Tuttorosso will be giving away 3,000 wooden spoons until November 12, 2013 at http://www.facebook.com/tuttorossotomato — to celebrate the nostalgia and heritage of the wooden spoon in so many classic tomato-based recipes (chili, soup, lasagna, manicotti, salsa, etc.). One grand prize winner will receive one Tuttorosso personalized heirloom wooden spoon and a 6-piece signature cookware by La Creuset!
As you may know, or perhaps have experienced, wooden spoons are often handed down from generation to generation — and are the preferred tool by professional chefs since they are soft, won’t scratch, don’t remove heat out of sensitive recipes and have a high heat tolerance.
The Tuttorosso brand is owned by the family-owned Red Gold company. Red Gold has been around since the 1940s and has been focused on growing local in the Midwest where true seasons impact the flavor of tomatoes. The Midwest, while it’s cold in the winter, has the perfect growing season for tomatoes, perfect angle of the sun, perfect temps — and even the winter is perfect for tomatoes, as it breaks up the soil for tiny root systems. Few places in the world can you grow such tomatoes.
My fathers parents died when I was really young, so most holidays and family get togethers were spent with my mothers family. They were of Irish and Scottish decent so making sauce never happened in our kitchens. Corned beef and cabbage, meatballs, blood and black pudding, sure, but sauce makers, we were not. My neighbors across the street grew tomatoes and made their own sauce that they canned and used throught the year. When it was time to make the sauce, the entire family would show up, meaning cars were lined up and down the street on both sides. Their house had two kitchens, and I suspect they had to use both when it came time to make sauce.
Shortly after moving in with Tony he told me he was going to make sauce. I informed him you could just go buy a jar at the store. He proceeded to use canned sauce, paste and crushed tomatoes along with lots of different seasonings to make his sauce. He added homemade meatballs and some whole sausage to give the sauce more flavor. Ever since then, the only time we buy jar sauce is when we are planning on making mozzerella sticks, and we are using the jar sauce as a dipping sauce. At first Tony used to supervise me whenever I made sauce, he probably didn’t think an Irish/Scottish kid could make sauce.
Its been almost 10 years, and I have been making sauce now without supervision for years. It never comes out exactly the same for me because I use different spices or different sausages each time, depending on what I feel like.
Recently Tuttorosso sent me a wooden spoon for free, in exchange for helping them promote their giveaway. I already had a bunch of Tuttorosso sauce and crushed tomato cans on hand so it was the perfect opportunity to make sauce. Today I am making sauce with hot Italian sausages, lot of garlic and a touch of other seasonings – it is my first time using a wooden spoon!
I did a little research and found out some great benefits of using a wooden spoon:
It’s strong enough to stir thick things without breaking
It’s soft so it won’t scratch the finish on most cookwear
If you are making something that is sensitive to sudden temperature change, a wooden spoon is perfect, because it is insulated and will not suck the heat out of our food.
It has a high heat tolerance and won’t melt if it rests on the side of a pan or stirs something really, really hot
The properties of wood make it naturally anti-bacterial.
Food does not stick easily to wood because wood has tight pores.
Why do you like using a wooden spoon? Do you have one that has been passed down from generation to generation? Are you a jar sauce family – or do you make your own? Feel free to share your answers below!
Tuttorosso has graciously offered to give away one more wooden spoon to one of my readers! Just use the giveaway tools form below to enter!
I had some that were my grandmothers but I used one to spank my son when he was about 2 (he is 29 now) one day we layed down to take a nap, I was awoken by hearing a snapping sound. I went to investigate and there was my little 2 year old breaking my wooden spoons. I felt so bad that we tossed the spoons and I never used them again in that way. It’s sort of a sad/funny rememberance!
We don’t have an heirloom wooden spoon, so this would be a good start!
So far as I know, we don’t have a family wooden spoon.
Unfortunately, we don’t have any heirloom anything. Would love to start this wonderful tradition. Thank you for the giveaway.
I don’t have one but I would love to start the tradition with my daughters.
I don’t have any inherited wooden spoons, but I hope someday my kids will consider mine that way!
Not a wooden spoon, but I have some old metal cookie cutters that I love.
I had some that were my grandmothers but I used one to spank my son when he was about 2 (he is 29 now) one day we layed down to take a nap, I was awoken by hearing a snapping sound. I went to investigate and there was my little 2 year old breaking my wooden spoons. I felt so bad that we tossed the spoons and I never used them again in that way. It’s sort of a sad/funny rememberance!
I love wooden spoons. I love that this is antibacterial
I don’t have any
Sadly we got rid of them when my gram died but I remember her chasing after us when we would be snitching stuffing….lol
we dont have one but would love this beautiful spoon!
We do not have an heirloom spoon.
I got a spoon from my friend when she went to russia but it’s not really a heirloom wooden spoon…
We don’t have one, but how awesome would it be to start a tradition with this one?? 🙂
sadly, we don’t.
I don’t have any heirloom wooden spoons, but this would be a great tradition to start. Thanks for the chance!
I do not have any heirloom spoons. Would love to start the family line now
No I do not have a heirloom spoon
No, I don’t have one.This spoon would be nice to start with.
We have no wooden spoons, but I would like one. 🙂
I don’t know of anyone in the family who has an heirloom wooden spoon, but many of us use wooden spoons and utensils in the kitchen.
I have some wooden spoons that we use, they are not heirloom, but I do like to cook using mine.
Beautiful spoons. Grandma had one that granddaddy had whittled. To my chagrin, she threw it out one day as “too old-timey”!
I have a wooden spoon that was my grandmother’s. I love it.
I do have a wooded spoon but it is definitely not heirloom quality.
I have not heard of an heirloom wooden spoon before! We always just had the cheapy ones from like the 3 packs lol
I do not have an heirloom wooden spoon
No, we don’g have an heirloom wooden spoon.
We’ve had wooden spoons, but nothing heirloom quality! Just cheap ones 😛
No, we don’t have any heirlooms.
No we do not have any
No, I do not have an heirloom wooden spoon.
I use wooden spoons all the time, but none are an heirloom. Time to start this tradition with a Tuttorosso spoon.
I do not have a heirloom spoon and this would be perfect to start a new tradition with for my daughter.
I also do not have an heirloom wooden spoon however I wish I had one. I love to cook and a good wooden spoon is essential.
Sadly no I don’t have one 🙁
I don’t have a heirloom wooden spoon, but I do have a couple of plain wooden spoons that I’ll admit have seen some better days. lol
I don’t have a heirloom spoon but I would love to have one one day to pass it on.
I do not have a heirloom spoon, but it would be a wonderful tradition to start with this one.
I don’t & don’t know anyone who does. It sounds like a good idea though.
I don’t have an heirloom anything!
i don’t have one and i haven’t ever known anyone who had one. this is really the first time i heard about it.
We don’t have an heirloom wooden spoon,but it would be really nice to have one
We do not have a heirloom wooden spoon, but it would be really nice to start with this one!
Thanks for the giveaway…no heirloom wooden spoon at our place, but we have a really old chef’s knife !
We have a number of wooden spoons I use almost daily, but I don’t know that I’d call any of them heirloom!
Not exactly. my gram always had wooden spoons. It’s one of the things I remember and cherish about time spent with her in her kitchen.