Bamboo for You!

I'm sure you've seen countless bamboo products in the kitchen department lately. Many of us grew up in the days of wooden spoons and cutting boards in the kitchen, but bamboo seems to be taking over in popularity. But why is bamboo such a great alternative to wood, metal or even nylon/plastic utensils in the kitchen? (Image: HGTV) 

According to Bamboo Grove, bamboo is becoming a hot alternative for several reasons. Like wood, they do not get hot because they are poor conductors of heat. They are also much lighter than wooden utensils! It's extremely durable and you can be sure that bamboo will never scratch your non stick cookware the way some metal utensils will.

Plastic and vinyl spoons and turners won't scratch your cookware either, so how does bamboo match up against popular, cheaper tools? The main point here is that bamboo is a natural, renewable resource, unlike petroleum based products. Some plastic based tools can melt easily too. 

Bamboo cutting boards are also great too, because they won't dull your knives. The downfall, however, is that they can be tough to disinfect, but they can be sanded down and refinished to look like new. It's not recommended to use the utensils to cook raw eggs of meat because of this. They can be a bit pricey, but they are made to last. 

If you are thinking about switching to bamboo in the kitchen, be aware that caring for and cleaning your bamboo might be a little different. Although similar to caring for wood, you should note that bamboo needs to be cleaned after each use. Hand wash in a mild detergent and avoid soaking in water for a long time. Dishwashers tend to get too hot and have very harsh soap that damage the bamboo. Over time, bamboo can dry out and you can keep it looking new with a light coating of oil. I recommend a mist of olive oil, since most people have that in the kitchen already. You can use food grade mineral oil too. 

Here's a top rated set you can get using my affiliate link to Amazon! At time time of this blog, the set is $10 off! Get yours now:

 

I have enjoyed several different bamboo utensils for years, but I have especially loved the flat edged spoons. When you've got food stuck in a saute pan, this will certainly get it unstuck without the danger of scratching. But beware! These will burn easily! I made the mistake of laying the end of my bamboo spoon on a hot burner and it scorched it (still useable though!). 

Since I am a fan of bamboo goods, I have decided to do another giveaway for Home Ericanomics! You can enter to win this awesome set, created by Craftmaster Tiff! It comes with a cutting board and spoon and all you have to do is follow the Facebook page, like and share the giveaway post and tag at least one person who might also love this bamboo set!

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