Historically speaking, I am rarely around babies, or people who have babies, so I rarely think about or purchase baby stuff. But now my sister has a baby, and I like this baby very much, and I’ll find myself pausing in the infant and toddler section of various big box stores, wondering, “Would the baby like this?” This is how I came to purchase a pack of colorful disposable baby spoons, not for the baby, but for me.
The baby is certainly welcome to the spoons, should she visit, but I did not buy them for eating. I bought them for tasting. The spoons are small and plastic, for little, soft mouths (my mouth is quite large and warworn), and that’s what makes them excellent tasting spoons.
What is a tasting spoon?
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A tasting spoon is exactly what it sounds like—a spoon for tasting food as you cook it. Using a tasting spoon keeps your cooking spoon or spatula free of saliva, which is the polite thing to do if you’re cooking for people other than yourself. Ina Garten is a proponent of the utensil, and keeps a jar of antique tasting spoons near her stove.
Get some baby spoons, baby:
First Years Take & Toss Infant Spoons
Baby spoons may not be as pretty as Ina’s collection, but they’re cost-effective and functional. Their small bowl size means you get just the right amount of food for a true taste, and won’t fill up before dinner, and their plastic body won’t heat up like metal in a hot pot of soup or sauce, so you’re much less likely to burn your pretty little mouth.
The spoons I snagged at the grocery store were cheap and cheerful, and while they are branded as “disposable,” meaning you shouldn’t feel bad about tossing them if they become stained or smelly, they can be washed and reused as needed. Store them in a coffee cup or jar next to the stove, and grab and taste as you cook, without burning your tongue or mixing your mouth germs into the bolognese.