ITEM SEVENTEEN: The Bamboo Spoon. For the moment, I have sidestepped the whole issue of a wooden spoon. A good, seasoned wooden spoon for sauces is elemental for a chef, passed down through generations in some families, the wood type debated, the shape argued over, but I am not a chef, I am a food photographer, I’m not looking for tools that make food taste good, I’m looking for tools that make food look good. So today I found three new large bamboo spoons for $2.99. My favorite is this haphazardly asymmetrical one with a slight concave. I have to say, it looks pretty good with the rice and sesame seeds in the backyard of the Albuquerque studio.