Wooden utensils have centuries-old history. Before spoons and dishes began to be made of metal and plastic, our ancestors carved kitchen utensils from blocks of fruit and forest trees: linden, birch, oak, cherry, plum, juniper.
Modern people, tired of “artificial life,” began to return to the traditions and customs of the Russian people. Crockery and kitchen utensils from natural materials is gaining popularity, because holding a warm, “living” tree in your hands is much more pleasant than cold metal.
For such dishes to last long life, it needs to be processed. This is especially true for carved spoons, which are used more often than other products. And here it is important to know how to treat a wooden spoon for food so that it remains intact and your health does not suffer.
In our article we will talk about recipes for treating wooden spoons with hot oil and how to prepare mastic for waxing.
How to choose the right oil for processing and impregnation
There is no single correct answer to the question of what to soak a wooden spoon with. Different craftsmen, through trial and error, develop individual recipes and recommend this or that oil. The main rule is that the oil must be edible.
Benefits of oiling kitchen utensils:
- Edible oil does not cause any harm to the body;
- It has good waterproofing properties, covering even the most microscopic cracks in wood;
- Does appearance products more attractive.
The most simple option can become refined sunflower oil, which is sold in any grocery store. If you are a beginner and just trying your hand at this, this option will be optimal. One of the most popular oils for processing wooden spoons is linseed. Even in the old days, all wooden utensils were impregnated with it. It is better to buy bleached flax oil, which is sold in art stores.
When the question arises of how to coat a wooden spoon so that it acquires a beautiful shade, experts recommend sea buckthorn or pumpkin. But in general, any edible oil is suitable for impregnating a wooden spoon: olive, hemp, sesame, coconut, walnut and others.
What to coat and how to oil a wooden spoon for eating
Impregnation - there are two main ways(this process is often called how to paint a wooden spoon, although it is not actually painted):
- Using only oil
- Using a composition of oil and beeswax (mastic)
In the first method, it is soaked in a bowl of oil and left to warm up in a water bath. It is better to keep the temperature within 80 degrees Celsius without letting the oil boil. Turn the product over periodically so that there are no “dry” places left and oiling proceeds evenly. The first signs that the process has begun are air bubbles appearing on the surface of the wood. As soon as the air stops escaping, you can turn off the heat and let it cool naturally.
Take out the spoon and wrap it several times in a paper towel. When excess oil remains on the napkin, dry the product in the sun for 3-4 days. After this you can safely use it. If necessary, the procedure repeat several times. Flaxseed oil is an excellent antiseptic. Wood impregnated with it will no longer crack or become covered with mold or mildew.
Some craftsmen, in order to give the tree a pleasant smell, make tinctures from oil and medicinal herbs and roots. Such plants can be mint, dandelion, burdock, cinquefoil or elecampane roots. The plant is crushed, poured into glassware, pour in oil and leave for about two weeks, shaking daily. Then filter and store in a cool, dark place. Tannins, which are contained in plant roots, give the oil increased protective properties, What wooden surfaces only for the benefit.
In the second method, melted water is added to the butter. beeswax. Depending on the initial proportions, the result is either soft or hard mastic. It is better to treat soft woods with hard mastic, and hard woods with softer ones.
What varnish is used to coat wooden spoons?
If you plan to constantly use a wooden spoon for its intended purpose, then it is better to refrain from coating it with varnish. Over time, even the most expensive and high-quality varnish can crack due to temperature changes, and moisture entering the wood leads to its rotting. Oil treatment is considered the perfect way preserve and protect wooden utensils from environmental influences.
Already for a long time wooden products are very popular in all spheres of human activity. Cooking is no exception. All kinds cutting boards, trays, plates made of hard wood are valued for their environmental friendliness, practicality and, of course, beauty. IN modern world The trend of buying kitchen utensils from natural materials is gaining momentum. If you decide to purchasewooden dishes for home or restaurant, you need to know the basic rules for processing such items.
