Celebrity chef Matt Preston’s simple wooden spoon test reveals shocking results

If you religiously wash your wooden spoon after every use, it should be fine in the long run — right? Wrong. This is according to the shocking results of a simple wooden spoon test brought to light by celebrity chef Matt Preston that has Australian cooks in a frenzy.

The simple kitchen test involves sitting your wooden spoon in a cup of boiling hot water for up to 20 minutes and waiting to see what kinds of oils seep out of the wood. Those who’ve already given it a go were left feeling disgusted after noticing the thick layer of cooking oil that appeared on the top of the water within minutes.

“This one is going into the bin,” one user wrote in the Facebook group known as Mums Who Cook, Clean and Organise – Australia. “A tip I learned from Matt Preston years ago. Does anyone soak their wooden spoons in boiling water? Mine always go into the dishwasher every night but that doesn’t stop what gets absorbed. Revolting really.”

The suggestion from the former Masterchef Australia judge Matt Preston first came to light in a piece he wrote for the cooking website Delicious back in 2016 about the cooking utensils you definitely don’t need in the kitchen. The chef and food critic said that while on the surface a wooden spoon might seem harmless if you put it in a cup of boiling water everything will rise to the surface — including a rather putrid smell.

Preston suggested avid cooks opt for a silicone spatula instead saying they’re cheap, hygienic, heat-resistant and flexible, making them super easy for getting into every corner of a bowl, unlike rigid wooden spoons.

Plenty who tried the easy trick were impressed with the outcome with one commenter writing: “That’s why the food industry doesn’t use wooden utensils or cutting boards – it’s against health regulations” while another wrote: “Nope, haven’t used one in forever. Found them gross as a kid”.

Meanwhile, others were less excited over the kitchen trick with one commenter saying: “I have had the same wooden spoons for years! Haven’t soaked or varnished! Just either dishwasher or hand wash depending.. We haven’t died of the plague yet! Lol” and another writing: “I never soak my wooden spoon or boards, or poor them in dish washer. They get washed straight away with hot soapy water (dish wand) and put in dish rack to air dry completely”.

Other suggestions from Preston’s article about the utensils you definitely don’t need included egg toppers, turkey basters and anything with a plug on it with the suggestion you make it from scratch instead.