Care of utility plates and bowls

[Kurt Whitley]

Mike Mahoney only uses turned plates and bowls for eating in his home.

I like the idea of it, but wonder how well it might fit my (and my family's) lifestyle.

I know that these cannot go in the dishwasher, but is there someone who does this that can outline the requirements for care and maintenance?

Thanks,
Kurt

[Frank Kobilsek]

Kurt

I have made several maple plates for full time use at home. They are finshed with Mahoney oil. We eat most meals using these plates. Not having childern our diet is alot of sandwiches and salads so regular hot cooked food is not the normal at our house. Red foods like strawberries and tomatoe sauce has stained the plates some.

Care: If I just have a sandwich I will just wipe off the plate with a damp paper towel. If we have real cooked food the plate gets hand washed in the sink and towel dried. Probably slightly more often than once per year they get another coat of Mahoney oil.

One of our favorite wedding presents is a picnic basket that will include two 'picnic plates' I have turned.

Frank

[Bernie Weishapl]

Kurt I use plates and bowls with cooked foods. We just wash them with warm soapy water, rinse and dry immediately. The key is don't let the dishes sit and let the food get dry and harden on them. After 6 months use I put Mahoney's oil on but now it will be once a year. When I turned them I used Mike Mahoney's walnut oil and then his walnut oil/carnuba wax/beeswax combo after the oil had set a month. No problems so far.

[Jim Becker]

I tend to avoid soap/detergent when washing wooden-ware...not to the point of a "special" sponge, but at least relative to keeping it to a minimum. I find that the mineral oil I use lasts longer between applications that way.

[Reed Gray]

This is the care card that I hand out with the bowls I sell:

This bowl has been finished with Mike Mahoney walnut oil and wax (www.bowlmakerinc.com). These are the best oils I have found to use. You can also use walnut oil from the grocery store. Wipe out well after use, rinse and wash as needed. Hand wash only, do not soak. You can use mild soap or table salt and a wedge of lemon or lime. Rinse well, and air or towel dry. Reapply oil as needed. Wood bowls need to breathe, so don't store in an air tight container.

I have a bowl that I have been using at shows since 1999. It is ash. When new, it was very white. Now it is a beautiful amber color. It has had pastas, pizza, stirfry, sushi, soup, salad, all sorts of Mexican foods, cheese cake, ice cream, burgers, eggs benedict, and generally anything that will fit into a bowl in it. The food booths tend to give you more food when you bring your own bowl, and it makes for good advetising to be eating from your own bowl. General rule of thumb is that it doesn't need washing often. If you feel a little bit of gunky build up on the inside of the bowl, then it is time to wash. If you don't want to use soap on the bowl, then the salt and citrus is a good alternative. Both of them are anti-bacterial, and the salt emulsifys the oils/fats. The inside needs very little treatment as most foods have some oils in them. Avoid oil build up on the wood. Do not store food in them in the refrigerator.

robo hippy