Quel bois choisir pour vos ustensiles en bois ?

You cannot wait to discover which woods you should avoid for your utensils, and which are recommended to cook... Read our article to learn more about it! 

1. Toxic woods for your wooden utensils

Wood is a great material that nature and trees offer us on a daily basis. However, not all wood is suitable for all purposes. 

Some have a defence system, a storage of toxic substances in the heartwood (the dead wood of the tree, which is used).  

That's why, before choosing your kitchen utensil, make sure you use healthy wood that doesn't expose your whole family to danger in the long run and that it has a long life span.

   a. Woods that contain toxic substances

Here is a list of woods to avoid because they contain toxic substances such as arsenic, cyanide and other substances that are dangerous for you:

• Yew

• Laurel

• Robinia

• Fruit trees (cherry tree, plum tree, apricot tree, …)

• Cedar

• Maple 

• Junipar

• Elder tree 

• Spindle tree

• Privet

• Chestnut tree 

Nothing but that...

   b. Woods that contain tannin

Other woods do not necessarily contain toxic substances but do contain tannin. Tannin is not only unhealthy, it also darkens the wood over time. 

Using a spoon that turns black and looks dirty is not suitable for cooking. Here is a list of tree species to avoid :

• Oak

• Walnut tree

• Chestnut 

• Sumac

• Hawthorn

• Willow

2. The perfect woods for your wooden utensils

Although the list above may be scary, there are many more species that are perfect for your wooden utensils and will look great in your kitchen. 

I advise you to choose for wood that has not undergone any treatment. To make sure that it is untreated f you want to make it yourself, you should buy it directly from the sawmill. 

In addition, it will be cheaper because there will be one less intermédiate step!

   a. Woods that are suitable for all types of food

Here is a summary of the types of wood to be used for all types of food:

• Charming wood 

• Ash 

• Fir tree

• Spruce

• Douglas

• Pine

• Plane tree

• Alder

• Olive (my favourite, the most beautiful one)

• Birch  

   b. Woods for solid food

For solid food, there are certain tree species that we recommend more than others: 

• Hêtre

• Orme

• Peuplier

Sans hésiter, choisir du bois pour vos ustensiles de cuisine, c’est une des meilleurs option mais pas n’importe lequel. Nos conseils vous permettent de privilégier le meilleur bois mais surtout d’éviter ceux qui représentent un danger! A vous de faire le bon choix. 

A bientôt,