We all have a few kitchen tools that we use every single day. One set of items that I wouldn’t want to go without are my wooden spoons. They are aesthetically pleasing, durable, and quite useful. I always reach for the same wooden spoon when I feed my sourdough starter, mix up homemade pancakes, or scoop out the dough for sourdough drop biscuits.
My husband and I received a few hand-made wooden utensils as a wedding gift, so I would love to pass them down to my children one day! Proper care for these tools will allow me to utilize them now and make sure they last for multiple generations to come.
Wooden utensils need proper care. One step in that care is lathering them in spoon butter once or twice per year. This sounds complicated, but the butter is super easy to make! Learn how to make your own wooden spoon butter in this post. Make a large batch that will last months! You’ll find the needed supplies and step-by-step instructions for how to make this spoon butter. As well as how to apply it to your wooden utensils. A list of even more DIY cleaning recipes is at the very end of this post!
Why Butter Your Wooden Spoons?
Properly caring for your wooden utensils and cutting boards can allow them to last for generations! One part of caring for them well is lathering them in spoon butter once or twice per year. Spoon butter acts as a moisturizer for the wood that prevents them from cracking and splitting.
How to Make Wooden Spoon Butter
Most wooden spoon butters contain mineral oil, but I’m not a fan of that stuff, so this recipe is mineral oil free!
What You’ll Need
- 3 TBS of beeswax pellets
- 8 TBS of unrefined coconut oil
- Wooden spoons
- Jar and lid (for storing)
Instructions:
- Fill a small saucepan about 1/3 of the way with water. Place on a burner at medium-low heat.
- Set a small jar inside the saucepan.
- Fill the jar with the beeswax pellets and coconut oil. Stir occasionally until the mixture is melted.
- Remove the jar from the saucepan (it will be hot!) and allow the mixture to cool completely.
- Once the mixture is cool and resembles butter, apply a generous layer of butter to your spoons, cutting boards, and other wooden tools.
- Let the wooden kitchen items sit for several hours or overnight so that the butter has plenty of time to soak in.
- Clean the excess butter off of the spoons and dry well.
- Repeat the process whenever your wooden kitchen items appear dull and dry.
Other Ways to Care for Wooden Utensils and Cutting Boards
- Wash by hand. No dishwashers!
- Avoid soaking them in water for long periods of time. The more they soak the more likely they are to split or crack.
- Allow them to air dry before putting away. We want to avoid as much water sitting on them as possible.
More DIY Recipes
- Homemade Toilet Bowl Cleaner
- Stain Remover for Carpets
- DIY Non-Toxic Dusting Spray
- All Natural Linen Spray
- DIY All Purpose House Cleaner