Care and Maintenance of Kitchen Wooden Utensils

Wooden utensils were one of the earliest recorded kind of utensils to be used by mankind. This is because they were simple to curve, practical and cheap to make due to readily available materials. Today, a few companies still produce them as compared to other materials that evolved like plastics, ceramics and metals. Most people are afraid of buying quality kitchen wooden utensils because of the unsureness of how to take care of them. The shine and smoothness often wear out with time if they are not properly maintained. The following are some tips that will help keep your wooden utensils looking good as new.

• Wash them by hand:Wooden utensils should never be thrown in the dishwasher. Dishwashers have harsh cleaning detergents and high temperatures that can cause disaster to your wooden utensils. This harsh washing often leads to chips, splitting in your wood as well as soaking up water and the smells. No one wants this on their beautiful utensils. The best thing is to wash them with warm water and mild dish soap.

• Prop your wooden utensils up to dry:Wet kitchen wooden utensils are in the risk of expanding and contracting. This brings a need for propping them out to dry which allows sufficient airflow around them. Also, keeping wet utensils can easily lead to growth of bacteria that is hazardous to health.
• Oil your wooden utensils:Washing your wooden utensils regularly can make them lose their smooth shiny finish. However, most people do not mind how their utensils look like. For those who like keeping their utensils in perfect shape, oiling them is a tip that you should adopt. A food grade mineral oil helps maintain good condition of your wooden utensils as well as preventing dryness that could lead to splintering over time.

• Regular sanitization: Kitchen wooden utensils are at a risk of harboring bacteria when used to hold, toss or stir some food products like raw meat, dairy or egg products. This makes regular sanitization important. It’s done by use of hydrogen peroxide that effectively kills any bacteria on the utensils.

Always clean your wooden utensils and your bamboo dinner ware as soon as you are done with them and dry them with a non-fraying towel.

With the above tips, you probably now know more than you ever thought about care and maintenance of your wooden utensils.