By Chuck Martin
The Cincinnati Enquirer

From left, Rosie slanted cooking "spoon" ($29.95); Matfer synthetic spoon ($6); Amco stainless spoon with nonstick head ($7); French beech wood spoon ($3.50); All-Clad stainless slotted spoon ($20); Spanish olive wood spoon ($6.50); Williams-Sonoma "spponula" with removeable head ($9). (Joseph Fuqua II photo) | ZOOM |

Buying kitchen spoons used to be so simple. Not long ago, spoon choices were limited to basically wood and metal, and maybe something slotted. A spoon was a spoon, pretty much.

Now there is any number of wooden spoons, long and short. There are metal spoons with nonstick heads and synthetic "spoonulas'' - kind of a cross between a spoon and a rubber spatula - with flexible heads for scraping batter and such. Slotted spoons come with big slots and smaller slots for straining.

Flat-bottomed spoons and angled spoons, designed for reaching to the very bottom of the pot, are available in metal and wood. German manufacturer Rosle has introduced a new spoon-whisk hybrid that reduces drag during stirring and helps whip air into food.

Yes, there are plenty of spoons to choose from. But this is all about marketing kitchen tools, you might say. We don't really need all those spoons, do we?

Perhaps not, but it is important to choose the right spoon for the right job and cooking surface. In the kitchen, cooking spoons may be second in importance only to knives. (Ever try to stir soup with a knife?) And with the arrival of the holiday cooking season, now's a good time to evaluate your spoon inventory.

Just consider your spoon needs when preparing the Thanksgiving meal, for instance. To stir the mashed potatoes, you may need a wide, sturdy spoon - wood or metal may do. A large metal spoon with a deep bowl would be perfect for basting the bird and skimming fat from the roasting pan. To make gravy, you'll need a spoon with a flat or angled edge, to reach into the corners of the pan. A wooden spoon would be best for this task.

SPOON STARTER

If you are just getting started stocking your kitchen with spoons, here are basic suggestions. Add more and different lengths for variety, and remember that wooden spoons are most versatile. 2 broad, short (12 inches or less) wooden spoons with flat or angled bottoms. 1 narrow, short wooden spoon with flat or angled bottom. 1 narrow, long (13 inches or more) wooden spoon with round bottom. 1 long , metal or nonstick spoon with flat or angled bottom. 1 long , metal or nonstick slotted spoon with flat or angled bottom. 2 or more synthetic "spoonulas'' of different lengths.

SPOON SOURCES

Quality kitchen spoons are available at cookware shops, department stores and restaurant supply stores. Here's where we found the spoons for this story. Cooks' Wares (Symmes Township, West Chester Township and Springboro): 12-inch Rosle slanted spoon; Matfer 12-inch synthetic spoon; and All-Clad 13-inch stainless slotted square-bottomed spoon. Sur La Table (Rookwood Commons): Spanish 11.75-inch olive wood spoon. Williams-Sonoma (Kenwood Towne Centre and downtown): Amco 13.5-inch stainless spoon with nonstick head; 16-inch French beech wood spoon; and 11.5-inch "spoonula" with removable head.

SPOONBREAD

In his Encyclopedia of American Food & Drink (Lebhar-Friedman; $29.95), John Mariani notes the name of this early American dish may come from an Indian word for porridge, suppawn, or from the fact the soft, custard-like bread is usually eaten with a spoon. Spoon Bread 1 cup cornmeal 1/2 cup flour 2 tablespoons sugar 11/2 teaspoons salt 2 teaspoons baking powder 2 eggs, beaten 2 cups + 1 cup milk 4 tablespoons butter, melted Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Sift together cornmeal, flour, sugar, salt and baking powder. Mix in eggs and 2 cups milk to form batter. Cover bottom of baking pan with melted butter and pour in batter. Smooth out batter evenly and pour remaining 1 cup of milk over top. Bake for 45 minutes. - The Encyclopedia of American Food & Drink

If you're serving green beans, you'll need a large slotted metal spoon to strain the beans from the broth. For scraping pumpkin pie filling into the crust, a flexible "spoonula'' would be invaluable.

