A wood stirring spoon is a vital piece of kitchen equipment for any home chef, and many will think nothing of simply chucking it into the dishwasher with their knives and forks.
However, one cleaning enthusiast has advised against relying on this alone, and has warned not to "trust your dishwasher with wooden spoons."
According to nutritionist and author Melanie Lionello, "your wooden spoons aren't nearly as clean as you think". However, there is a very simple way to get them gleaming like new.
In a video uploaded to TikTok, the avid foodie demonstrated how she simply pops her wooden spoons into a "big tall jar", with a sprinkling of bi-carb soda or baking powder. She then covers this completely with boiling water and leaves it to soak for about 15 minutes.
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After 15 minutes had gone by, Melanie - who goes by the username @frommylittlekitchen - checked up on the jar, and saw that the water was by then quite dirty with all the residue still clinging to the spoon.
Melanie clarified the spoon had already done a round in the dishwasher, but clearly wasn't 100 per cent clean.
She said: "I recommend doing this every couple of months with your wooden spoons, especially if you use them a lot like me. That way you know they're probably going to be clean."
Responding to those in the comments section who say you should never put wooden spoons in the dishwasher, she added: "In a perfect world no, but we work long hours so everything goes into the dishy because I can’t be bothered hand washing wooden spoons. This trick helps."
According to Melanie, this tip works especially well if you use pigmented ingredients such as turmeric, tomato, paprika, and oil.
Advising those keen to cleanse their spoons of stubborn stains, Melanie suggested boiling the handy utensils in some vinegar and water with a bit of bicarb.
The video has gained plenty of interest, however, there are those who fear soaking all the "flavour" out of the wooden spoon, with one person urging her to "leave my flavour stick alone."
Another argued: "That's not dirty, they're seasoned."
Do you have an interesting or unusual cleaning tip to share? We pay for stories. Email us at julia.banim@reachplc.com
