Taking Care of Wooden Utensils

I have a lot of wooden utensils and use them daily. But I'm not big on hand washing each one, which is recommended after use, when using wooden kitchen utensils.  To make up for running them through the dishwasher, I oil them every once in a while. The key is Mineral Oil. It's food safe and won't go rancid, which is what will happen if you use cooking oil on your utensils or cutting boards. You can find mineral oil in the medical aisle of your grocery store, as it's also a laxative. Eeek. To apply, simply pour some on a paper towel and rub onto the utensil or cutting board.   Here are my cutting boards before:

and after, using mineral oil:

And utensils before and after mineral oil:

Mineral oil also works wonders with butcher block countertops.

Comments

[darci haney]

Thanks for the great tip!! I never thought of that, but my cutting boards and wooden utensils will so appreciate a good coat of mineral oil!

[Studio-Sara]

I've got some wooden utensils which will benefit from a little TLC -- I've just added mineral oil to my grocery list! Thanks, Serena, for such a good tip. Happy April!
Warmly,
Sara

[Helen Davalos]

I will try the oil on my butcher block table. Thanks for the great tip!

[Maureen]

Thank you so much for this information! I have always wondered whether to oil my wooden utensils, but worried about using cooking oil. Now I know! Off to get some mineral oil today. Thanks!

[Serena]

Catherine,
Thanks so much for your tip. I plan on looking into the mineral oil and walnut oil. I definitely don't want any petroleum! Hugs, Serena

[catherine]

Hi Seerena, I like the fresh, new look to your blog. I loved the poster design blog information, and the theme. I love everything visually with mountains and wildlife. Could I make a suggestion without sounding goofy- mineral oil is made from petroleum, very hard to get out of your system-try walnut oil, it wont go rancid, and you can mix bees wax in it for the wooden benches, melted of course. I hope your health is good. I love your photos also.