What Utensils to Use On Stainless Steel? Here’s 4 You Can Try

If you have stainless steel pots, pans, and cookware, then you know about all the benefits that stainless steel can offer you. They are easy to clean and care for, can last a long time, they cook evenly, retain heat well, and also can even go in the dishwasher if you are careful with them. If you use stainless steel cookware on a regular basis, you might wonder what utensils in your kitchen will be the best to pair with your stainless steel cookware.

Thankfully, the durability of stainless steel means that nearly every type of utensil can be used on the cookware, but we want to give you the best of the best in terms of options. Here are 4 of the best pieces you can try.

Why Can’t You Use Any Type Of Utensil On Your Stainless Steel?

Notice that we said that almost all utensils to use with stainless steel cookware will work, because some will not due to the way that the various metals and materials react with one another. For example, any aluminum cooking utensils won’t work, because that combination of metals will cause galvanic corrosion, which is the transfer of electrons from one material to another.

In the case of stainless steel cookware and aluminum utensils, the transfer of electrons from the aluminum to the stainless steel will actually weaken the shelf life of your aluminum utensils while increasing the shelf life of your stainless steel. 

In other cases, some utensils work perfectly with stainless steel, but are impractical to use for other reasons. For example, while bamboo utensils are renewable resources and are very durable, you do need to wash them by hand to stop them from soaking up too much moisture. They also need to be oiled at regular intervals to prevent them from becoming dry and brittle. So while bamboo utensils can be used with stainless steel, they do require some maintenance.

What Utensils to Use with Stainless Steel Cookware?

  1. Wood

Using wooden utensils on stainless steel is perfectly acceptable, especially because wooden utensils are one of the most common options for home cooks in their home kitchens. They are resistant to germs and bacteria, and are very environmentally friendly. Plus, they often don’t get too hot when cooking with pans on high heat!

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The best wood utensils for stainless steel cookware are the NAYAHOSE Wooden Cooking Utensil Set. This set of 6 wooden utensils is made from high quality wood and is also non toxic and eco friendly… and they are also made to be used over the long term.

Best To Use

These utensils are made to be used in most situations, especially if you are cooking very hot foods. While metal and plastic utensils often rely on plastic or silicone to insulate your hand from the heat, wooden utensils are very resistant to heat and you won’t be at any risk of burning your hands while cooking.

Pros

The pros of the NAYAHOSE Wooden Cooking Utensil Set are that they are made to be reused, are made by hand, and the spatula that is included with the set is non-scratch. Perfect for use with stainless steel!

Cons

The main con is only that this set has some mild color variation, which can be a turn off for some people who really want consistency. 

Bamboo

Bamboo is a renewable resource that grows fast and is extremely easy to harvest, and the cooking utensils are durable, heat-resistant, and they are also biodegradable so when you finally throw them away you know they will fully dissolve  Plus, the bamboo tools are very resistant to water, stains, and odors, which makes the tool resistant to bacteria and easy to clean.

The best tools to try if you want to experiment with bamboo are the OXO Good Grips Wooden Cooking Utensil Set. The pack of three utensils comes with a spatula, slotted spoon, and a regular spoon, and are safe for stainless steel cookware.

Best Use

The best use of bamboo cookware is whenever you want to cook something up without scratching your cookware or your pots and pans. Bamboo cookware is resistant to both scratches and it also doesn’t cause a lot of scratches as well. So if you need to be a little rougher with your stainless steel pots and pans, then bamboo utensils are the best options

Pros

The pros of the OXO Good Grips Wooden Cooking Utensil Set are that they are biodegradable, environmentally friendly, and are also very durable.

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Cons

The cons of bamboo utensils are that they do require frequent washing as well as oiling in order to keep them fully clean and useable. Plus, they can’t go in the dishwasher at all and must be washed by hand.

Silicone

The main benefit of silicone cookware is that it is extremely heat resistant, perfect whenever you want to test just how high your stainless steel utensils can go in terms of heat! If you want to cook something on high heat and don’t want your tools to melt or to catch on fire, then you need to break out the silicone tools.

Silicone tools can be very heat resistant (up to 650°F), and they do all of this by being non toxic and chemically stable. So no plastic will come off of the tools and into your food. The SiliPot Silicone Cooking Utensils Set is one of the safest grade tools to use, and they are also dishwasher safe.

Best To Use

If you are planning to cook dishes at high heat, then you need to use the SiliPot Silicone Cooking Utensils Set, because they will hold up to the high temperature (up to 482℉.) Plus they are double baked to prevent the tools from staining or holding odors after you are done cooking.

Pros

These tools are durable and very easy to clean because they are dishwasher safe and don’t hold odors. Plus, you don’t need to worry about any chemicals coming off of them and into your pans or your food. Additionally, the set comes in very bright and vivid colors.  

Cons

While silicone can be very flexible which gives you some maneuverability in the pan, if you like having a rigid option then you might want to find silicone cooking utensils with steel handles.

Nylon/Plastic

Sometimes if you have spent all your money on high quality stainless steel cookware, you might need to err on the cheap side for your utensils. This is where nylon and plastic come in as they are often the cheapest options for your needs, and they are dishwasher safe.

If you want to get a cheap but good quality set, you need the Material The Fundamentals set. This set gives you the fundamentals, including tongs, a wooden spoon, a metal spoon, and a slotted spatula. 

Best To Use

It is best to use plastic utensils when cooking on low heat. This is because on high heat the plastic can actually melt. Then they can contaminate your food with the plastic and the chemicals, and the plastic can also melt into your pan. 

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Pros

Plastic utensils are cheap and easy to clean in the dishwasher

Cons

They are not very durable at high heat and can melt chemicals into your food.

Can You Use Metal Utensils on Stainless Steel

You might have noticed that we have avoided talking about metal cooking utensils on stainless steel, and that might raise a question mark or two. However, you can use metal cooking utensils on stainless steel, just keep a few things in mind. 

They won’t bend, chip, rust, or melt while in use, and most metal utensils are made from the same stainless steel as your pots! However, the one thing you need to watch out for is that the metal utensils can get very hot and can burn your hands, so you want to find metal utensils with silicone handles to prevent this.

But you can use metal utensils on stainless steel, and often will get the same benefits that the cookware gives you in your cooking tools as well!

What Else Should You Avoid Using On Stainless Steel Cookware?

Ironically, when it comes to cleaning your stainless steel pan, you should also avoid using stainless steel scrubbers as these can leave micro scratches on your pan. Abrasive scrubbers will damage the finish, so use a sponge instead. 

Additionally, you should never use your dishwasher on stainless steel pots and pains, because they are never dishwasher proof no matter what the internet says. Instead, wash your pans with soap, water, and a gentle scrubber, and everything will be fine.

Final Thoughts

Hopefully, we’ve answered the question of what utensils to use with stainless steel cookware. Stainless steel is extremely durable and you just need to pick the right utensils for both your comfort level as well as for what you are cooking. Then everything will turn out fine and you can get all the benefits from your cookware and your pan!