warp or crack the wood.

Related Expressions

Practice

• To protect your non-stick pans from scratches, stir the food with a ___.

  💡 A classic stir utensil made from timber.

  Show answer

  wooden spoon

• She used a heavy ___ to mix the thick, sticky oatmeal cookie dough.

  💡 An eco-friendly, heat-resistant stirring utensil.

  Show answer

  wooden spoon