Woman sparks debate over the purpose of the hole in a saucepan handle

A woman has sparked a debate on Reddit after suggesting the hole in a saucepan handle is the perfect place to store your spoon while cooking. However, others think it’s dangerous to balance a wooden spoon above an open flame

Despite using them almost every day, some people are only just learning why their saucepans have holes in their handles. There has been much online debate over whether the holes in a saucepan’s handle was intended for a greater purpose in the kitchen.

Some claim they’re only there so a person can hang their saucepan on a hook when it’s not in use, while others believe they were added to the design to make cooking easier. When sharing a “pro life tip” on Reddit, one woman said: “No where to put the wooden spoon? Put it in the part with the hole in the handle, so the spoon doesn’t go everywhere.”

In response, another user added: “The hole in a pot handle is for your spoon, not originally for hanging. The shape is designed to double as a utensil holder it is shaped with opposing scoops out to hold the utensil in place.”

However, not everybody is convinced by its secondary use, with one user saying it’s “poor engineering” because any liquid on the room would run down the handle.

One user said: “The hole is pretty obviously for hanging the pot. The secondary use is nice, but I have a really hard time believing it is anything other than an evolved incidental use.”

Another user added: “It definitely isn’t designed for that. It’s a secondary feature perhaps but not the primary reason for the hole.”

A third user said: “This seems to only work for a very specific spoon and pot combination.

“What if the spoons handle is too short, too thick? What if the pot doesn’t have such a hole in the first place?

“What if the angle is too steep and you can’t change it because the spoon’s handle is too thick?

“Maybe it’s just me but what would be the harm in just letting the spoon in the pot? Wood doesn’t transfer heat that well.”

One more user added: “What, you’d rather precariously balance a messy spoon over a hot surface than just rest it on a plate or bowl or pretty much anything else placed beside the stove?

“The picture included really makes me scared because that wooden spoon is going to do wonderful things when it falls down right beside the gas burner…”

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