My great aunt insisted you must use a wooden spoon for her gravy, and I learned the hard way she was right.

Every Thanksgiving, my Great Aunt Mabel would hover by the stove and say, "Metal will curse the flavor, dear. It has to be wood." I figured it was just an old superstition. Last year, I was in charge of the gravy at my place in Cincinnati and used a regular metal whisk. The gravy turned out thin, a bit dull, and had a faint metallic aftertaste I couldn't ignore. I called her in a panic, and she just laughed and said, "Told you so." She explained that the metal can react with the pan and the drippings in a way that changes the taste. This year, I dug out an old wooden spoon, and the gravy was rich, smooth, and perfect. Has anyone else had a family cooking rule that sounded silly but turned out to be essential?

3 comments

3 Comments

river_allen22d ago

Read somewhere that wooden spoons don't transfer heat the same way, so you're less likely to accidentally cook an egg into your sauce when you're stirring. Makes sense now that I think about it, my grandma's wooden spoon always felt cooler than the pot.

wendy62822d ago

Wait, your grandma's spoon felt cooler? Mine always got warm in my hand.

emery_black20d ago

Honestly river_allen, my wooden spoons always get hot enough to burn my hand if I leave them in the pot. Feels like they soak up the heat just fine to me.