Tesco Value Slotted Spoon
When I went to university, I decided to stay in non-catered halls, meaning that I would have to do all of my own cooking. As I'd previously lived at home with my parents, I didn't have many of my own cooking utensils, so I needed to invest in quite a few kitchen bits and bobs. I did the bulk of my shopping in Tescos and Ikea, buying as much as possible from the Tesco Value range to keep costs down. One such product that I chose was the Tesco Value Slotted Spoon.
Price and Availability
I purchased this from Tesco (obviously!), where it is one of many products in their Value range, which includes a wide variety of budget, no-frills items from groceries to clothing. I've found in the past that the quality of Tesco Value products can be a bit hit and miss, but at just 34p I felt that I couldn't really go wrong with this spoon! I had a quick look on the Tesco website earlier to see if it could be purchased online and couldn't see it, but I visited my local Tesco superstore recently and saw it on sale there, so perhaps its an instore-only item.
What Is It?
Well, the name of this item is pretty self explanatory: this is a plastic slotted spoon which can be used for various cooking tasks, for example draining pasta. My spoon looks exactly like the one in the picture above: it is moulded from black plastic and has a long handle (very handy if you're cooking a large meal in a deep saucepan) with a hole in the top, so you can hang the spoon up if you choose to. The spoon has cut-out slots in in, hence the name 'slotted spoon', which enable you to pick up, for example, pasta, from a saucepan, allowing the water to drain away from the spoon.
Using this Spoon
Though I'm no longer at university, this is one of the items that I bought at the beginning of my studies and still continue to use a good five years later, which I think is very good going for just 34p! I find this an incredibly useful item to have in the kitchen, and use it regularly to test whether pasta and vegetables are cooked, as it means I can taste whatever I'm cooking without getting a mouthful of horrible boiling water. I also often use it as I would a normal wooden spoon, to give whatever I'm cooking a quick stir, from stir fries to casseroles.
As this spoon is made from plastic I was initially a little worried that it might melt or warp if I put it in a pan of boiling water or bubbling stew, but this hasn't been the case and it has held its shape well.
Disadvantages of this Item
Now I think this is a cracking item, but in the interests of writing a balanced review I thought I'd better give a couple of negative features. As this spoon is made from plastic, it is not the most sophisticated-looking kitchen utensil in the world, so I suppose it wouldn't be ideal for those with designer kitchens where everything has to be sparkling and matching! Additionally, being made of plastic there is the danger of accidentally leaving it on a warm hob, which I'd imagine would result in a horrible smell, a melted spoon and a lot of cleaning to be done!
My Conclusions
This spoon has been a really valuable addition to my kitchen, and I use it on an almost daily basis, either to drain food or just to give it a bit of a stir. At just 34p (although looking at other reviews it looks like the price fluctuates between 30p and 40p) this is a great item for anyone who needs some kitchen supplies but is a bit strapped for cash. I've also been really impressed with how long mine has lasted me, and I know that if anything does happen to mine (I'm very good at breaking and melting kitchen utensils!) I'll definitely be going straight out to Tescos and buying another one. Five out of five from me!
