Wooden spoon care & oiling

What it is

A wooden spoon left to soak in the sink is being slowly destroyed, while one wiped, dried, and occasionally oiled can last for decades. Water, not use, is what kills wooden utensils, and understanding that reverses most of what people do to them.

Wooden spoon care and oiling is the practice of cleaning, drying, and periodically treating wooden kitchen utensils with food-safe oil to keep them from drying out, cracking, and harbouring bacteria. Wood is porous, so it absorbs water and swells, then shrinks and cracks as it dries unevenly. A regular coat of oil fills those pores, repels water, and keeps the wood supple and smooth.

The method is simple and quick. You wash spoons by hand rather than in a dishwasher, whose heat and prolonged soaking warp and crack wood, then dry them upright so water does not pool. Every few weeks, or when the wood looks dull and pale, you rub in a food-safe oil like fractionated coconut oil or food-grade mineral oil, let it soak in, and wipe off the excess. Most people start once a spoon begins to look grey and rough, which is the wood telling you it is thirsty. The honest note is that you must use a food-safe drying or inert oil, not ordinary cooking oils like olive or vegetable, which go rancid and turn sticky over time. A small bottle of mineral oil costs a few euro and treats utensils for years.