“The preparation of food invariably requires some combination of stirring, flipping, mixing, manipulating, and tasting in order to blend the ingredients, keep them from burning, and satisfy the cook’s curiosity.  Beginners spend a lot of time nervously poking and prodding their food as it cooks, but even a master chef will stick a spoon in a sauce for a taste test.  Handheld utensils for beating, mixing, whisking, stirring, and lifting are the most basic of our kitchen tools, they are the spatulas, whisks, cooking spoons and forks, turners, ladles, tongs and skimmers that have become the cook’s sidearms.” – The New Cooks’ Catalogue: A Definitive Guide to Cooking Equipment¹

¹By Burt Wolf, Emily Aronson, Florence Fabricant, Press: Alfred A. Knopf, 2000