Wooden spoon

Why wood works

• It does not conduct heat, so the handle stays cool even resting in a hot pan.
• It does not scratch, so it is safe on non-stick, enamel and any coated surface.
• It does not react. Metal spoons can impart a taste to long-cooked acidic dishes; wood does not.
• It is stiff enough to scrape. A flat-edged wooden spoon lifts fond off a pan base better than a silicone spatula, which flexes.
• It is cheap and replaceable, which matters for a tool that is a consumable.

Which shape

Flat-edged (a "spurtle" or flat spoon)

The most useful shape. The straight edge sits flush against a flat pan base and reaches into corners, which a rounded bowl cannot. Best for deglazing, roux and anything that catches.

Traditional rounded spoon

Good for stirring liquids and tasting. Poor at scraping.

Slotted

For lifting things out of liquid.

Silicone spatula

Better than wood for folding, scraping a bowl clean, and anything where you want the tool to conform to a curve. Heat-resistant to a stated limit — check it.

Metal fish slice or turner

Better than either for getting under something in a pan. Not for non-stick.

A "spoonula"

Silicone spoon-shaped spatula. Does most jobs adequately and none brilliantly.

Caring for wooden utensils

• Hand wash in hot soapy water and dry immediately. Do not leave them soaking, which is what splits and warps them.
• Never put them in the dishwasher. Heat and prolonged wetness crack wood and raise the grain.
• Oil them occasionally with food-grade mineral oil if they look dry and pale.
• Sand a rough or splintered spoon with fine paper and re-oil it.
• Retire a cracked one. A split in a spoon holds food and cannot be cleaned.
• Keep separate spoons for strongly-flavoured things if you cook a lot of chilli or curry. Wood absorbs oils and a spoon can carry a smell for a long time.

Looking after one, and when to use something else

• Wash it by hand and dry it promptly. A dishwasher and long soaking both split wood along the grain.
• Oil it occasionally with a food-safe oil if it looks dry and grey. It costs nothing and doubles its life.
• Replace it when it cracks, splinters or smells. Cracks hold food and cannot be cleaned out.
• Keep one for savoury and one for sweet. Wood absorbs, and a spoon that has stirred a curry will carry that into a custard.
• Use a silicone spatula instead when you need to scrape a pan clean, or reach into the corner of a saucepan — a round wooden spoon cannot.
• Use a flat-ended wooden spatula for anything likely to catch. It reaches the base properly, which a rounded bowl does not.

Common questions