Wooden Spoons

Wooden spoons lend a pleasing rustic look to the kitchen. They are useful and durable since they are bad conductors of heat and never rust. Wooden spoons are gentle on all surfaces, especially non-stick ones.They vary in shape and size, depending on their use.

Types
The different types of wooden spoons that are available:

• » Wooden teaspoons are small and are used for stirring tea or coffee. They come in handy while cooking, to dispense specific amounts of ingredients
• » Serving Spoons are deep and usually have long, sturdy handles. They can be used for serving and cooking as well. They are also known as Tablespoons.
• » Strainer Spoons are shallow and have holes in them to drain liquids. They are used while serving dry dishes, cooking, and deep frying.
• » Soup Spoons, as the name suggests, are used to eat soups. They are deep, with short handles, and are best teamed with soup bowls.
• » Flat-end Spoons are ideal for cooking. They have a shallow bowl with a flat end. They are used for stirring as their flat end keeps food from sticking to the bottom of the utensil.
• » Spatulas are flat spoons with curved sides and long handles. They are used for blending, spreading and cooking.

Woods Used
The most common wood used for making wooden spoons are hardwood and sometimes softwood. The woods used are:

• » Walnut
• » Oak
• » Indian Rosewood
• » Birch
• » Pine
• » Fir

Designs
Wooden spoons are available in a wide range of designs, including plain and intricately carved. A spoon has three parts - bowl, neck, and handle. The bowls in wooden spoons are either oval, round, flat, or tear-drop shaped. Handles are either contoured or simple. Spoon handles are hand-painted with traditional themes and sometimes have carved decorative grooves.

The handles are also engraved with metal, metal rings and horn. Handcrafted wooden spoons have intricate floral patterns etched on their handles.

Textures and Finish
Wooden spoons are sanded for a smooth and soft texture. They come with finishes that are non-toxic. Since wooden spoons are mainly used for cooking, stirring, and eating, the most common finishes used are:

• » Food-safe mineral oil
• » Vegetable oil
• » Water-repellent
• » Abrasion-resistant

Manufacturing Areas
In India, wooden spoons are manufactured in Gujarat, Orissa, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, Uttaranchal, Uttar Pradesh, and West Bengal.

Export Market
Wooden spoons are exported worlwide. Chief consumers include U.S, U.K and European countries.