Silicone vs Plastic Cooking Utensils: Which One Actually Belongs in Your Kitchen?

If you've ever pulled a plastic spatula out of a hot pan and caught a whiff of something faintly chemical, you already know the answer to silicone vs plastic cooking utensils in your gut. If you want to learn more about "Forever Chemicals" and PFAS, head over to our blog on this. It's got some great tips on how to limit your exposure.

Cooking utensils play such a big role in your kitchen as they touch your food every single day, at high heat, over and over. So it's worth knowing what you're stirring with.

Here's how silicone and plastic actually compare and why one of them comes out on top.

The Trouble With Plastic Utensils

Plastic utensils are cheap and everywhere - but they come at a hidden cost.

1. Chemical leaching: When heated, plastic can release toxins and microplastics into your food.

2. Poor durability: Plastic melts, warps, or cracks, especially when exposed to high heat.

3. Environmental damage: Plastic utensils can’t be recycled and will sit in landfill for hundreds of years.

4. Short lifespan: Because they wear out so quickly, they need to be replaced often, costing more in the long run.

In short, plastic might seem easy, but it’s anything but sustainable.

Why Silicone Utensils Are Taking Over

Silicone is an alternative to plastic utensils (we've also got our Beechwood Utensils for those who prefer wood). Here's why we're fans of Silicone vs Plastic. And why it's important to choose LFGB silicone (as not all silicone is created equal!).

It handles heat properly. Good quality, LFGB certified silicone like ours is heat resistant well beyond anything you'll throw at it on the stovetop, so no melting, no softening, no warping.

It's gentle on your cookware. Silicone heads glide across non-stick, ceramic and stainless steel without scratching, so your good pans stay good for longer.

It's built to last, not to be replaced. Our Silicone Kitchen Utensil Sets are reinforced with internal metal rods running through every piece, so they hold their shape and stay steady in your hand instead of going floppy after a few uses like lower grade silicone can.

It's easy to actually keep using. Dishwasher safe, simple to hand wash and comfortable to hold through a long cooking session, whether that's a quick Tuesday dinner or a full day of prepping for a crowd.

It's certified, not just claimed. All our Silicone Utensils are LFGB certified and BPA free, which means the silicone won't leach smells or tastes into your food. Nice to know when you're stirring a sauce that's been simmering for an hour.

Worth noting, silicone isn't biodegradable either. But because it's built to last years rather than months, you're simply buying and binning less of it over time. If you want to go a step further, we run a Silicone Take-Back Program so your old utensils don't have to end up in landfill at all.

Which Silicone Set Is Right for Your Kitchen?

We've got two ways to build out your silicone utensil drawer, depending on what you're after.

Just starting out or replacing the basics? The Silicone Utensil Set | 5 Piece covers the essentials, a round spatula, angled spatula, ladle, turner, and rice spoon, in Praline or Clove. It's the easiest way to swap out your most-used plastic tools in one go.

Want the full lineup? The new Silicone Kitchen Utensil Set | 7 Piece adds a narrow spatula and spaghetti spoon into the mix, so you've got a tool ready for everything from flipping pancakes to serving up a big bowl of pasta. It also comes as smaller Baking, Cooking, or Serving sets if you'd rather build your own combination, in four colourways: Sesame, Carob, Eucalyptus, or Ink.

Either way, you're covering the tasks that plastic was never really built for and doing it with tools that are actually designed to keep up.

Just Need to Swap One or Two Tools? You don't have to overhaul the whole drawer at once. If there's one plastic spatula you reach for every single day, that's the easiest place to start. Our Silicone Kitchen Utensils are all available on their own, so you can replace exactly what needs replacing rather than buying a whole set for the sake of it. 

The Bottom Line

Swapping plastic for silicone isn't about overhauling your whole kitchen overnight. It's a small, practical change that pays off every time you cook, better performance at the stove, less scratching on your cookware, and one less thing heading to landfill every few months.

Start with the drawer you reach into every day. That's usually where the biggest difference shows up first. Shop the Silicone Utensil Range →