Humanity has been making kitchenware and cooking supplies from wood for an extraordinarily long time. In fact, King Tut was even buried with a wooden spoon in his hands over 3,000 years ago! As time and technology have progressed, the tools we use to cook and eat our food have too. However, the material is not where the improvements have been made. New plastics and polymers keep popping up and taking the place of some material before them. When it comes to wood, things are different. In the case of wooden kitchenware, we have made improvements in their craftsmanship, finishing, utility, and design rather than changing the material. We now have the knowledge to design salad tongs to be more ergonomic, rather than worrying about avoiding splinters. We have learned that the direction of the wood’s grain can impact cleanliness and its ability to harbor bacteria. Despite the way it may appear, wooden home goods and products for your kitchen have come a very long way in the millennia they have been in use.
Thanks to the thousands of years people have spent working with wood and putting it to use for us, we know all of its ins and outs. It’s for this reason that the wooden kitchenware we manufacture today is far superior to similar implements of a different material. When you look at the benefits of using wooden kitchenware, they far outweigh those of stainless steel or plastic in many cases. Currently, wood is often finished with natural mineral oils rather than the toxic chemicals and substances that can sometimes be found among metals. Regarding disadvantages of wooden utensils in comparison to metal, it’s true that metal can sometimes outlive wooden kitchenware when not cared for properly. With metals it is easy to throw them in the dishwasher, making the cleaning process slightly easier. Stainless steel can also handle exceedingly hot temperatures, even hotter than wood, which makes it work well for high temperature cooking methods like frying. However, for most applications, wooden utensils are preferred among chefs all over the world.
Head to Head: Metal vs. Wood
We often hear questions like, “Are metal or wood utensils better?” and “Is it better to cook with wood or metal?”. To which we reply that it typically depends on the use, but for many cases wood comes out on top. Wood is particularly advantageous due to the fact that it is a very poor heat conductor, making it great for use over the stove or grill since your spoon or spatula will not heat up and burn your hand. This along with the fact that wood is often cited as one of the healthiest, and least toxic materials for cooking utensils make it the obvious choice for many applications.
Visual Appeal
When it comes to wooden kitchen supplies, their most striking and obvious feature at first glance is their beauty. Especially in comparison to simple monochromatic plastics and metals. Different kinds of wood can offer varying colors and shades, differing grain patterns, and even hue-tones to make each piece unique from the rest. This style can add a rustic touch to any home and kitchen even with just a few simple items like charger plates or cutting boards.
Cleaning and Maintenance
Another exceptional aspect of wooden kitchenware is how easy it can be to clean. Taking care of wooden cutting boards, utensils, and plates is incredibly easy. All it requires is scrubbing on mild dish soap with some warm water. Occasionally, to aid longevity, if the item begins to dry out mineral oils can be applied to prevent cracking. Beyond that, nothing else is required to keep your cutting boards looking new and fresh for years to come.
Other materials may need to be soaked or have alcohol/perfumes applied whereas with wood, that is not the case. In fact, these treatments would do more harm than good on certain wood products. To read more about how to care for your wooden kitchenware, check out our previous blog here.
Anti-Bacterial Properties
Some believe that when it comes to cutting boards, plastic boards are superior on account of them being easier to clean and more sterile, but this is a common misconception. They assume that it is harder for bacteria to survive and cause cross contamination on plastic surfaces when compared to wood. However, this is simply not the case. Wood has natural properties that prevent bacteria from thriving and spreading in a way that plastics do not. This coupled with the fact that wooden cutting boards are much gentler on knives, increasing longevity, helps make wood the clear choice for cutting boards. Preventing blades from dulling, in addition to avoiding gouges and marks on your cutting board are just a few of the many benefits of utilizing wooden kitchenware rather than plastic.
Helps to Avoid Microplastics
With the direction the world is moving in now, scientists continue to discover more and more microplastics inside of our bodies, often coming from the things we eat, and drink. One potential culprit for admitting microplastics into our foods and body are plastic cutting boards and kitchenware. With every plastic cutting board, after a few uses you begin to visually see some wear and tear. Knife marks become clear, kicking up bits of plastic that have nowhere to go but into the food you are preparing on it. Plastic utensils and plates similarly begin to degrade and show wear after a few short uses. Wooden materials eliminate the chance of this ever happening. Besides the fact that there is no plastic on the board in the first place, wooden cutting boards are typically much more resilient. Less likely to scratch and show as pronounced knife marks even through consistent use.
Environmental Considerations
Finally, it is certainly worth mentioning the difference in environmental impact between plastic kitchenware production especially versus that of wood. One might assume that because it is made from wood, there are mass amounts of trees being cut down. Leading to further deforestation and eradicating our world’s natural forests. However, especially depending on the species of wood, it is very possible to sustainably farm and produce wooden kitchen materials. Especially when the practices implemented are anything like ours at SiamMandalay, where we handcraft all our wooden kitchenware from fast growing Thai acacia wood. So much so that for every tree used another is replanted. With all these factors in mind, it becomes clear why wood is the favorite material for kitchen supplies among some of the world’s best and most experienced chefs.