Use a Wooden Spoon While Cooking to Taste the Food
Even if you follow a tried and tested recipe, you should still taste your food as you cook it. There are many other factors that can come up during the cooking process, and you need to know what is going on in that skillet or pot. Your mouth will tell you what’s what. However, a metal spoon is a potential hazard.
This is not because metal spoons cannot get food to your mouth – they can – but they are much more likely to burn it than a wooden spoon (the best material for spoons). A wooden spoon does not retain heat as much and does not heat up as quickly as a metal spoon, making it a safer choice.
“What about silicone and the like?” you are undoubtedly asking. I have found that the slippery silicone does not hold food well, which is annoying when you try to bring it to your mouth. (But if your only option is plastic or metal, be sure to use plastic.)
While tasting with a wooden spoon will greatly reduce the likelihood of mouth burns, it cannot completely eliminate the danger. A boiling liquid is a boiling liquid no matter what you scoop it up with, so use common sense and maybe wait a couple of seconds before pouring it onto your tongue. Tongue burns are extremely uncomfortable.