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Wooden skewers vs metal skewers

Updated: October 2026

You are planning kebabs for a UK barbecue and choosing between a large bamboo pack and reusable steel. Wooden skewers vs metal skewers comes down to how many portions you need, how often you cook, and whether you mind soaking or hand-washing. Bamboo suits a crowd or a one-off buffet. Flat stainless suits regular grilling because it needs no soak and helps stop food rotating. The [wooden skewers comparison](/hub/diy-supplies/wooden-skewers) covers the bamboo packs. Wood can char, and metal can get too hot to hold. Peter F. set the 15 October 2026 listings beside UK retailer pages. There was no laboratory cook. A qualifying purchase can earn a commission at no extra cost to you.

You are planning kebabs for a UK barbecue and choosing between a large bamboo pack and reusable steel.

Our top picks

Chef Aid Chef Aid 30.5 cm bamboo skewers

Best overall

Chef Aid Chef Aid 30.5 cm bamboo skewers
9.1/10about £3.10
View offer
G4GADGET G4GADGET 30 cm bamboo skewers

Alternative

G4GADGET G4GADGET 30 cm bamboo skewers
8.6/10about £3.99
View offer
ANECO ANECO 25 cm bamboo skewers

Preis-Tipp

ANECO ANECO 25 cm bamboo skewers
8.7/10about £2.40
View offer
On this page
  1. 1.Two different tools
  2. 2.Soak and char, or no soak and a hot handle
  3. 3.What you pay for a pack versus a six-pack
  4. 4.When to stop buying disposable sticks

Two different tools

Bamboo and metal can hold the same pepper, onion and meat, and they solve different jobs. Packs of 100 to 150 long bamboo skewers in this set cost about £2.40 to £3.99, which suits dozens of kebabs you serve on the stick and clear away. Borough Kitchen lists six flat stainless skewers at about 29.8 cm for £5.50. Six can cover a household barbecue in batches. They cannot replace 100 bamboo sticks at a party, and the set is hand-wash only. A flat shaft resists rotation. A short bamboo paddle is not a 30 cm grill skewer. If length is still open, use the wooden skewers buying guide.

Soak and char, or no soak and a hot handle

BBC Good Food advises soaking wooden skewers in cold water for at least 30 minutes to reduce burning, not to sanitise them. The steps are in the guide to using wooden skewers. Ends can still darken over fierce heat. Pasta Kitchen describes its flat stainless range as needing no soak. Borough Kitchen says the flat design stops food rotating, and Kitchen Craft uses a flat-sided 20 cm six-pack for the same reason. Steel carries heat to the handle, so treat the whole skewer as hot. Bamboo does not conduct heat the same way, and a dry end can still burn. Food safety stays on wooden skewers for the barbecue.
Chef Aid Chef Aid 30.5 cm bamboo skewers

Testsieger

Chef Aid Chef Aid 30.5 cm bamboo skewers
9.1/10about £3.10
View offer

What you pay for a pack versus a six-pack

A £2.40 pack of 100 long bamboo skewers covers a gathering plus spares. £5.50 buys six reusable flat stainless skewers from Borough Kitchen. Neither is better value until you know how often you grill and how many portions must be ready together. Kitchen Craft lists six 20 cm flat stainless skewers at £2.59, not dishwasher safe. At 20 cm they are closer to an 18 cm bamboo stick than to a 30 cm kebab skewer. Short bamboo paddles here cost roughly £3.75 to £5.74, and a 200-pack of 18 cm Oavie sticks was £6.99. Six metal skewers still cannot hold 40 portions at once.

When to stop buying disposable sticks

Switch to flat stainless when kebabs are a regular meal, you can skip the soak, and six or twelve skewers cover a normal batch. A 20 cm Kitchen Craft skewer and a 29.8 cm Borough Kitchen skewer do not take the same space. A flat profile helps when chunks rotate. Stay with bamboo for dozens of sticks at once, bite-sized party food, or an occasional cook. A 12 cm paddle for sliders is a different utensil from a long metal skewer. If wood will sit over direct heat, allow the 30-minute soak. Neither material name is a food-safety certificate. Read the seller’s food-contact and care lines.

Common questions

Do flat stainless skewers need a soak?
No. Soaking is used to slow scorching in wooden or bamboo skewers. Stainless steel does not burn in that way. UK retailer Pasta Kitchen describes its flat stainless skewers as needing no soak. Metal saves that preparation time, and it becomes hot during cooking, so skipping the soak brings a different handling precaution.
Why do metal skewers get hot when bamboo ends char?
Steel conducts heat along the skewer, including towards the handle or ring. Bamboo is a poor conductor, and it is combustible. A metal skewer can be painfully hot without looking damaged, while an exposed bamboo tip can blacken. Use heat-resistant protection for steel, and soak wood before you cook over direct heat.
When is a disposable bamboo pack the sensible buy?
Bamboo is the sensible buy when you need many skewers at the same time, particularly for a party, buffet or one-off barbecue. The long packs reviewed here offered roughly 100 to 150 sticks for about £2.40 to £3.99. A reusable six-pack may last longer. It cannot hold dozens of portions at once.
Does a flat metal skewer stop food spinning?
A flat shaft gives the food more resistance than a narrow round shaft, so pieces are less prone to rotate when you turn the skewer. Borough Kitchen makes this claim for its 29.8 cm flat set, and Kitchen Craft uses a similar flat-sided design at 20 cm. Very soft or loosely threaded food can still move. Shape improves control. It does not guarantee it.
Is stainless steel a food-safety certificate?
No. Stainless steel describes a family of materials. The phrase alone is not a certificate of composition, manufacture or suitability for food contact. Buy from a seller that states food use and care, and follow those instructions. The same caution applies to an unsupported safety claim on a bamboo pack.
Can you still need bamboo paddles if you own metal skewers?
Yes. A short bamboo paddle suits canapés, sliders and small buffet portions that guests take one at a time. A 20–30 cm metal skewer is for cooking a row of food over a grill and then washing the set. The two formats overlap less than a simple wood-versus-metal choice suggests.

Related pages

Best wooden skewers

Wooden skewers

Wooden skewers buying guide: length, shape and count

Wooden skewers for BBQ: 75°C through the thickest part

How to use wooden skewers: soak, thread, then turn

Sources

Public UK sources from the research digest. Listings were read on 15 October 2026.

  1. Regulation (EC) No 1935/2004 (assimilated) (retrieved 15 October 2026)
  2. FSA notice on plastic utensils containing bamboo (retrieved 15 October 2026)
  3. BBQ food safety (retrieved 15 October 2026)
  4. Cooking your food (retrieved 15 October 2026)
  5. Food Standards Scotland, barbecue food safety (retrieved 15 October 2026)
  6. BBC Good Food, perfect BBQ tips (retrieved 15 October 2026)
  7. Single-use plastics bans (retrieved 15 October 2026)
  8. Scobies Direct skewers (retrieved 15 October 2026)