I don't think I'd want wax in my food.

I've never waxed or oiled wooden spoons and boards. Won't it just come off when you wash them?

I hadn’t known that wax for wood boards and utensils was a thing so I’ve learned something already this morning. This guide seems reasonable:

https://kitchensterling.com/is-wood-wax-food-safe/—— link does not seem to work but can search it—-

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Beeswax?

I will sometimes use olive oil on wooden kitchen items, and you can melt it with beeswax. For years, I made my own skin balm/butter that way.

My father made wood bowls and cutting boards and used oils and waxes on them. They sink in and are good for the wood. Boos Bros cutting board conditioner is very good for heavy use. Father used neat's foot oil to finish many things, but for wax for a spoon I agree about beeswax. The issue with fruit oils, like olive, is that they go rancid and smell bad.

I ended up doing some research and found one on A-zon that got a lot of great reviews, so ordered. It's part beeswax and part food grade mineral oil. I thought I would probably be paying more for Boos, just for the name. It arrived today, but haven't had time to open or use it yet.

I use mineral oil for my cutting board, it's food grade. Never had a problem with using it. But....another experience I had: read an article once about using a piece of walnut and rubbing it into your cutting board. I tried it, the board looked amazing, smelled like walnuts...then in about 7 days it got a rancid smell.

Brazilian carnauba wax the the best to use for wooden kitchen utensils and wooden bowls. The cheapest place to buy it is a surf shop.

Thanks, Lars! I will look for that.

Lars have YOU tried this wax? I own a pile of wood cutting boards and I've never tried it. Wax comes off....in your food...as someone pointed out...yet YOUR recommending it...?

@Lars, is it hard to apply being a harder wax and am assuming it lasts longer than the softer combo?

I've used it for surf boards. ;) I wouldn't think carnauba wax would be great for spoons you're using. My father also used tung oil. For something you're going to be washing, oil will be a lot easier. After a trip to the soap and hot water (though I'd use the safe to eat, environmentally friendly soap, not a grease-fighter), just put a couple of drops on a soft rag (like worn out men's white cotton undershirt), and quickly rub the bowl of the spoon, then the back and shaft. Just touch up the finish, and it'll stay nice. Waxes need to be reapplied, but don't lend themselves as easily to the quick dab method.

Food grade caranuba is one of the waxes commonly used on produce like apples and cucumbers as well as other food applications. I don't think the stuff found at surf and auto shops is considered food grade, but it would need to be 100% caranuba at least. I know sometimes waxes have other stuff in them if they aren't actually food grade.

I have used carnauba wax for wooden bowls that I have. I also use an electric buffer when I polish the bowls and chopping boards after applying the wax. I have bought wooden bowls and chopping boards that were finished with carnauba wax, and some chopping boards even came with small samples of carnauba wax for touch-ups.

If you have trouble with it, you can buy it in chips and heat it up to make it easier to apply. If you want, you can mix it with beeswax. You might be able to mix mineral oil with it after it has been heated, but I have not tried that.

I have bought 100% canauba wax at surf shops and have used that on both bowls and chopping boards. It makes a very hard finish, which is why it looks better after it has been buffed.

I use beeswax or mineral oil on wooden spoons, as they are more difficult to buff. I do not like tung oil because it can leave a sticky finish, but I've only used that on table tops. However, you can buy carnauba wax that is mixed with tung oil, and it is easier to apply, if you do not mind tung oil:

If YOU believe everything you see on the internet....I would NOT want to add wax to my food....

I add food grade wax to chocolate when I make chocolate turtles so that the chocolate will note melt in my hand:

This is the same paraffin that my grandmother used when she was canning preserves.

I checked my carauba wax and discovered that some of it was diluted, but it was in unmarked containers. The pure carnauba wax requires a machine to apply it, such as a turning machine used by wood turners.

Here is another brand that is mixed with tung oil and beeswax, which might be what was in the unlabeled containers that I have.

Small amounts of wax can get into the preserves. I only use small amounts when I add it to chocolate, and I very seldom eat chocolate.

I have seen wax particles that have gotten into the preserves, as wax can chip off when the solid disc is removed. This is why food grade paraffin must be used.

Rules of thumb:

Don't do electrical work in the rain.

Don't wear gold while doing electrical work.

Do wear rubber soled shoes while doing electrical work.

Do I know people who have survived ignoring these without misadventure? Yes,

Does that mean they should be emulated? No. Absolutely not.

Rule of thumb: Use food safe products with food.