I’ve amassed a decent collection of wooden kitchen implements– spoons, cutting boards, and a bowl or two– and as you can imagine, they receive a lot of use. When I’m in cooking mode, I’m not always mindful of how I treat them. My spoons see the worst abuse– they’re often left soaking in water, stained yellow with turmeric, their finish worn away with time and dish soap. Most are the ubiquitous bamboo spoons you can pick up at any grocery store, but my favorites were hand-carved by Nick out of fancy hardwoods, and they are the most-used and best-loved of the bunch. Luckily, I had everything I needed for some spoon butter on hand: a neutral, flavorless oil (I used sunflower oil), and beeswax.
To make spoon butter, combine one ounce of beeswax and 4 oz by weight of a neutral oil in a double-boiler over some simmering water and heat until the beeswax is just melted. Alternatively, you can microwave in 30-second bursts until you achieve the same result. Pour the melted wax and oil into whatever container you’ll store it in (I used an old half-pint jar) and stir occasionally as it cools, until it’s creamy and semi-solid. It should keep for at least six months. To use, apply generously and buff off the excess with a clean cloth. Repeat once a month.
Here’s a dramatic before and after:
Also:
– Nothing quite like finding out your favorite living author has written three books under a pen name while you weren’t paying attention. I’m all caught up and dreading the long wait until the next one.
– I’ve got a bunch of bananas aging on the counter, awaiting their fate in a loaf of this.
– Re-watched this old favorite recently.