Wood for kitchen utensils

[Beej]

Here's an excerpt from my wood specs table for woods I use in building. Right now it's in order of janka hardness from softest to hardest. Hardness is likely the most important measure for utensils. Well, that and poisonousness.

 

[Bonkersville]

In these parts of the world (Finland) birch is propably the most commonly used. I've made birch spatulas which I've bent to shape after boiling them in a kettle for a while. Fancier ones are made of masur birch or birch burl. The latter two are popular for making a kuksa, which is a traditional wooden mug of sorts.

Juniper is also used a lot, especially by craftspeople selling prettier items on fairs and such. And no, we don't get that many nicely figured local timbers here.

But any relatively hard and not poisonous wood should be good. I have used cooking oil. But it doesn't last for long and doesn't really need to. I have also baked them in the oven for a while for colour and maybe added stability. No proof, science or folklore to back the last part up though.

 

[Topkat13]

Just make sure you pick something that really cuts through.

 

[rickwrench]

wood-database.com has extensive info on most species.
Here is the section on wood safety, ranging from simple dust irritants (nearly all) to sensitizers (cocobolo) to outright toxicity (yew, etc.):

Wood Allergies and Toxicity | The Wood Database

www.wood-database.com

I've made kitchen utensils/tools/serveware out of maple, sycamore, pistachio, manzanita, and a few cheese trays out of walnut.
Most get finished either in Howards Wax-It-All food grade wax or butcher block oil.

Also: copper, tin, steel, aluminum.

 

[Flying B]

Beech round here.

 

[T_Bone_TL]

Any natural vegetable, seed, or animal based oil (walnut oil being an example) will eventually go rancid. Some will go faster than others, but they will all turn on you eventually. Food grade mineral oil is what you want.

This is not the case for Walnut oil, as it polymerizes in air (hardens.) It's true of most cooking/salad oils, but false in that specific case. Both "from the literature" and going on 40+ years of practical experience with items I still have that I finished with it. A former housemate used Wesson (probably soy or canola oil) on wooden salad bowls, and those were definitely rancid...

 

[Sharko]

What’s the best tonewood for spoons?

 

[Don Kasper]

spatulae

I doff my proverbial cap to you, Sir.
Well done!

 

[Rôckhewer]

Basswood is too soft

Yeah it is... but this one time at the shutter factory?...
I forgot a spoon for my yogurt.
Only took a couple minutes to carve.
But then ...
I washed the thing.... and used it a couple more times on forgetful days.

... I'll see myself out.

 

[Flying B]

This is not the case for Walnut oil, as it polymerizes in air (hardens.) It's true of most cooking/salad oils, but false in that specific case. Both "from the literature" and going on 40+ years of practical experience with items I still have that I finished with it. A former housemate used Wesson (probably soy or canola oil) on wooden salad bowls, and those were definitely rancid...

Agreed, i used to use it on turned bowls for years with no adverse effects.

 

[Flamingo21]

Thanks, all of you, for this wealth of information!

 

[Bent77]

So when is this turning into a build thread?

 

[Matt Liebenau]

So when is this turning into a build thread?

I mean, yeah. OP teased us. I think this fits into non-bass builds. The rules just say it has to make sound, so make two spoons…

 

[Flamingo21]

Thanks for the suggestions. I was planning to contribute a bass to the buildoff, but....

 

[T_Bone_TL]

Hmm. Bass spoons would be those comically oversized salad spoons more often seen hanging on the wall than ever being used for making/serving a salad? Perhaps a bass marimba made of of spatulae? Have your instrument and cook with it too? "The band was really cooking! After they got done cooking they washed up, reassembled the instruments and started playing music, too!"