The Complete Wooden Kitchenware Buyer’s Guide

Wood kitchenware or tableware can be a beautiful addition to your home - but there are some things to watch out for before diving right in and filling your whole kitchen with it.

This concise guide is your one-stop resource to answer every important question you have about wood kitchenware or tableware. Without further chit-chat, let's get right into the important questions: 

First of all, you will want to ask yourself these questions:

1. What will you mostly use your wooden items for?
2. How much maintenance do you want to avoid?
3. How does the product look? - Wood type, build quality, finish. 
4. Any specific features you want (style, shape, functionality).
5. What's the budget?

It might feel a little overwhelming at first - but don't worry, this quick guide will demystify everything around choosing and owning wooden kitchenware, so you can decide exactly what the best choices are for you and your kitchen!

P.S. - There is a table of contents list just below where you can click to navigate to the section most important to you. 

Priority 1 - What will you (mostly) use the wooden item for? 

Think of what you plan on using the wooden item for, and how regularly. This will affect which types of wood you should rule out, to avoid constant maintenance or worse, replacements. 

This is also a good time to think about your personal taste - picture how you want the wooden item to look, feel and function in your home. 

For Eating, Serving or Displaying?

• For everyday use, like cooking and eating, you will want to choose kitchenware made of durable wood and sealed with a food-safe sealant.
• Recommendation: Durable and forgiving wood like acacia, teak or maple.
• For special occasions or conversation starters, something like olive or black walnut both make great crowd pleasers. 

How often will you use it?

More use = more maintenance, especially for anything made of wood. Always go for low-maintenance wood (more on that below) if you want it to hold up to daily wear and tear. 

Who is going to use it?

For example: Does it need to be child-friendly? Or maybe it will get used by many customers a day in your cafe or restaurant...

If it's for kids, pay special attention to the wood sealant used and the build of the plate or bowl.  Jujube wood (fig tree) or coconut shell and bamboo are all lightweight and resilient, so they make great tableware for kids, for example. 

If a wooden utensil or dish is going to be used many times a day and need to be washed without getting damaged, you will be far better off picking acacia or oak tableware. 

What to look for when buying wooden...

...Cutting boards & chopping blocks: 

Boards made of end grain (see the image below) will be the most durable for chopping blocks, especially if you're doing a lot of slicing, dicing and some intense hacking of ingredients. 

Important: You don't have to go with endgrain boards, not by a long shot, because the one big disadvantage of endgrain boards is that they are filled with glue due to how they're made. End-grain boards also tend to be the highest-priced type of wooden cutting board. 

Recommendation: Choose tough hardwoods like maple, walnut, oak or acacia that will last against knife marks and frequent washing.

...Cooking Utensils & Cutlery:

For utensils and cutlery, again we suggest choosing a tough and stable wood (more on that below) that will withstand the everyday wear and tear, and cracking and warping from heat or impacts, etc. 

Cooking utensils can sometimes pick up stains or odours too, so a hardwood with a dense grain like acacia, maple or walnut will better resist odours and stains and germs. 

...Plates, trays, platters and servingware:

Pick a wood that is a good mixture of durable and aesthetic for plates, trays and other servingware. Consider how much actual use it will get (and how much attention it needs to garner) to decide which end of the scale you want to lean more towards (most durable Vs most aesthetic). 

...Cups, bowls and accessories:

Wooden bowls and cups are usually best when made of a single solid piece of wood (no joined/glued parts).

This will make sure that it maintains water-tightness and resists cracking or absorbing liquid over time. Saying that, this is not a hard and fast rule, and you can still get perfectly durable bowls and cups made from a composite of several pieces of wood. 

Which type of wood is best for cutting boards, utensils, bowls and other kitchenware? (With pictures)

For wooden cutting boards and utensils, one of the most important factors is picking ones made of the 'right' type of wood.

We recommend always choosing hardwood kitchenware, because softwoods like pine will usually disintegrate within a couple of years, and you'll need to replace the item all over again. 

Recommendation: Wood species like maple, oak, acacia, ash, walnut and even bamboo (not a hardwood) make great cutting/serving boards. 

All wood types mentioned below (except bamboo, coconut shell and pine) are hardwoods. 

Maple: Often used for cutting boards and knife handles, maple is hard with tighty-knit grain that's resistant. Maple also patinas over time, turning from a pale white to a more golden-yellow, which may or may not be a con for you.

Beech: Similar to maple, beech is lighter in colour with distinctive 'dashed' wood grain running in parallel lines. Beech is also affordable and durable, but slightly less popular due to its appearance and tendency to yellow slightly over time. 

Cherry: Develops a beautiful patina where the red colouration really shines through with time and use. Cons: Cherry wood is on the softer side, so it would be best for display pieces or items that need less washing, like a lazy susan, rather than kitchenware that will get daily use.

