My taste in home decor definitely leans a bit “country chic” (living in a mountain valley will do that to you!) This means that when I’m shopping for home goods and have to choose between something plastic versus something made of wood, I usually end up choosing the wood option.
This is particularly true when it comes to kitchen items, so wood is very well represented in both my own kitchen and the kitchen at the OGT Studio. For everything from cooking utensils to cutting boards, I find that the wooden ones are a bit more expensive, but usually last a lot longer than their plastic counterparts.
However, wooden kitchen items aren’t maintenance-free, and their lifespan will largely depend on how well you take care of them. And that’s where today’s blog post comes in, because today I’ll be sharing my DIY approach to keeping my wooden spoons and other kitchen items in tip-top shape: homemade “spoon butter!”
What Is Spoon Butter?
Spoon butter (also called “butcher block cream” or “cutting board cream”) is a homemade concoction used to moisturize, condition, and protect untreated wood. If left to their own devices, wood items cutting boards and wooden spoons can dry out and even split over time, but regular applications of spoon butter can help keep them properly moisturized and in good working order.
Most store-bought wood conditioning products are either oils or creams/waxes, and there are pros and cons to both types. Liquid oils tend to penetrate more deeply into the grain, while waxes and creams (like my homemade spoon butter) can form a protective layer across the surface of the wood.
Some brands that make wood conditioners offer both oils and creams and recommend using them one after the other. But the way I see it, applying any type of wood conditioner is better than not doing it at all, so I decided that using my spoon butter alone was “good enough,” and it’s been good enough for me ever since! 🙂
So now that you know what spoon butter is and how it can help you keep your wood kitchen tools in great shape, let’s dive right into making it! Here’s how you can whip up your own batch of spoon butter at home:
