All of your wooden spoons, cutting boards, salad tongs, etc. need to be periodically oiled to avoid drying out and cracking. Most cooking oils will oxidize and become rancid after a few days, so don't use olive or vegetable oil for this purpose. Permaculture resource site Rich Soil recommends that you consider using walnut oil as it is completely nontoxic and you won't have to worry about it spoiling.


Walnut oil is normally sold in gourmet shops as a salad dressing, but is also popular with artists who mix their own oil paints. Rubbing walnut oil on a knife handle, cutting board, or other wooden kitchen implement will help preserve the wood.

Mineral oil is another popular nontoxic finish for wooden kitchenware, but many prefer to avoid ingesting petroleum products and mineral oil is also recommended for use as a laxative.


If you need to protect your wooden kitchenware and you like salad, give walnut oil a try. You can find it in the gourmet oil section at grocery stores, at art supply shops, or from Amazon . Photo by GimmeFood.

Organic care of wooden spoons, cutting boards, etc. | Rich Soil