Acacia / Teak: Attractive colours, striped grain and sustainable. Acacia is considered one of the most durable and water-resistant species of wood, great for cutting boards, plates and bowls that will get frequent use. They even use acacia wood for outdoor furniture because of its incredible water resistance. 

Olive Wood: Olive has a lovely grain with interesting dark patterns on lighter wood, and is also durable and naturally oily, making it good for cheeseboards and bowls. The downside is that olive can be expensive and hard to come by depending on your region. 

Black Walnut: Dark, dense and luxurious,  walnut wood is relatively hard and has a weighted feel. Although not as scratch-resistant as acacia or maple the darker colour of black walnut hides knife marks and scuffs well. Also great for display or statement pieces. Cons: Walnut is usually pricey and can be harder to come by. 

Jujube / Fig Wood: Jujube wood comes from a type of fig tree. This naturally oily wood is lightweight and quite strong with some flex, making it a good child-friendly or daily use option. Cons are that it's considered less attractive than some other wood types. 

Bamboo: Technically a type of grass, but often used as a wood. Very strong, sustainable and comes in many forms such as composite materials that feel similar to plastic or even pottery. Cons: Can sometimes be glued together with unnatural or non-eco glue. 

Coconut shell: Lightweight, strong and shatter-resistant, good for child friendly or frequent use. Cons: With coconut shell, you are limited to smaller objects like bowls, spoons. 

Pine: Generally used for budget or mass-produced kitchenware like wooden spoons, it's not recommended to use pine as its softness and tendency to stain and absorb odours. Will also need to be replaced regularly. 

What kind of wear and tear will your kitchenware get?

Wooden kitchenware sees quite a lot in its lifetime - heat, cold, scratches, stains, odours, dishwasher - and that can all happen in just one evening's work. 

• In general, denser hardwoods like walnut, maple and acacia are going to be much more resistant to heat, cold, stains, scratches and general wear and tear. 

How much maintenance do you want to do, or avoid?

Low-Maintenance Wood Types: 

Some low-maintenance wood species are: Acacia, maple, beech, jujube (fig), as well as bamboo (technically a grass, not a species of wood), and coconut shell. These all make great choices for daily objects like wooden kitchenware and homeware.

Wood species that need more maintenance are often softwoods, like pine and poplar.

Some hardwoods like black walnut, birch and cherry need a little more attention than other types of hardwood if you want them to look as vivid on day 100 as they did on day 1. This is because of their bolder colours and patina effects, but it just means a little more re-sealing and a bit more care when using them. 

How to keep wooden kitchenware low-maintenance:

Wash and dry all wooden kitchenware by hand with warm water and soap after each use. Wipe down the excess water with a towel and allow to fully air dry before storing. This usually takes about an hour or so for all of the moisture to fully evaporate. 

Finally, reseal the surface about once a year on average (once every 6 months if it gets daily use, once every 24 months if it's infrequently used). 

• Wondrwood Recommendation: Go for acacia if you want little to no maintenance with vivid grain patterns and bright colouration. 

Which type of wood looks best for your kitchen?

• Aesthetics - light vs. dark wood: Personal taste will dictate, so go with your gut.
• Hardwood vs. softwood: Try to steer clear of any softwoods (pine, poplar, hickory) for kitchenware, because it won't last anywhere near as long as hardwood. 
• Does design matter to you? To some people, it's important that the tools and objects they use are also aesthetically pleasing - does this matter to you or are you just looking to get the job done?
• Do you want the best of the best, or the best value for money? 
• How sustainable is the wood? Faster-growing species like bamboo, coconut, maple and acacia are highly sustainable. 
• Maintenance, ease of repair.

Priority 2: Looking at the wooden item - how is it made?

When looking at wooden kitchenware, whether it's in person or photos of the product online, ask yourself these questions:

Is it made of one solid piece of wood or from several pieces?

It's definitely not the end of the world if a wooden kitchenware item is made from more than 1 piece of wood glued together, but depending on what the object is, or how it's made, it can have downsides.

For instance, it can affect how long it is likely to last, how it looks, and in some cases how it functions. For anything that needs to be water-tight (like bowls and cups), it's usually best if it's made from one solid piece of wood. 

End grain vs edge grain vs face grain for a cutting board - what's the difference?

Check the image above to see the difference between these wood grain types. End grain is the toughest, followed by edge grain and then face grain, especially for cutting boards or butcher blocks that will hide or resist knife marks better. 

Solid turned piece vs laminated or glued (bowls, cups and utensils):

For objects like bowls, cups and cooking utensils, you want to check if they are made from one solid piece of wood.

You will likely come across larger bowls being made from several pieces of wood - which can be totally fine if they're well made, but there's always a higher chance of cracks developing where the wood joints are. 

How thick should a good wooden cutting board be?

