Care and Feeding of Your Wooden Kitchenware

I make my spoons with a focus on durability and strength. They should last a long time. Like a give-them-to-your-grandkids-when-they-get-their-own-apartment-on-Mars long time. So these wooden utensils can survive a trip around the dishwasher. But you know that fuzzy, thirsty, dried-out look that old wood spoons sometimes get? Yours will get that look much sooner the more you clean it in the dishwasher. So keep it looking good and give your sponge a workout.

Heck yes. It's a once a year task that keeps all your wooden utensils looking their best. Some people do it every six months, and those are wooden spoon rockstars. But once every year is fine.

You can use many types of oils: butcher block oil from a kitchen supply store, mineral oil from a drugstore, or flaxseed or walnut oil (both from the grocery store) all work well. I've heard of people using jojoba oil and hempseed oil as well but I haven't tried those myself. Stay away from oils that can go rancid like olive oil, vegetable oils, or sesame oil. Using these oils is the fastest way to make your spoon smell like death. And yes, the food you cook with it will also smell gross.

To apply, clean your spoons then wipe on a decent amount of oil with a clean cloth or sturdy paper towel. Let the oil sit on the spoons for 20 minutes, then wipe the oil off with new clean cloth or paper towel. Let the spoon dry for a day or longer if you can.