I used to work at Bon Appétit, where frequent trips from my desk on the editorial floor down to the test kitchen let me absorb the knowledge of cooks better than me, even just by watching.
When the pros were developing a recipe, they went through spoons nearly as much as they wiped their hands on kitchen towels. Any old model will do the job, but the Kunz tasting spoon, a bit larger than what comes with your standard flatware, reigned supreme — and not just there, I learned, but in restaurant kitchens across America. I was influenced and bought one. Unfortunately, it pretty much sat in a drawer. I never felt a need to pull it out, which I chalked up to my position as a home cook, and I gave it away when I moved.
Then, a couple of years ago, I was gifted what looked to be a similar specimen: A tasting spoon from a just-launched brand called Gestura. I truly don’t want to knock something as classic and respected as the Kunz, but what I will say is that this other one is so thoughtfully designed I started reaching for it on instinct nearly every time I cooked. It has become one of my most-used tools and lives on my countertop within easy reach.
The Gestura holds exactly one tablespoon. I still pull out my full set of measuring spoons when baking. But if I’m eyeballing a sauce or dressing, or want to keep track of how much olive oil I’m adding to a skillet, it’s a helpful guide. (By comparison, the Kunz holds 2.5 tablespoons, which I’d argue is a somewhat less useful quantity.) It’s also wide, which allows me to scoop up food easily and keep the whole thing balanced when I move it to my mouth — especially imperative when I’m holding a pool of hot liquid from a soup or stew. (For those of you who do this with regular spoons, you know how easy it is to accidentally tilt and spill.) It’s also fairly shallow, the perfect shape for basting butter over a steak and olive oil over a crispy fried egg.
There’s a thin lip around the perimeter, so skimming foam off of stock, or fat from the surface of a braise, is cleaner than with any utensil I’ve used before. The lip tapers into a point at the tip, a guiding point for even drizzling, whether it be salsa verde over a whole fish or thinned-out tahini over pita wraps. This point makes getting into the corners of pots and pans easy, too. The handle is long and elegant.
I use the Gestura spoon to mix ingredients (like cut-up vegetables before roasting) and also have the slotted counterpart to use in tandem with it for more vigorous tossing, like when I make a big leafy-green salad. The pair, or just the one, make stunning serving utensils. I set them out for sides when company is over and nearly every night when I’m making dinner for my household of two (wooden spoons tend to be too big for our portions, and regular spoons too small).
This spoon can go in the dishwasher, but in my kitchen it never even makes it there: I suds and rinse by hand because I know I’ll want it sooner than I can run a cycle.
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