Berard 22573 French Olive-Wood Handcrafted Cook's Spoon, 10 Inch,Brown

I got my first Berard olive wood kitchen spoon maybe a decade ago?Since then I've bought many of them for loved ones.New, they come fairly rough-hewn, though by no means lacking in quality. Still, I usually do some passes with sandpaper to soften the edges, wet and dry to raise the grain and more sandpaper to knock it down. And they get oiled now and then.I try not to strip the oils out of the spoon if I can avoid it, so depending on what I was using it for I may just rinse with water and dry.I have various other olive wood utensils, and Berard are the nicest, even just in the quality and look of the wood. I'm not sure why. Perhaps they use better grades of wood? Or season it better?One 12" spoon came with a small crack in the end of the handle, but I was able to eliminate it losing only 1/8" of length.From a usability perspective, the round handle sets these spoons apart from various others. So much more convenient for hand mixing.

I have been using this spoon constantly throughout the past few weeks since I received it. I have nothing but good things to say about it. This is a very sturdy spoon. The "scoop" end is nice and thick; although these are handmade, they are shaped beautifully. The long handle is just the right length for tasks such as stirring pasta in a large pot. You have control, yet it keeps your hand just far enough from the hot water so you don't feel the heat. I have used the spoon to stir spaghetti sauce and it does not stain the spoon. I've used it to stir potato salad and other things that have a thick consistency and everything just rinses right off. It goes without saying that it does not scratch the surface of bowls or pots. When you receive the spoon, it is lightly oiled, but if you use it heavily, like I do, you'll be back to just wood without a shiny finish. The instructions say that you can lightly oil it if you wish. I haven't yet, but even so, there is no splitting or cracking and the wood grain of the olive wood is beautiful. You do have to hand wash it, but that's such a small consolation for such a great product. I plan on buying more of these.

Favorite wooden spoon. 10/10

I like it enough that I just bought a second one. I use if primarily for stirring, the bowl is not offset so it is less convenient for tasting. I often use it to stir eggs I am scrambling in a small nonstick coated fry pan, because the round bowl allows me to get into the corners. Once I use it I immediately rinse it with hot water and rub it with something slightly abrasive such as a wash cloth (or just my fingers). If I think about it I rub a bit of olive oil on it, but if it does deteriorate I would just toss it and buy another. I don't have to worry about the oil going rancid because I use the spoon several times a day. Maybe if it was sitting around for many days mineral oil would be better treatment.Added in review - I just bought a second one. It is fine, I will use it, but it was not made to the same high quality as the first. I ran my thumb along the edge of the bowl and got a small splinter in two spots. Reduced my rating from 5 to 4. Doesn't really affect functionality, but come on, a little better quality control is appropriate.

I have been looking for a "pointy" wooden spoon for ages and not just any spoon but a quality wood spoon. Love it. Years ago I had a lovely pointy spoon from Williams & Sonoma...that is until my boyfriend decided he needed a paint stirrer...yes, ladies, he really did. Yes, and he was punished. Took me years to find another. They are invaluable - don't know why there aren't more. When you stir things you sometimes need to get into the corners - this spoon is perfect.

This wood spoon is perfect! I am very particulate about my cooking items and this is a perfect spoon. Little pricey but well worth it.

Beautiful wood but i guess i fire wrong size because it is tiny. They dont show the sides of bowl but out is 1/4" thick and and shallow. Not what I'm looking for. Returning disapointed

Let me start by saying that I love my Berard utensils and was contemplating yet another purchase when I ran across a number of comments about their pedigree; specifically that the products are made in Tunisia or Albania and not in France. I too was skeptical. After all, aren't I paying top dollar for French artisanship? I decided to contact Berard directly about this matter. Here is the response I received:"To craft our olivewood items, you have to go where the olive trees are grown.  At this time, we are making most of them in Tunisia under the supervision of our French artisans. They determine which item will be made from each piece of wood and so on. As the trees stop bearing fruit, the farmers sell them to us instead of just destroying them so we make great use of them and they’re able to then plant new ones."This explanation settled the matter in my book. The representative stated that the company must be honest about where the products come from and I appreciate that. It makes perfect sense to me that one would go where the raw materials are rather than exporting them from a source country and then importing them into France for production. This practice would result in higher costs (and higher prices for you and me) along with an increased carbon footprint.I've now purchased nine Berard utensils and am awaiting my tenth (the ladel). Each is as beautiful as it is functional. I wouldn't trade them for anything.