Giada De Laurentiis' Favorite Kitchen Tool Is So Simple Yet So Versatile

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Reliable, cheap, and surprisingly versatile, wooden spoons are key players in any home chef's kitchen arsenal. Food Network star Giada De Laurentiis talked with "Today" about her favorite kitchen tools, and we were surprised to learn how often she reaches for a good wooden spoon when she's cooking. "They're great for risottos or stirring anything on the stove, really, but put two together and you also have salad tossers," the chef said.

We get it; it makes sense to stock up on kitchen items that can be used for multiple purposes, and De Laurentiis shared the same sentiment. "I love tools that can be utilized in more than one way," she said. While talking with "Today," De Laurentiis recommended a wooden spoon from Williams-Sonoma, but you don't necessarily have to spring for an upscale version. There are plenty of options online, such as the Mzroo wooden spoon for $6 or so.

Obviously, you can use wooden spoons to stir up your favorite recipes. We're guessing Giada De Laurentiis has used her go-to spoons for mixing up a gluten-free torta Caprese — a flourless cake she once mentioned she'd include as part of the perfect Italian birthday dinner. Wooden spoons are good for far more than you'd expect, however. From stopping pots from boiling over to helping you test the temperature of oil for pan-fried dishes, your wooden spoons can come in clutch for a ton of kitchen tasks.

We can't be sure exactly how Giada De Laurentiis uses wooden spoons in her own kitchen, but we would guess she's familiar with using a wooden spoon to stop a pot of pasta from boiling over — perhaps while making her four-ingredient pasta. Simply place your wooden spoon across the top of a boiling pot to stop the bubbles from boiling over the edge. The wooden spoon works to pop the bubbles before they spill over the sides of the pot, giving you a longer window of time before you end up with a mess on your stove. This hack doesn't work indefinitely, though. Turn the heat down if you notice bubbles starting to hit the surface of your spoon.

Your favorite wooden spoon can also come in handy when you're pan-frying chicken, fish, or anything else that lends itself to a crispy sear. While we're not sure whether De Laurentiis has ever given this trick a try with her favorite olive oils, you can actually use a wooden spoon to help you tell whether the oil in your pan is hot enough. Try flipping over your spoon so you're holding it bowl-first, and place the tip of the handle into the hot oil. If your oil is hot enough, you should see tiny bubbles start to develop on the end of the spoon. After giving this hack a go, wipe off the end of your spoon before using it for the rest of your recipe so you don't end up with a little oil pool under the handle once you set it down.