The Best Wooden Spoons and Cooking Utensils
A wooden spoon is the oldest cooking tool still in daily use. It does not scratch cast iron or enameled cookware. It does not conduct heat to your hand. It does not melt if left in a pot. The right wooden spoon, oiled occasionally and never put in a dishwasher, lasts a lifetime.
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How to Choose
Hardwood is the only choice. Beech, olive, maple, and cherry are all excellent. Avoid softwoods like pine and bamboo utensils that splinter. One-piece construction with no glue joints is best. The handle should be long enough to stir a deep pot without your hand getting close to the steam. Look for a comfortable grip and a smooth finish with no rough spots.
OXO Wooden Spoon Set (3-Piece)
If you only buy one, make it this one. Read the full guide below for alternatives at every price point.
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Six things that separate the good from the rest.
Beech, olive, maple, and cherry are the kitchen standards. All are food-safe hardwoods that resist cracking and absorb minimal moisture.
A spoon carved from a single piece of wood has no glue joints to fail. Laminated or glued handles will eventually separate.
Long handles keep your hand away from steam and splatter. 12 inches is the minimum for a full-size cooking spoon.
A light mineral oil finish is all a wooden spoon needs. Avoid polyurethane or lacquer coatings that will chip into food.
Round spoons stir. Flat-edged spoons scrape. You need both. A corner spoon that fits into the angle of a pot is worth its weight in gold.
Hand wash only. Never put wood in a dishwasher. Dry immediately. Oil occasionally with mineral oil. A wooden spoon maintained this way lasts 20 years.
The Picks
OXO Wooden Spoon Set (3-Piece)
Beechwood, solid one-piece construction, comfortable handles. A large spoon, a slotted spoon, and a corner spoon that scrapes the edges of a pan. This set handles 95% of stovetop cooking.
The set that covers everything. Beechwood is the workhorse of kitchen hardwoods.
Find on Amazon arrow_forwardBerard Olive Wood Cooking Spoon
Hand-carved from French olive wood. Each spoon has unique grain patterns. Olive wood is naturally antimicrobial, dense, and gets more beautiful with use. These are the spoons that end up in kitchen photographs.
The spoon that becomes a kitchen heirloom. Olive wood ages like leather.
Find on Amazon arrow_forwardOXO Wooden Corner Spoon
Flat-edged to scrape the corners and edges of a pan or pot. This is the spoon that gets the fond off the bottom of a dutch oven. Every kitchen needs one flat-edged utensil.
The spoon for deglazing and scraping. The flat edge is the difference.
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