Cooking With Wood

We recently returned from a trip to Colonial Williamsburg. I must say, I spent more time enjoying the free things rather than the ones you have to pay to see.

That being said, I have a hard time going in to the shops and not buying something.  The shopkeepers are dressed in period clothes and try not to answer questions about cell phones and cars, that kind of thing.  They do take  a "letter of credit"  from Miss VISA, however!

I found a couple of wooden utensils that looked great. 

 

The lemon juicer was probably from China, but the pie server was from a nearby state.  It had a finish on it that disappeared when I got home and washed them.  They were sanded, but not as smooth as I wanted.

I got some 220 grit sand paper and sanded them a bit, paying particular attention to the handles.  I also spent some time on the pie server, thinking it might help thing slide off more easily.  I didn't even attempt to sand the ridges of the lemon juicer.

 

Next I put several coats of Mineral Oil on them.  I once again ignored the ridges of the lemon juicer.  The bottle of Mineral Oil suggested 3 or 4 coats.  I used a rag to rub in a liberal amount for each coat. Then I wiped it dry after 20 minutes.  I let it sit for several hours between each coat.  I kept recoating the pieces until they seemed  less interested in absorbing more oil...you know, they looked away and wanted to watch TV instead!

I gave them a final polish with a clean, dry rag and they are ready for my kitchen drawer.
 


I like the scoop on the pie server and intend to try it the next time I serve a frittata for my B&B guests.