I’ll be the first to admit I haven’t taken good care of my wooden utensils since I decided to purge my kitchen of Teflon and most plastics and synthetics. I’ve been gifted handmade cutting boards and wooden utensils but didn’t realize the significant impact using a wood conditioner on them would have. Read on for the recipe for a natural and safe wood conditioner to keep your wooden kitchen tools lasting a lifetime.
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Food Safe Mineral Oil
Apparently it exists and is “safe” but I’ve read conflicting articles on food safe mineral oil which is why I haven’t been too keen on conditioning my wooden pieces anyway.
And then I saw it on Instagram:
A woman I follow was conditioning her cutting board with a recipe I could get down with:
beeswax and coconut oil
The latter stays in the pantry and I knew where I could get the former– an apiary just down the road from me sells beeswax in bars for $5.
Since this recipe only calls for 1 tablespoon of beeswax and makes an amount that will last me a while, I figure it’s a good deal.
Real Food Safe Ingredients
The beeswax is pretty dang natural and organic-ish. I mean I can’t say with 100% certainty. However, I’m comfortable enough with this apiary and how they run to say this wax is safe to use for food purposes and coming soon, Johnson Home skin and body care.
I purchase organic as much as possible and coconut oil that is organic can be found in most grocery stores now.
Of course, coconut oil is food safe too.
How to make natural wood conditioner for your wooden utensils and cutting boards
1 tbsp beeswax
3 tbsp organic coconut oil
Grate or shave the beeswax if it comes in a bar. Add beeswax and coconut oil to a double broiler. Additionally, if needed, add a glass bowl that fits well into a sauce pot with water that will create steam. Use only an inch of water and make sure the water does not touch the glass bowl or it could get too hot.
Allow the oil and beeswax to melt. Stir the two together well. In a sterilized jelly jar, pour the conditioner into the jar and allow it to cool down and solidify.
Once the conditioner is solid, you can now use an old, clean rag to rub on the wood conditioner to your wooden utensils and cutting boards.
Caveat: I did not think to look up how to DIY a double broiler before I started with this recipe so I melted oil and wax real low and slow in a pot. The clean up is not fun so a double broiler or a homemade one with a glass bowl is better.
Bonus: use a wooden spoon to stir your oil and this one will have a head start on conditioning.
Prepping wooden utensils before conditioning
It is wise to prep your wooden utensils before using this wood balm to condition them.
Prep the wooden utensils by boiling a pot of water and put the stirring end in the water for 5 minutes. This will boil off any food particles or potential bacteria in the wood grooves.
Then allow the utensils to dry completely. At least 24 hours.
Below you will read to never let your wood utensils soak in water. This is true for instance like leaving a wooden spoon in a pot of water soaking in the sink until you are ready to wash it. No to that and no to washing in a dishwasher.
It’s a best practice to wash the wooden utensil as soon as you are done using it.
To prepare a wooden cutting board will be different. So far, I have found to wash it with soap and a scrub brush under extremely hot water and allow it to fully dry before conditioning with the wood balm.
The First Conditioning
I found with my first time conditioning my wooden kitchen tools that each needed a little more than I thought they’d need.
The wood was in such need of conditioning that it soaked up the conditioner fast. Essentially, I did two applications.
It is likely that now that my wood items are conditioned, they will not require as much conditioner for the next time.
How often should I condition my wooden utensils and cutting boards to maintain them?
It is recommended to oil or condition your wooden utensils and cutting boards about once a month. Or when you see that they appear dry and not shiny any longer.
Why wooden utensils are great in the kitchen
Wood kitchen items like spoons, spatulas, and cutting boards are so versatile in the kitchen!
They are great because they do not hold heat like metal spoons. They also do not react with acidic foods like tomato sauce.
Wooden utensils and kitchen things are still great because they are made of a natural material; not a chemically created material.
Wood utensils are perfect for use on non-stick (though ALL Teflon things gotta go! They are very toxic and one little scratch, that is easy to do on Teflon, can leach chemicals into your food!), stainless steel, cast iron, and even glass.
When purchasing wooden utensils or kitchen items, be sure you know if they were stained or how they were treated. If you cannot get these answers, consider a small business artisan who DOES know. See further down for a fantastic suggestion of such an artisan.
Why not soak your wooden utensils in water?
You should never let wood utensils soak in water nor put them in the dishwasher.
I AM LEARNING TOO! I’ve made these mistakes many times.
This will cause the wood to soak up water and then crack as it expands (as seen in these images. I declare to buy new handmade wood utensils and take better care of them!). Those cracks can potentially harbor bacteria.
If this has happened to your wooden kitchen things, consider disposing of these items and buying new ones now that you know how to properly take care of and maintain them.
SHOP FOR WOOD UTENSILS
Ditch the synthetic, chemical-leaching kitchen utensils like the black plastic and silicones for:
Small business, handmade: RiverWoodTradingCo– finished off with THIS WOOD CONDITIONER (not the actual one but same ingredients: beeswax and coconut oil!)
Acacia wood set– read carefully to see what it may be stained or coated with!
Teak wood set– same as above.
Follow along for more
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If you try this wood conditioner recipe on your wooden kitchen items, come back and leave a comment or share a before and after picture on Instagram or Pinterest so I can see it!
If you like NATURAL care recipes, check out these:
Wood Utensils Oil
Ingredients
Equipment
Method
- Grate or shave the bee’s wax if it comes in a bar.
- Add bee’s wax and coconut oil to a double broiler or if needed, add a glass bowl that fits well into a sauce pot with water to create steam. Use only an inch of water and make sure the water does not touch the glass bowl or it could get too hot.
- Allow the oil and bee’s wax to melt. Stir the two together well.
- In a sterilized jelly jar, pour the conditioner into the jar and allow it to cool down and solidify.
- Once the conditioner is solid, you can now use an old, clean rag to rub on the wood conditioner to your wooden utensils and cutting board.
