This Viral TikTok Could Make You Think Twice About Using Wooden Spoons
A wooden spoon is a classic kitchen staple, but unlike a silicone spatula, it can be difficult to know if washing really gets it clean. Well, according to a recent TikTok by user miss.clean.with.me, your wooden spoon might be holding onto more food than you realize.
In the post, you see someone place what looks like a clean wooden spoon facedown in a drinking glass and then cover it with boiling water straight from the kettle (via TikTok). After a time lapse and a few twists of the spoon, you can see that the water is cloudy, with bits of food floating at the top and collecting at the bottom of the glass, proving that the spoon wasn't as clean as it looked. The caption reads: "I was not prepared for this. Tiktok teaches me so much!" with a nausea emoji.
This TikTok appears to be in response to a trend started by MasterChef Australia Judge Matt Preston, who recommends leaving a spoon in boiling water for 20 minutes to draw out the oils and food remnants in the wood (via Yahoo!). If you try this at home with your wooden spoons and find the results horrifying, there's good news and bad: The good is you can clean and sanitize your wooden spoons easily at home. The bad news is keeping them clean requires a little more work than just tossing them in the dishwasher.
How to properly clean your wooden spoons and cutting boards
Wooden kitchen implements are a classic for a reason — they are incredibly versatile and last a long time, if you take care of them properly. However, they are more porous than plastic or silicone, which means they can absorb liquids and grow bacteria on their surface if not cleaned properly (via Yahoo!).
To avoid this, The Manual recommends hand-washing your wooden spoons in hot water immediately after using them to limit how much they absorb. Then, towel-dry the spoons before hanging them up to air-dry completely. Do not let them soak in any liquid overnight, or put them in the dishwasher, as this will cause the spoon to soak up more liquid and create a breeding ground for bacteria.
To sanitize your spoons, clean them normally with hot soapy water and then cover them with 3-percent hydrogen peroxide, wait 15 minutes, and wipe the liquid off before letting the spoons hang-dry (via Overstock.com). Finally, don't forget to oil your wooden spoons and cutting boards with food-grade mineral oil or beeswax once a month to keep them in good condition. Or, you could just replace your wooden spoons with heat-proof silicone spatulas ... the choice is yours.