Slotted Spoon

What on earth is a Slotted spoon? And what is so special about this spoon and what is it used for? No need to worry, the term may be unfamiliar but the spoon definitely shouldn't be. We all have used this spoon at some point or the other, as they are an inseparable part of most household kitchen cutlery. Anybody familiar with kitchen utensils has seen one of these and perhaps even used them. I'll give you a clue, a small tiny hint. These spoons come in all shapes and sizes and they have holes or slots in them...does that ring a bell?

See I told you it would, a slotted spoon is what you used to help you extract the solid foods from the unwanted liquids, by allowing the liquid to seep through the slots and returning to the cooking pot. They were crafted with holes, in order to make cooking easier and less dangerous, this spoon was originally created so as to separate boiling oil from fried foods, thereby protecting the cook from burning his fingers and hands with oil spills and bubble bursts. These spoons usually have longish handles that give the cook adequate distance to stand away from the stove. They act as a sieve that helps retain the liquids in the cooking container while being able to separate the solid food for consumption.

Origin of the Slotted Spoon
Traditionally during the 1700s the first spoon of this kind was specially made, so as to be used for making the extremely alcoholic and hallucinogenic drink called the absinthe, which used to be almost 90% more potent as compared to the ones being sold today. This spoon was then called the absinthe or the green fairy's spoon, it was used for holding sugar cubes on which the alcoholic liquid would be poured to add flavor to the drinks. Following examples will make their utility clearer for you.

Uses of this Spoon

• They help in removing fried foods from boiling oil, such as French fries, fried chicken, sausages, etc.
• To separate food from boiling water such as pasta, noodles.
• To separate Vegetables from the broth or gravy.
• To separate boiled vegetables from water.
• For serving large pieces on the plate.
• For removing canned fruits from sugar syrup.
• For removing ice cubes from drinks.
• To remove foods from sauces.

These spoons come in different shapes and sized depending on the food servings or helpings. There are two types of slotted spoons one for the kitchen and the other for decorative dining purposes. The slotted dining spoon has very attractive designs on them that make each one of them unique. The slotted serving size spoon can be used at the dining table for smaller portions. The ladle sized spoons are bigger with larger capacity and are often used for removing large portions of meat from the stove. These spoons are also helpful in draining of food.

Benefits
You can purchase stainless steel spoons from the market but they are for very affordable prices as stainless steel is not very expensive and its durable. These stainless steel spoons do not let bacteria or germs grow in their holes as they are very easy to wash. Though these cannot be easily washed in the dish washer. These spoons can be made of variety of substances, from steel, to plastic, wood or Teflon and have varied designs on them that need not always be round. Slotted plastic spoons are considered the easiest to use but they too have a major drawback, considering that there is no assurance, if the spoon may melt or not when brought in contact with a boiling hot pan or pot. Also the quality of the plastic matters and should be checked before purchase. They must be of extremely good quality with no toxic colors added to make them. These plastic spoons are safe for the dishwasher. Slotted wooden spoons stay for years if used properly, they do not heat up and are easy to clean. Except that, they should never be put in the dishwasher or they'll get damaged or even snap into pieces. There are classy spoons as well that are made of silver, you can add them to your silver cutlery collection if you please.

A slotted spoon is a useful cookware and is the easiest to use, for straining the food off water, oil, starch or gravy so that you do not mix unwanted liquid with your solid food. So now that you know what these spoons do and how easy they make cooking, go ahead and grab one for yourself.