Winter air, even here in South Carolina, leaves its mark on our skin. White lines race across like little roadmaps to all the gardening and work we’re doing outside. Eric, with his hands cutting and weighing seafood all day, has even deeper fissures, cracks that bleed at home until covered in a salve.
I’m also cooking more inside, taking longer with experimenting, slicing, and washing bowls and cutting boards to use immediately again with something new, and it takes its toll not just on our hands, but on our tools as well. The couple of wooden spoons I use, the mortar and pestle I like for little batches, and our cutting boards also pale in the winter, finding themselves a little less flexible without the summer heat. Now is the time to take care of your home, as well, and one easy way to do that is to make some spoon butter from scratch and deep condition those wooden tools.
This butter is similar to what you could use for a thick lotion or even lip balm. I wanted a final result with a couple of huge benefits:
- No mineral oil. These are tools you use for food, and I think it’s better to ditch the mineral oil for these.
- Common, affordable, natural ingredients. I only use two mandatory, one optional ingredient here, and they are things I already had because I like making stuff like this. If you don’t have these things, I’m (affiliate) linking to what I bought so you can buy the same thing or just see what I used and find your own preferred versions.
Tools
- 1 cup of coconut oil (like this one)
- 1/3 cup beeswax pellets (like these)
- Metal measuring spoons
- Use metal, ceramic, or glass, but just not plastic. They are a nightmare to clean!! You can find the basic ones I use here (opens in a new window).
- Glass measuring cup with a spout and handle
- Similarly, you want to go with glass here so it is heat safe and easy to clean.
- Wooden or metal stirrer of your choice
- Optional: essential oil for scent
Process
- Add about an inch of water to your saucepan and put it over medium heat.
- While your water heats up, add all your ingredients to your measuring cup. If you add essential oils, I would adjust the number of drops to your preference.
- Let everything slowly melt in your cup. Don’t let the water boil around your cup; if it gets too hot in there, just cut the heat down a bit.
- Once it is all melted, pour your mixture into a glass jar. I used an 8 oz. jar, and it fit perfectly.
Once you have your spoon butter in your container, let it cool before you try to use it. You can use it right away or store it in a cool place away from sunlight (like under your sink) indefinitely.
To use, I like to warm it up a little tiny bit if it’s really hard and cool as is probably the case in the winter! Apply a little dollop to your wooden object and rub it into the wood, either with your hand or with a cloth. You can see your wood come back to life as it seeps into the grain. To test this concoction, I bought a cheap, $4 pack of bamboo spoons from a discount store (you can see them as the really pale ones in these photos). I did sand the edges down a little bit because they were almost splintery, then I treated them with my spoon butter. They look much, much better and feel smoother and sturdier. This process will also moisturize your hands! Buff your item with a clean cloth, and you’re all set!
Do you use wooden spoons? I feel like they’re handy, but they’re also kind of a look some people go for more than actually using. I used lemon in this because I have that whole lemon = clean mental thing, but I’m curious what you’ll use, if any scent, in yours? Let me know over on Instagram!
This post contains affiliate links, which means I make a small commission at no extra cost to you. Read my full disclosure here (opens in a new window).
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