Cooking Using Wooden Utensils

You may hear about metal garlic graters and cutters Malaysia but hygiene and food safety experts have long discussed whether or not to allow the use of hardwood cooking utensils, countertops, and other equipment. It seems that everyone has a reasonable point of view, backed up by appropriate reasoning and data. Even more so is the fact that the usage of wood is primarily motivated by aesthetics rather than any sort of sanitary necessity.

In this piece, we’ll do our best to lay out the arguments for and against using wood in the kitchen, and to offer some concrete suggestions for how you can benefit from switching to wooden implements.

Wooden Cutlery Has Antibacterial Characteristics

• Like lemons, certain woods contain anti-bacterial characteristics and naturally do not support the growth of pathogenic bacteria.
• On the other hand, this does not imply that bacteria cannot develop and thrive in natural settings. This means that, like lemon, wood cannot be used to eliminate bacteria.
• Most people automatically assume that if something has “anti-bacterial characteristics,” it will eliminate bacteria. This is totally false. And just like you’ll get germs growing in lemon slices and wooden tools, you’ll get them in sliced lemons.

Wooden Cutlery Has Been Related To Food Poisoning Due To Cross-contamination

Some studies have found no correlation between using wooden cutlery and an increased risk of food illness. This is probably due to the fact that this would be a cross-contamination factor, and such factors are notoriously difficult to attribute to a single cause-and-effect chain apart from other potential cross-contamination reasons like poor hygiene, improper food storage, etc.

However, there are some realities that we must face; wood, by itself, is no different from any other material used in the kitchen, provided that it is cared for and maintained properly.

Once again, this misconception misleads readers and distorts the findings of studies and other publications. One identifying characteristic is that wood is permeable. As a result, it’s hard to properly sanitize the material after use. This fact alone makes it clear that this material should be used in any commercial kitchen.

Wooden materials, however, have been found to support the growth, survival, and proliferation of bacteria in the form of a biofilm. By the way, this is not something that just happens with wood and may happen with any appliance in the kitchen. What makes this study so intriguing is the finding that germs are less likely to travel from a wooden cutting board or spoon to the meal being prepared. The germs that have been colonizing the wood are kept dormant until the substance is destroyed or peels off.

The State of Wooden Tools

One crucial consideration appears to have been overlooked in the literature. The wood in my house is splintering. No one wants a splinter caught in their throat, thus wooden spoons provide a physical contamination risk due to the risk of splinters.

Most of the suggestions are variations on a theme: if this, then that; if that, then this. Some examples are “use a separate spoon for poultry and another one for stews.” Not simple if you can’t tell who they are. At the end of the day, more and more people are opting to use wood in their cooking spaces. Indeed, wood can be utilized in the kitchen, and is particularly appropriate for usage in regions with a low bacterial load, such as serving boards.