Practicality Cooking Today, wooden spoons in western cultures are generally medium to large spoons used for mixing ingredients for cooking or baking. They may be flat or have a small dip in the middle. Before
electric mixers became common, wooden spoons were often used to
cream together
butter and
sugar in recipes such as
shortbread or
Victoria sponge cake. They are still used for stirring many different kinds of food and
beverages, especially
soups and
casseroles during preparation, although they tend to absorb strong smells such as
onion and
garlic. Wooden spoons are generally preferred for cooking because of their versatility. Some cooks prefer to use wooden spoons when preparing
risotto because they do not
transfer heat as much as metal spoons. Unlike metal spoons, they can also be safely used without scratching non-stick pans. This is useful when making dishes such as
scrambled eggs. Wooden spoons can be treated to protect from cold liquid absorption with coconut or mineral oil. Edible
drying oils such as
hempseed oil,
walnut oil, and
flax oil are used to create a more durable finish. For best results, drying oils should be given adequate time to
polymerize after application before the spoon is used. Other vegetable oils should be avoided because they will undergo
rancidification and leach into food during use. If the
wood grain rises up after boiling or washing, a light sanding and application of coconut oil will prevent the spoon from becoming fuzzy and harboring bacteria. In the
Philippines, wooden rice spoons with sacred carved images of
bulul representing deities or ancestral spirits (
anito) are traditional among the
Ifugao peoples. Despite the animistic carvings, they are everyday utensils used for eating rice or soups or serving
wine. Today, they are commonly sold as souvenirs to tourists. In
Romania, in the city of
Câmpulung Moldovenesc, there is the
Wooden Spoons Museum, a museum displaying the collection of wooden spoons from Romania and the world of a now deceased Romanian history professor.
Decor In the
Philippines, giant wooden spoons and forks are traditionally hung in the dining room, framed, or placed inside a cabinet. Both are the most common traditional utensil pairing in the Philippines (as opposed to the knife and fork in western countries). Along with a painting or tapestry of the
Last Supper, they some of the more ubiquitous decorations in Filipino houses. They are regarded as symbols of good health.
Sporting culture In some regions, particularly
British-influenced ones of the
Commonwealth and the United States, the "
wooden spoon" is a
booby prize for the team or individual finishing a competition in last position.
Corporal punishment The wooden spoon has been used by parents, predominantly mothers, in some cultures as an implement used for corporal punishment. In the 21st Century it has become a symbol of nostalgia is Western culture, as its actual use has become culturally unacceptable. == See also ==