I just remember a segment of Jacques and Julia where, in passing, Jacques mentions and I think demonstrates a taasting spoon. Julia is intrigued and appreciates the hygiene, then proceeds to taste from the larger bowl of the spoon.

You could just keep a little crock full of little spoons and toss them in the dishwasher as you go. All those charming demitasse spoons in the antique shops would finally have renewed purpose in life.

I've never considered this but you're right about using a lot of spoons 'in process'. I tend to turn from the stove directly to the sink and do a quick wash most of the time. However this IS a decorating opportunity and I'd probably opt for orphaned sterling spoons which could be fun to hunt down. But then I'd want to display them and have a see-thru vessel of some sort so maybe the practical should outweigh beauty? Cute crocks!

Nope. I have a problem where I buy any of my pattern of regular stainless if I see it so I have lots and lots of spoons. (It was discontinued in the 1960s so it's not like it happens that often.)

But I love this idea. I love the idea of tasting spoons because I love flatware (also antique china but I force myself to Not Buy Any) but it's not a practical thing to collect.

I would go for old sterling. I especially love the art nouveau patterns. Also the older Eastlake styles. And art deco. And the midcentury modern ones.

I find that wood can affect the flavor of what I'm tasting so I wouldn't do that. Silver is kind of antimicrobial and...well, I can come up with all sorts of justifications, but I just like silver spoons.

PS--nice crocks!

Bpath, a concern with spoons from antique shops would be the lead content. I'm going to have to do more research on that, because I do like the idea of re-using them instead of buying new.

Fori, thank you--I'll look into old sterling. That was also my concern with wood--impacting flavor. I do use wood spoons for cooking, but I do not taste from them.

DLM, However this IS a decorating opportunity Exactly! A friend commented on the crock, and I replied I was hunting for tasting spoons to go in it. She said, "Just go to Home Goods and buy a set of spoons." <sigh> She doesn't get it.

As background--and probably tmi--I occasionally get cold sores when I'm stressed. So I'm adamant about *always* using separate spoons for tasting (even if temp would kill germs), never double-dip, share drinks, etc. In 25 years cooking for my kids, they've never picked up a cold sore. If they ever do, it's not from me.

Yes, I use silver baby spoons! i keep them in the daily silverwear drawer. I also have tiny red ceramic bowls for tasting for other people. I put about a tablespoon of whatever it is in the small bowl and take it with a tasting spoon to DH or my mom or whoever is there . More salt? Too spicy? Enough Cinnamon?, I ask.

My everyday flatware has an unusually petite spoon in the set and i use those for this purpose, and a zillion tiny bowls and plates (I have a thing for those).

I can easily go through all of my 12 teaspoons tasting a dish. I thought of just buying more teaspoons for my set but thought that was rather boring. But a set of tasting spoons? That is something I could get behind. What a great idea.

What about relish spoons? I agree about not wanting plastic but not sure I would use wooden spoon either.

If you are concerned with lead, don't use any pewter made earlier than the 1970s. Old pewter has a 30% lead content. Acidic foods can cause the lead to leach out and be ingested.

I am not obsessive about tasting when cooking - I usually already know how something is going to taste because I have made the recipes before. I am very happy with how my recipes come out with minimal tastings, and when I do feel the need to taste something, I wash the spoon afterwards rather than get another spoon.

So many things that I make cannot be tasted, such as batters, doughs, etc that I just rely on my experience to predict how something is going to taste. It is only when I make something new that I need to do tastings, and even then I am very good at predicting how something will taste at the end without multiple tastings during the process.

I keep written records of my recipes and adjust them as needed so that tasting is not necessary, once I have revised my recipes to my liking.

Another thing I didn’t realize I needed until you people put it in my head! (I just use my regular teaspoons.)

😁

Now I want these for my kitchen:

Love your crocks, Feathers!

Thise are so cute, Jinx!

Jinx you are veering into great gift category! Those are cute!

edit to add - I'm down the rabbit hole now.

https://housework.store/collections/hornvarefabrikken-natural-horn-products

Good price (and 5% off right now):

DLM, love the ones you posted, too!

I love the idea of special spoons for tasting! I have some of these (below) from le creuset and i love the idea of them and I use them -- but they are a little small for an ideal tasting spoon imo. I'd like something with a rounder bowl. They do come in a variety of colors and a wide range of prices on poshmark/ebay, etc.

I love the horn spoons DLM shared but I wonder if the bowl is too flat?

Those horn spoons are beautiful, DLM! I almost ordered one until I read the description--they are meant for cold and room temperature foods. Not for my use this time, but they are lovely works of art.

Arghhh, Funky, I walked by a LC store yesterday evening and didn't even think to stop in to look for spoons. I had no idea they made them.

Jinx, those spoons have "Jinx" written all over them!

Hcbm, thank you for that information. I researched further and learned more about what to look for in vintage flatware. I love pewter, and have several vintage pieces, but I do not use them for food service. I just love the look of pewter.

In the meantime, I went down a rabbit hole on etsy and found these. I'm not ready to have a spoon shipped from overseas, but still... pretty ideas:

Top one from China--my favorite. Next one from Ukraine.

Oh, and this sweet little jam spoon from the UK.

Kswl, I love that you use baby spoons--those are perfect! My crock is 6 inches tall, and I initially looked at spoons with longer handles like iced tea spoons and sundae spoons. But there are so many pretty shorter spoons. I figured I would hand-cut a sponge or other washable piece to place at the bottom of the inside of the crock so shorter spoons could be shown and used, as well.

I love the etsy spoons above but will be running around the next few weeks, and will hit up antique shops and specialty kitchen stores to see what I can find locally.

Natural horn reacts to heat....not practical. They'd be good for the handle....not the spoon part. I own cute little dipping bowls and I like iced tea spoons. The iced tea spoons are in a drawer next to the stove. I have two sets.

JCP has these rectangle platters and little dipping bowls....I really like!

I have two sets acquired while living in Europe but didn't realize they had a name. One was acquired at a flea market and the other at a Williams-Sonoma type store. All these years I've been thinking they were meant to be used with tea cups. I LOVE them, especially the antique set!

Whatsayyou, are you referring to the sundae spoons? If so, they have longer handles than a teaspoon. Come to think of it, mine are probably iced tea spoons.

Feathers, mine are tiny spoons. I'm in Europe now and our hotel room has them next to the teacups.

My mom kept a collection of silver tea spoons in a jar she called a spooner. It looked like a two handled sugar dish without a lid, but taller. Hers was crystal. She was not a cook (at all...) so I think hers were just for display and as a collection (she excelled at collecting).