I’m planing to make some small wooden spoons for stiring coffe in small, (12 oz) French press coffee makers, (metal spoons are a no-no – cracked glass).
I have some bird’s eye maple that I thought to use. Will that be OK? What wood would you suggest? Should I finish the spoons somehow, or leave them natural?
Replies
I would use the maple and finish it with mineral oil. Just lay it on heavy, wipe off and let dry. You can repeat if it makes you feel better, but I have no evidence that more is better.
Some suggest walnut oil, but I have never tried it.
I've made many spoons tok use for cooking. After a while they get stained, but by then I really don't care how they look.
I think most store-bought wooden utensils are beech. But I don't know why maple wouldn't work as well. Shellac would also be a good finish.
I was talking with a gent this summer whose wife makes really beautiful utensils. Her wood of choice? Common Lilac. Yup. Beautiful wood, it turns out, particularly the heart wood. We bought one of her spreaders. Note: Lilac holds an edge!
Grape Seed, Walnut, and plain old mineral oil were/are her choices of finish.
North,
Maple is a fine choice. So are your fruitwoods, like cherry, apple, plum, pear. Stay away from walnut.
Lee
Mapleman,
I have a walnut spoon that I made over 25 yrs ago. No problems yet. Why don't you like walnut spoons?
Ray
Well, it's not so much that I don't like walnut, it's just that I have seen plants die when walnut shavings were placed even close to them, and have read about and heard of animals getting sick after ingesting walnut shavings (horses mainly).
So I just assumed that it probably wasn't a good idea to use it for food contact. Maybe I am wrong. If you haven't had a problem in 25 years, I would say maybe it's safe. Just be sure not to use it for mulch or horse bedding.
Lee
maple,
Right you are, re the mulch and bedding. Wouldn't put wilted cherry leaves into a tossed salad, either. Wait, my bed is walnut. Is that why my feet are so sore???
I once used a wooden spoon in a blender to push the last couple ice cubes down into the blades. Ended up with a pitcher of beechy margaritas.
BTW, our rolling pin is walnut too, I made it in 1971. Shortening from the piecrusts and biscuit dough keeps it looking nice.
Ray
"I once used a wooden spoon in a blender to push the last couple ice cubes down into the blades. Ended up with a pitcher of beechy margaritas."That's one way to add fiber to your diet...
I use maple, birch, cherry, walnut and jatoba. I finish them with mineral oil and then some melted beeswax and buff it out. I even just made a couple out of mulberry, beautiful wood.
Paul
In my opinion, the guru of wooden spoons is Wille Sundqvist. In his book, "Swedish Carving Techniques" (Taunton Press, apparently now out of print), he recommends
"Wood for spoons and ladles should be strong and hard, fairly dense and close-grained. Birch, maple, hornbeam, beech, sorb, mountain ash, bird cherry, dogwood and hawthorn are excellent woods. Most fruitwood, such as apple, pear, plum, and cherry is also fine. ... Many small spoons can be made from the dense and tough wood found in many shrubs, such as lilac, laurel, rhododendron, and Russian olive."
If you live near an orchard, they will have plenty of wood piled up from pruning ready to be burned.
Edited 2/22/2007 2:37 pm ET by byhammerandhand
My wife loves the bamboo spoons I gave her and they really outlast the maple and beech ones.
Work Safe, Count to 10 when your done for the day !!
Bruce S.
Use beech. It's practically indestructable. I know this because when one of us kids acted up Mom would threaten to go get (insert Voice of Doom here) The Wooden Spoon (eek). It was a really big one made from Beech that crossed our hindquarters numerous times and never once threatened to break (DANG!).
If you build it he will come.
You should have taken a fine saw and cut part-way through the handle on one of th decorative rings, disguising the cut with flour or scone dough. (I thought every one did that?)
dave
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