How to remove odor from a wooden cutting board
It's no secret that wood can absorb the odors of foods, such as onions, fish or spices. A few simple tricks will help you eliminate them:
- Wipe wooden product a slice of lemon or a gauze cloth soaked in lemon juice.
- Sprinkle the dishes with coarse salt, leaving them in this state for a while. The salt will absorb all the unpleasant odors, after which it can be removed with a damp kitchen towel.
- Spray a cutting board or plate with vinegar, then rinse with water and wipe dry.
Antimicrobial treatment of wood boards
In our store you canbuy a solid oak cutting board, wooden salad bowls and trays, plates and breakfast tables that can decorate any kitchen. However, in any case, these dishes will not go unnoticed by pathogenic microorganisms. Although they live on surfaces only until the product is completely dry, it is still necessary to carry out preventive measures to combat “pests”.
The following methods can be used:
- Warm surface treatment of the product ethyl alcohol or vodka.
- Rubbing wooden utensils infusion of cloves.
- Rubbing an object with baking soda.
- Treating boards, trays and plates with lemon juice.
After following one or more recommendations, the dishes should be rinsed with running water and wiped with a dry towel.
It is also common for wood to darken over time. To prevent this, oak cutting boards and wooden trays should be periodically rinsed with a decoction of onion peel, adding to it lemon juice. To get rid of berry stains, simply wipe a bowl or salad bowl with hydrogen peroxide. It will also help return the product to its original color.
Do you want to use environmentally friendly wooden utensils in the kitchen that do not emit harmful substances, but are you worried about the difficulty of caring for them? Don't worry! It is enough to follow a few simple rules, and your purchase will delight you with its beauty for a long time.
Making wooden spoons is a simple and fascinating process that allows you to get in touch with the centuries-old traditions of decorative and applied arts. To create such products you will need a minimum of tools and materials. Making spoons with your own hands is a great opportunity to hone basic carving skills and get a better feel for how wood and the carving tool behave. You can experiment with the shape and size of the spoon, as well as the design of its handle, creating a unique utensil that is not only decorative, but also functional.
In our material we will tell you in detail how to make a spoon with your own hands, introduce you to basic carving techniques and answer questions current issues concerning the manufacture of wooden utensils.
What are wooden spoons made of?
What kind of wood is best to carve wooden utensils from? This important question worries all novice carvers. For cutting spoons best fit blanks made of hard, but not splintering wood hardwood- aspen, ash, maple, birch, elm, walnut, cherry or maple.
For beginner carvers It's better to use linden. This wood is softer and lighter, has a uniform density and is well planed in all directions. To gain experience and practice basic carving skills, this is the most suitable material. Among other things, linden products are not prone to warping and do not emit tannins.
Coniferous trees unsuitable for making spoons due to its high resin content and characteristic odor. Also avoid exotic tropical woods such as teak, which can be toxic.
You can use planks as a blank, or split the whole ridge deck into small logs. The first option is more practical, the second is more traditional. The orientation of the wood fibers in the workpiece determines the symmetry of the pattern of the spoon bowl as shown in the photo.
A set of basic tools
To make a wooden spoon with your own hands you will need a minimum set of simple tools:
- Knife. For wood carving, it is better to use a Bogorodsk knife. Its double-sided sharpening makes it equally convenient to work both “pull” and “pull”, and the narrow nose makes it possible to cut wood along internal lines.
- Spoon cutter (scraper). This is a chisel with a sharp bend, designed for scraping wood in recesses and working on the internal walls when carving dishes. An alternative to a spoon cutter can be a wide cranberry or a regular semicircular chisel.
- Straight chisel– used for even cutting of solid wood from a workpiece.
- Clamp– necessary for convenient fixation of a piece of wood.
- File for roughing and sandpaper Various grits (320, 180 and 120 grit) for perfect sanding of the product.
- Stichel– a thin steel cutter for creating decorative carvings on the handle.