For items like cutting boards, look for any boards thicker than 1-1,5 inch (2.5-3cm+) for stability.

For wood plates, bowls or utensils, they can be slightly thinner. Usually, anything that's 0.75"/ 1.5cm or thicker is fine for plates.

Thicker wooden boards will resist warping, cracking and just hold up better to long-term use, and will feel more solid when you use them. It also leaves more material there to sand away if repairs are needed in 10 or 20 years from now. 

How has the wooden item been finished and sealed?

Look for wood kitchenware that's smooth and hand-polished. 

This will not only look and feel better but will also be best for protecting the wood long term. When you look closely at the wood, check if it has been finished to a smooth surface.

Try to also find out whether it has been hand-polished and/or sealed, as this usually means extra care has been taken. 

Which type of wood sealant is best for wood kitchenware?

Usually, all wood kitchenware is sealed using a food-safe sealant, but it's always worth double-checking. Any sealant made of a natural oil (like linseed, coconut or walnut oil) is generally best.

Watch out in case anyone in your household has allergies to nut oils and always double check with your medical professional if you're unsure about any particular wood sealant. 

Tightly formed grain (more premium hardwoods) (as in species like black walnut, acacia and teak) and a proper finish ultimately will mean less chance of stains, odours or moisture getting trapped in the wood. 

What to do if you're not sure? 

It's always recommended to wash anything you will use with food or beverages before the first use. 

What if the wood smells like varnish or oil?

Sometimes, new wooden kitchenware may still have a slight smell of the sealant when you first get it. A quick rinse by hand under warm water with some dish soap will usually remove any residue or scents from the sealant. If not, it might not be ideal for using with food.  

Priority 3:  Your Preferences and Hopes for the Kitchenware Item(s)

How much do you want to spend?

Of course, the budget for your kitchenware likely will be a higher priority on your list, but since it's different for every person, and something only you will know, we listed it lower down this list of recommendations as 'priority 3'. 

The one recommendation we have related to budget is this:

Wood types, cheap vs expensive: All wooden items can last for literally thousands of years if looked after, but you usually will need to pay more up front to get the best quality wood and build quality. If you want the best of the best, go for black walnut or olive. If you want the best bang for your buck, go for bamboo, maple or acacia. 

• Mass produced vs one of a kind and everything in between: How unique do you want your wooden pieces to be? Something like a wooden spoon or cutting board come in all ranges of production - from produced in the thousands to one of a kind pieces. 

 

Who is the wooden kitchenware/tableware for?

• Is it for you? - What do you really care more about, how it looks and feels vs. how much maintenance you may or may not want to avoid / Is it more of an everyday tool or a conversation piece for special occasions?
  
• Is it for a gift? - What will that person likely use it for / what do you want them to feel when they get the gift from you / what do you want it to symbolise?
• Is it for your kids? - Can the type of wood and the build quality withstand being handled by a child and live up to daily use?

Finally, when should you NOT get wood kitchenware? 

There are some uses in the kitchen where wood is not the best choice. For instance, if you want to be able to wash your cutting board in the dishwasher every time, then wood is not the best option.

Don't choose wood kitchenware in the following scenarios:

• If you want the lowest possible maintenance.
• If you want to wash the item in the dishwasher all the time.
• If it will be exposed to boiling water or steam frequently (steam causes wood to warp, bend and crack over time).
• If it will be soaking for prolonged periods.
• It will be exposed to continuous high heat or direct heat contact (eg something in the oven)
• Highly acidic or alkaline or staining foods
• Sterile / cross-contamination - commercial kitchens
• Precision baking or measuring (eg measuring spoons can change depending on water content)
• Long-term food or liquid storage.
• Outdoor or uncontrolled climate use. 
• When transparency or neutrality matter - serving wine, cocktails, colour-sensitive dishes like some desserts when glass, porcelain or crystal might be better. 

In Summary: Which wood is right for your kitchenware and tableware?

The right wood for your kitchen ultimately depends on how you want to use it, your taste, and any constraints you might have (like availability, ease of maintenance or budget).

Wondrwood Recommendation: Acacia is right in the sweet spot of being reasonably priced, while still being a workhorse, not shy of a day's work when you need it. Acacia also doesn't require too much maintenance, which is why it's even used for outdoor furniture. 

If you prefer a lighter colour or less 'busy' looking wood than acacia, we recommend going for maple, and if you want a darker or more premium look and feel, black walnut is probably your best pick. 

Here's a handy checklist to remember to ask yourself: 

1. What will you be mostly using the item for? - Eg: Serving/eating/cooking/hosting/display/conversation piece.
2. How often will it be used and how much wear and tear will it get/Maintenance.
3. What type of wood do you like the look of?
4. How well is the item made? - Eg: is it a solid piece for a cup or bowl, is it endgrain with a lot of glue, is it smooth or roughly finished?
5. Who will be using it?