So what should you be looking out for when choosing or replacing cooking utensils at home and weighing up their functionality, durability and your health?\u00a0<\/p>\n
Consider what you already own<\/p>\n
Fiona Mair recommends checking cooking utensils and gadgets are comfortable to hold. (Supplied: Choice)<\/p>\n
Fiona Mair, a home economist and kitchen expert with consumer group Choice, says it’s important to think about your kitchen as a whole before you buy something new or rush to replace an item.<\/p>\n
“Think about what you’re cooking at home and what cookware you have,” she says.<\/p>\n
For instance, “if you have a lot of non-stick cookware, then you’re not going to want to buy stainless steel [utensils] because it’s just going to scratch”.<\/p>\n
Space is precious in most kitchens and she recommends looking for versatile utensils to reduce your spending.\u00a0<\/p>\n
She also says price does not necessarily equate to quality. The best vegetable peeler she has found comes from the supermarket.<\/p>\n
Some materials will be more durable<\/p>\n
The chef and owner of Indian restaurant Enter Via Laundry in Naarm\/Melbourne, Helly Raichura, says she opts for metal spoons, whisks and spatulas.<\/p>\n
Unlike with plastic alternatives, she says there’s no risk of stainless steel tools accidentally melting in a busy kitchen.<\/p>\n
Raichura says some types of stainless steel will last forever and others will turn grey and show signs of wear and tear over time.<\/p>\n
It can be helpful to keep note of what grade of stainless steel you’re using, she says.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Helly Raichura recommends doing a little bit of research before making any purchases, saying it will “pay off later down the track”.\u00a0 (ABC Radio National: Damien Peck\u00a0)<\/p>\n
What about wooden utensils?<\/p>\n
Ms Mair says she’s had some wooden spoons for more than 20 years.<\/p>\n
They’re very versatile, durable and can be kinder on the surfaces of your cookware, she says.<\/p>\n
Ms Mair says they need to be handwashed well in hot, soapy water and then dried completely, and there are also products to help prolong the life of wooden items.<\/p>\n
For example, food-grade beeswax can be rubbed into the wood to help it last longer.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Wooden spoons are also a staple in Ms Raichura’s utensil drawer, but “don’t put them in the dishwasher,” she urges. This can cause them to dry out, warp, crack and for splinters to form.<\/p>\n
Are plastic cooking utensils safe?\u00a0<\/p>\n
Oliver Jones, a professor of chemistry at RMIT in Naarm\/Melbourne, says cookware and kitchen utensils sold in Australia are “quite strictly regulated”, with manufacturers required to demonstrate they’re safe.\u00a0<\/p>\n