We make and use wooden utensils and cutting boards in our kitchen often. Wooden kitchenware needs care, and the best way to give your wooden spoon, chopstick, or cutting board a long life is to never put it in the dishwasher or submerge in water, and to condition it regularly.
Wooden kitchen utensils should be sealed to discourage the growth of bacteria, and to prevent the wood from soaking up too much liquid. To prevent this, we make and use our own wooden conditioner and apply it to utensils and cutting boards regularly. Our conditioner is made with 4 parts food-safe oil (mineral oil or a neutral vegetable oil— we use sunflower seed oil) and 1 part food-grade beeswax (we use wax in pellet form). You’ll want to combine ingredients, then to incorporate and melt down the beeswax use a double boiler. If you don’t have one, like us— combine ingredients inside an open mason jar, then place it inside a pot of water. Bring the water to a boil, stirring ingredients regularly. Once mixed, melted, and cooled— you’ll have a creamy conditioner ready to apply to utensils.
Using your hand or dry rag, apply a small amount of conditioner and work into the entire surface area of the utensil or cutting board. Let set for 10-15 minutes then wipe off any excess conditioner. Condition again once utensil looks and feels dry or dull.