# Spoon in your tea or coffee **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [December 22, 2014, 12:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spoon-in-your-tea-or-coffee/707862 "2014-12-22T00:05:07Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Fingers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/dc4da7/32.png) [@Fingers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fingers)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2014, 12:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spoon-in-your-tea-or-coffee/707862/1 "2014-12-22T00:05:07Z")
This has always intrigued me…unfortunately I don’t own a thermometer so I cant put it to the test… If I poured myself a hot drink and left a metal spoon in it would the effect of the metal as an heating element keep the drink hotter over a given period as opposed to taking it straight out?😕 ---
**Author:** ![JKilez](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e5b9ba/32.png) [@JKilez](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JKilez)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2014, 12:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spoon-in-your-tea-or-coffee/707862/2 "2014-12-22T00:08:55Z")
Leaving a metal spoon in the drink would cool it faster, as the spoon acts as a heatsink, transferring heat from the hot liquid to the cool air. ---
**Author:** ![samclem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a9a28c/32.png) [@samclem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/samclem)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2014, 12:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spoon-in-your-tea-or-coffee/707862/3 "2014-12-22T00:11:18Z")
How is the spoon a “heating element?” It isn’t. The drink would be hotter if you never had the spoon in it. Some of the heat dissipated with the removal of the spoon. ---
**Author:** ![beowulff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beowulff/32/542_2.png) [@beowulff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beowulff)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2014, 12:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spoon-in-your-tea-or-coffee/707862/4 "2014-12-22T00:47:45Z")
> [@JKilez](#): > > Leaving a metal spoon in the drink would cool it faster, as the spoon acts as a heatsink, transferring heat from the hot liquid to the cool air. Not only that, but the hot liquid cools down as it transfers some of it’s heat to the cold metal of the spoon (regardless of the spoon’s heat-dissapation characteristics). ---
**Author:** ![johnpost](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f17d59/32.png) [@johnpost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/johnpost)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2014, 1:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spoon-in-your-tea-or-coffee/707862/5 "2014-12-22T01:00:26Z")
the spoon would both extract heat from the liquid, but unlike a marble which would do the same, the handle exposed to the air would continue to pull heat from the liquid. this is a good method for cooling a too hot beverage. ---
**Author:** ![Senegoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senegoid/32/6606_2.png) [@Senegoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Senegoid)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2014, 6:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spoon-in-your-tea-or-coffee/707862/6 "2014-12-22T06:31:53Z")
This calls for the invention of an electric spoon. (IIRC there was an early MAD Comic book with a spoof of the original Tom Swift, in which he invents an automatic, self-acting electric ping-pong ball.) ---
**Author:** ![Fingers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/dc4da7/32.png) [@Fingers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fingers)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2014, 6:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spoon-in-your-tea-or-coffee/707862/7 "2014-12-22T18:13:26Z")
Thank you all…I can finally sleep at night! 🙂 To samclem…heating element was not the best choice of word was it…☹ ---
**Author:** ![TroutMan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/troutman/32/6721_2.png) [@TroutMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TroutMan)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2014, 8:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spoon-in-your-tea-or-coffee/707862/8 "2014-12-22T20:29:43Z")
> [@Senegoid](#): > > This calls for the invention of an electric spoon. [Here you go](http://www.amazon.com/Instant-Immersion-Heater-Portable-Beverage/dp/B000VK0DRY). (OK, not really a spoon).