How to Carve a Spoon from Wood: Step-by-Step Guide
- Using the template, transfer the top and side view drawing onto wooden blank. Please note that the orientation of the wood fibers is longitudinal, in this case the spoon will have maximum strength.
- Having fixed the workpiece with a clamp, proceed to roughly forming the bowl. For these purposes, a spoon cutter is used, but you can limit yourself to the usual semicircular chisel or wide cranberry. Wood is sampled in the direction of the grain. When deepening the bowl, do not forget that you need to leave a small allowance in thickness for finishing trimming and sanding.
Hollow out the bowl on the workpiece rectangular shape much more convenient, since the piece of wood is rigidly fixed and maintains a stable position.
- When the recess is formed, you can begin cutting off the excess mass in the horizontal and vertical planes, following the top and side contours. To do this, it is most convenient to use a jigsaw or band saw, but if desired, you can perform all the manipulations with a straight chisel or hacksaw.
- Using a Bogorodsk knife, cut off the convex part of the spoon. Using a wide chisel, we give the bowl a perfectly even, rounded shape. Using a knife and chisel we work out the shape of the handle.
- Using a spoon cutter, trim the bowl cleanly and carefully align its edges as shown in the picture.
- Grinding is carried out in two or three passes, each time reducing the grain size of the abrasive.
Advice!
When in contact with water, even a perfectly sanded surface can begin to fluff. The raised lint does not spoil the appearance of the spoon, but it does feel unpleasant in the mouth. Therefore, if you plan to use the utensils you made yourself for their intended purpose, you can solve this problem using the old proven method. After grinding, the spoon is wetted and thoroughly dried, passing again with a fine-grained abrasive. This procedure is repeated two to three times.
Our version of making a spoon is a more adapted technique. It is designed to be used modern instrument, which, although it simplifies the workflow, but at the same time removes from centuries-old traditions carving art.
The secrets of primordially Russian carving of a wooden spoon - watch in the presented video:
How to cover a wooden spoon for eating?
The final touch to creating a wooden spoon is its treatment with a finishing compound. And here, as a rule, many questions arise. If you are cutting out a decorative spoon, then everything is simple: you can paint it, apply any varnish coating or treat with wax. With products that are planned to be used for their intended purpose, everything is more complicated. When choosing a composition for impregnation, it is important that it is practical and safe.
In the Russian tradition, wooden spoons were and continue to be used for processing. This impregnation is environmentally friendly, has antibacterial properties, emphasizes the texture of wood, and is easy to apply. But it will have to be updated periodically. At the same time, using raw linseed oil as a finish, over time it can begin to transmit an unpleasant rancid odor to the food.
More practical solution is the use of special mineral oils for finishing wooden utensils. This impregnation gives the surface water-repellent properties, but does not form a film - the pores remain open and the wood continues to breathe. Mineral oils do not affect the taste of food and are more persistent.
About practicality and food safety finishing compounds We talked in detail in our .
Gaining popularity. This happens largely because it is environmentally friendly and has many advantages: it does not break, gives food a unique taste, keeps it warm for a long time, etc. This type utensils are also called cooper's utensils.
Wood for utensils
Many people are interested in what kind of wood wooden utensils are made from. It should be noted that different types are suitable:
- for making glasses, mugs, shot glasses, it is better to use ash, hornbeam, oak and linden;
- for barrels, linden and oak will be relevant;
- Linden and aspen are suitable for spoons, and only the first type of wood for plates.
The most resistant to temperature influences are maple, cedar, bamboo, rowan and linden. However, in addition to the technical and operational properties, it is necessary to take into account the medicinal characteristics of wood. For example, oak has a beneficial effect on teeth, rowan ensures good blood circulation, and alder has calming properties. It should be noted that daily contact with such cooperage utensils will give a positive result.
Product coating and processing
The weak point of wood is its lack of resistance to chemical and temperature influences. For this reason, wooden utensils must be treated and coated with protective materials.
Food grade wooden utensils are processed different ways. The simplest of them is soaking in hot oil (it can be flaxseed or vegetable). Another way is to use a combination of oil and wax.
