I purchased an entire set of your hand-made maple kitchen tools many years ago at The Home Show in Toronto. 
These wonderful utensils have seen many years of baking and are still like brand new.
Sincerely, Katherine Murray, Pickering, Ontario, winter 2010.

Over 98% of returns are caused by misuse.  The following are the major causes of damage to wooden cooking tools:

“The dog ate it”.
Seriously. About 25% of damage is caused by dogs. Keep wooden cooking tools away from your dog. Littledeer utensils remind your dog of all the good foods you have cooked that either have, or have not made it to the dish on the floor. It’s a tasty treat.

“It’s stained”.
Many markings in maple are natural—part of the wood.  Think about how the mark got there, and what it says about the history of the tree.
Maple resists cooking stains much better than softwoods, like pine.  If a stain is the result of cooking tomatoes, blueberries or curry, a few hand washings and dryings will even out the color. If you feel the need to remove a cooking stain, see our Product Care page.

“It’s burned”.
Wood may be the original cooking utensil, but it is also the original fuel. For example, the Sprongs can be used on the barbeque, using moderate flame. The utensils should not be in direct contact with heat for any length of time.

“It’s grey”.
Someone may have accidentally put it through the dishwasher or left it in the sink with bleach. Even if it’s grey and dry, it will continue to work just fine. If you want it to look pretty again, just sand and polish it. Repeated dishwashing could cause cracking. 

“It’s chipped”.
Chips can usually be filed and sanded, which then makes the utensil unique.  Wooden tools—especially “weighted” ones like the Wedge may chip if dropped from a height onto a hard surface such as a ceramic floor.  Maple is hard and can withstand most falls, but occasionally an edge will chip. The other way paddles get chipped is by tapping them on the edge of a pot or pan. If you must tap, do so at the shoulder of the utensil, where the wood is designed to be sturdy—not on the more delicate working edge.

“It’s cracked”.
Rarely does a hairline crack remain imperceptible through our many-step production and quality-control process. Cracks may appear later if your house is very dry, or if the utensil has dried very quickly in direct sun or the dishwasher. If it’s a small crack, sand it away before it enlarges. If a crack is substantial, the utensil may need to be replaced.

Miscellaneous
You would be amazed at the creative uses people come up with for these utensils. We are not responsible for damage to utensils caused by chipping ice off the windshield, wedging open a window, teasing a terrier, or any other non-food-related uses.

For more on how to care for your tools see our Product Care page. You can also review our Returns & Refunds policy.