Wooden Spoons

Wooden spoons are the traditional spoons beautifully carved out of wood. The word wood was recently coined to describe disposable wooden spoons.

The bowl end of a wooden spoon is thicker in size than a metal spoon of the same size. They come in flat, angled, bowled and round edged in a range of sizes. They are sturdy enough for smashing aromatic ingredients to release their flavor.

History of Wooden Spoon
Wooden spoons are common throughout history and they represent the work of ordinary folks and artisans. The Anglo Saxons and the Vikings were great workers of wood and they produced wooden spoons for domestic uses.

Wooden spoons were listed items in the inventories of early settlers in America in the early 1600s. In fact wooden eating and cooking implements were one of the items enterprising Indians sale to those early colonists of America. Indians whittled these spoons mostly from laurel wood.

Traditionally, the intricately carved wooden love spoon has been used as a token of affection in Wales and Scandinavia. Even after the introduction of metal spoons, wooden spoons still continued to be favored as kitchen tools.

Why Wooden Spoons?
Using wooden spoons even today has a scientific reason behind. It is well documented by scientific study that harder the wood the better usability in the kitchen. Hard woods have tighter pores and so food does not lodge in it.

However, these spoons are also inexpensive, sturdy and heat resistant. Because of these advantages, manufacturers of wooden spoons are still gaining a lot from the consumer market.

How to Carve Wooden Spoon
To make wooden spoons there are various steps to undergo :

• Selecting the wood - An appropriate size wood piece should be selected. Aromatic woods should not be used for the purpose.
• Choosing a Pattern - There are various types of spoons. Some have long handles and deep bowls and some have shorter handles. The desired pattern should be properly made on the piece of wood.
• Cut out the pattern - Cut away the excess wood around the drawn pattern.
• Carve the spoon - Carve the food according to your requirement. Spoons can be carved on the front first and then the back or even vice versa.
• Carve the bowl of the spoon - Carve the bowl edges according to your requirement.
• Sand your spoon - Sand the spoon to get rid of the messy part of the spoon. Sanding gives a smooth effect to the spoon.
• Finishing the spoon - Finish the wooden spoon with olive oil or mineral oil for better appearance and usage.

Types and uses of Wooden Spoon

Types and usages
Round	Stirring thin liquid mixtures, such as: soups, frozen juice concentrates, etc. Blanching, or boiling, small pieces of fruit or vegetables, in a large amount of liquid.
Flat	Stirring and mixing relatively thick mixtures, such as: meat sauces, tomato sauces etc.
Flat Slotted	Can do the same as the flat spoon, but is better when making delicate crèmes and sauces, where lumps are a no-no, such as: béchamel, pastry crème etc.
Fork	Isn't useful for stirring, but it still has its place in the kitchen when tossing mixtures such as : pasta, potato salad, salad, stir-fries etc.