What do you use to cover wooden utensils? For this purpose, a special food varnish is used, which protects the painted surface from the effects of substances present in food products.
This varnish has a number of properties:
- waterproof;
- durability;
- heat resistance;
- coating strength;
- resistance to infection by fungi and mold;
- protection against cracking;
- quick drying and lack of specific odor;
- resistance to influence detergents and direct sunlight.
Thanks to this coating The dishes last longer, because the varnish protects them from the negative effects of the external environment.
Painting cooper's ware
The issue of painting wooden utensils is controversial. As a rule, wood itself has beautiful color, so in order to save it natural look, for processing they use transparent coatings, which include the above-mentioned food varnish.
Caring for wooden products
If you have cooperage in your home, you should adhere to certain rules storage and use of wooden utensils:
- It cannot be washed in dishwasher, since there is a risk of damaging the surface.
- Due to the sensitivity of wood to moisture, it is advisable to store dishes in dry places to avoid mold. Also be sure to dry and wipe the product after use.
- For elimination unpleasant odors and for disinfection purposes can be wiped with an alcohol solution.
- As time passes, cooper's ware darkens. In order to restore its original color, it is recommended to wipe the surface with hydrogen peroxide.
By adhering to these simple rules, you will extend the life of wooden utensils.
There is such a problem that after washing the spoon loses its shine and swells.
It is very important what the spoon is cut from: not all wood is suitable for making wooden utensils from it. For such products, it is best to take wood that is relatively resistant to water, especially hot water, and to heat in general.
Spoons can be cut from linden, aspen, alder, birch or maple. Most often they use linden, since its wood is quite soft and easy to cut.
However, we like oak spoons best - they last the longest, in our experience. We've already tried linden spoons (though not from professional spoon makers, but from a store - apparently without treatment) a couple of times - they are starting to mold. But probably if you take it from spoon makers, this won’t happen. We also had juniper spoons, smoother than oak ones, but they last less. 
The finished spoon should be polished. In order to make it waterproof, the spoon is soaked in linseed oil. Then the product is dried for 2-3 hours at a temperature not exceeding 100-120 ° C. The dried spoons are allowed to cool, and then covered with oil again and dried again. Oil impregnation and drying must be repeated several times: small spoons need to be treated this way 2-3 times, and large spoons are subjected to the same operation 5-6 times. After this, the spoon is no longer afraid of anything. :-)
The final finishing of the spoons consists of covering them with drying oil (the drying oil should, of course, only be natural - from linseed oil). Then the products are dried again - several hours at a temperature of 100-120 0 C, until completely dry (touch the product with your finger, if your finger does not stick, the spoon is dry). A spoon treated with this method will acquire a pleasant yellowish-brown tint, and hot water she's not afraid.
In the old days there were special rules for using a spoon. After each scooping of food from a common bowl, the spoon was licked on both sides and lowered back onto the table; only after chewing the food, they again took the spoon from the table and scooped it out of the bowl. Anyone who did not let go of the spoon was considered gluttonous.
They ate meat only when there was no other food left in the bowl, and only after the owner gave instructions: he would hit the table with a spoon.
If someone did not behave at the table as it should be - he laughed, talked, then he was punished by hitting him on the forehead with a spoon. 
Various signs associated with spoons were observed. It was impossible to place the spoon so that it rested with its handle on the table and the other end on the plate, since the spoon, like a bridge, could penetrate into the bowl. devilry. It was not allowed to knock spoons on the table, as this would make “the evil one rejoice” and “the evil ones would come to dinner” (creatures personifying poverty and misfortune). It was considered a sin to remove spoons from the table on the eve of the fasts prescribed by the church, so the spoons remained on the table until the morning. You cannot put an extra spoon on the table, otherwise there will be an extra mouth or evil spirits will sit at the table. As a gift, you had to bring a spoon for a housewarming, along with a loaf of bread, salt and money.