Then there are personal preferences. Carol Tabone, director of the Cooking School at Jungle Jim's Market, likes the feel of wooden spoons while cooking. She uses metal spoons only for serving food. Cooking teacher Marilyn Harris likes to use flexible spoonulas for sautÈing vegetables in nonstick pans. At his restaurants, Sturkey's in Wyoming and Encore CafÈ in West Chester Township, Paul Sturkey uses mostly metal spoons for cooking and wooden spoons for mixing desserts.

Even though there are many shapes, sizes and styles to choose from, buying cooking spoons doesn't have to be complicated. You just need a spoon-buying strategy.

The average home kitchen should be equipped with at least a half-dozen different types of cooking spoons. Don't overdo it, but realize that if you have a few "backup'' spoons, it means you don't have to constantly stop cooking to wash the precious few you own.

Consider these factors before buying cooking spoons and, if possible, practice gripping the spoon to see how it feels in your hand before making a decision. And if you plan to drop hints for holiday gifts, be as specific as possible as to your spoon preferences.

Shopping considerations

Cookware surfaces: This is the biggest consideration when buying cooking spoons, says Paul Fricke, owner of Cooks' Wares in Symmes Township, Springboro and West Chester Township. Most manufacturers advise against using unprotected metal spoons in nonstick and cast-iron pans. Metal utensils can also chip glass and ceramic cookware. But if you prefer the feel and heft of metal , manufacturers now offer the spoons with protective nonstick heads, which means they're designed to use with nonstick cookware and the food won't stick to the spoons.

Wooden spoons are safe to use on all pan surfaces. Lightweight synthetic spoons and spoonulas, which resist temperatures of 500 degrees or more, are another option.

Size and shape: One common mistake people make, says John Kinsella, head of the chef-technology program at Cincinnati State Technical and Community College, is choosing cooking spoons that are too long. If you're buying a spoon to use in a tall soup or stockpot, Mr. Kinsella suggests selecting a handle that is no more than 3 inches taller than the pot. This gives you plenty of handle to grip while stirring. Otherwise, a spoon that is too long can be unwieldy and reduce leverage.

In terms of shape, flat-bottomed spoons are in. Someone finally realized only a few years ago that a flat-bottomed spoon allows the cook to cleanly scrape the bottom of the pot or pan. Some cooking spoons now have flat, angled bottoms that also make it easier to reach into corners of cookware.

Function: What are you going to do with the spoon? Metal spoons are best for serving and for stirring thick soups and stews in aluminum or stainless steel cookware. Wooden spoons aren't practical for serving or transferring food because their bowls are usually shallow. Buy a large flat spoon for stir-frying. A spoon with a small or narrow head makes stirring thick heavy soups and stews easier.

The flexible heads of spoonulas are perfect for scraping bowls, pots and pans. Most spoonulas resist high temperatures and many have removable heads, which make clean-up easier.

Wood is the best compromise: Unless you're really a fan of metal or synthetics, most of the cooking spoons in your kitchen should be made of wood. Wooden spoons are light, relatively inexpensive, don't conduct heat and have a comfortable, natural feel in your hand. Lightweight beech wood is a popular material, but maple and olive wood spoons are more attractive - and more expensive

The only disadvantage to wooden spoons may be cleaning them. Many manufacturers advise against putting wooden spoons in dishwashers, and long, repeated soakings can cause them to crack and split.

Nevertheless, if there is a trend in cooking spoons, it is a return to wood, says Jay Alpert, president of the Professional Cutlery Direct catalog company in North Branford, Conn.

"Grandma's tools are coming back,'' says Mr. Alpert.

And somehow, Grandma never worried about washing her wooden spoons.

E-mail cmartin@enquier.com