Why Every Home Cook Needs A Dedicated Sauce Spoon
Spoons have been around since ancient Egypt and are arguably one of the most important utensils made. A pint of Haagen-Dazs or Ben & Jerry's ice cream after a break-up wouldn't taste the same if you ate it with a fork. That bowl of Fruity Pebbles or Golden Grahams that you eat with milk after sending the kids off to school wouldn't make it to your lips without this piece of silverware. And soup, well it would be served in mugs and drank like a hot beverage if it weren't for the wonderful invention of this kitchen tool. Spoons are amazing.
Today, you can find spoons in all shapes and sizes that have been created to help make life easier and eating more refined and pleasurable for both cooks and diners. There are spoons to be used specifically for desserts, soups, tea, dinner, mixing, and serving. However, if there is one spoon your silverware drawers might be missing, but in desperate need of having, it's a sauce spoon. This often-overlooked utensil hails from France and made its debut in the 1950s. What exactly is a sauce spoon and why do you need one?
That chip has a purpose
A sauce spoon is different from a regular spoon in that it is flatter than the conclave, bowl-like spoon we know and love. At first glance, this French creation also looks as though someone took a tiny nibble out of the side, but believe it or not, it has a purpose and was actually designed that way. Its creator must have been a fan of the waste not want not philosophy because a sauce spoon is used to scoop up all the delicious sauce or drippings that your meal might be swimming in. The little chip allows you to get rid of any excess oil.
This unique utensil is great to have if you are serving delicate fish in a sauce. You can use the spoon to eat your poisson and then slurp up the sauce without using any bread. Of course, if you are a bread fan, that might make this spoon less attractive. While this silverware is ubiquitous in upscale restaurants in France, they haven't had the same reception in the U.S. Every so often you might come across a sauce spoon while dining in New York or Los Angeles, but if you really want to enjoy sauces like the French at home, you will have to purchase your own.