Australian mum tests out Matt Preston’s wooden spoon cleaning trick

A mum-of-two has revealed why you should always deep clean your wooden spoon after she discovered cooking oils lurking inside it.

Chantel Mila, from Melbourne, shared a TikTok video showing herself testing out former MasterChef judge Matt Preston’s cleaning method of soaking used wooden spoons in a cup of boiling water.  

The simple kitchen trick involves soaking the spoons in boiling water for up to 20 minutes to see what oils seep out of the wood.

Much to her surprise, she found a layer of cooking oil appear on top of the water.

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‘When was the last time you deep cleaned your wooden spoon?’ Chantel said.

‘According to Matt Preston, his method is to remove the accumulation of cooking oils over the years. It was amazing to see how much was hidden in there.

‘Hot water releases cooking oils trapped in the spoon. The hidden oil will float to the surface. The soaking helps deep clean inside the wood while usual washing only washes the outside.’

The celebrity food critic came up with the ‘wooden spoon test’ five years ago to help home cooks determine whether or not it’s time to bin their wooden spoon. 

‘On the surface a perfect present but stick an old one in a cup of boiling water to see what fate awaits all wooden spoons. Give it a sniff. Phew, stinky! And you were going to stir your custard with that,’ Preston said in a December 2016 piece for Delicious.

‘Ask for a $10 silicon spatula instead. They’re hygienic, heat-resistant and flexible, so they are great for getting into the corner of a pan or getting every last skerrick out of a bowl.’

Those who attempted the method at home were left disgusted after noticing a heavy layer of cooking oil appear on top of the water within minutes. 

‘This one is going into the bin. A tip I learned from Matt Preston years ago. Does anyone soak their wooden spoons in boiling water? one woman said in a Facebook group in June last year.

‘Mine always go into the dishwasher every night but that doesn’t stop what gets absorbed. Revolting really.’

Last year, a group of home cooks made a revolting discovery after soaking their wooden spoons in a cup of boiling water, with many sharing their results.

‘Has anyone tried the “Matt Preston” hack with their wooden spoons? Soak in a cup of boiling water… I do it every week,’ one woman said, along with a picture of her cloudy water after soaking the spoons.

Another woman said: ‘I find [wooden spoons] have a funky taste if they have been soaked in water so I just grab cheap ones often, chuck them out after a few uses or else the taste leaches into foods or they crack.’ 

But some were not convinced by the wooden spoon, with one saying: ‘I haven’t died yet…’, while another said: ‘Nor me, I keep mine for years.’ 

One woman said she has been using wooden spoons for almost 50 years.

‘No one has been sick from it. I just wash and dry it,’ she said.

Another mother said: ‘Love my wooden spoons… won’t cook with anything else. I’ve always pre-washed and into a dishwasher or just hand washed really well. We’ve survived 15 years so far and my kids seem fine. 

‘I’ve even cooked some commercial items with wooden spoons and everyone has lived to tell the tale… I use silicone only for mixing baking items.’ 

Others revealed how they clean their own wooden spoons and boards at home.

‘I never soak my wooden spoon or boards. They get washed straight away with hot soapy water and put on a dish rack to air dry completely,’ one said.

Another suggested soaking or dishwashing wooden spoons will ‘open the cells in the wood and trap food and bacteria… according to my old home economics teacher’.

And one woman said: ‘Lay it in the sun instead. Sun does wonders for bacteria on cooking utensils and chopping boards.’