How to season wooden spoons

Member

By Amy Shannon
User-Submitted Article

Article Rating:

(6 Ratings)

Unless you’re prepared to shell out some dough, most of the wooden spoons you can buy will be made of soft wood with a rough grain. You can improve the quality and lengthen the life of cheap wooden cookware by sanding and seasoning it. Even quality spoons made of hardwood should be seasoned to prevent absorption of food flavors and drying or cracking.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

wooden cookware
150-grit sandpaper or sanding block
320-grit sandpaper or block
mineral oil
tack cloth (optional)

Step 1

Sand with 150-grit sandpaper, then with 320-grit. A sanding block may be easier to use given the curved surfaces of spoons and most wooden cookware.
Step 2

Rinse in water to raise the grain. When mostly dry, sand again with the 320-grit paper. Wipe cookware clean with tack cloth or a slightly damp towel.
Step 3

Rub mineral oil into the cookware. Mineral oil will not turn rancid, as vegetable oils might. Heat in the oven at 150 degrees for twenty to thirty minutes.
Step 4

Coat again with mineral oil and let sit overnight. For a still finer finish, first sand one more time with 320-grit sandpaper.

Tips & Warnings

When new, wooden cookware should be seasoned frequently between uses. As it becomes well-seasoned, less frequent seasoning is necessary, until once a year becomes sufficient.
Wash wooden cookware in hot soapy water. If you have used with raw meat or eggs, add a little bleach.
Food-quality mineral oil can be purchased at any pharmacy or the health care aisle of the grocery store, where it is sold as a laxative.
Washing wooden cookware in the dishwasher will shorten its lifespan and can lead to cracking, but if you haven’t spent much money on it to start with, then the convenience may outweigh long-term preservation of the spoon.
Some experts don't advise using soap to wash wooden cookware and instead recommend rinsing in boiling water.