Why I don’t leave the wooden spoon soaking in the sink

After supper the wooden spoon lies in the sink “to soak” under soapy water. Easy: the wood drinks, it splits along the grain, it smells of soap, the handle turns rough. I wash the spoon at once, rinse it, and stand it to dry — I don’t leave it floating in the sink until morning.

Why I don’t leave the wooden spoon soaking in the sink. Taking the spoon out of the pot so the lid sits is about the simmer now; a clean spoon for tasting soup is about flavour; a cloth that should smell of soap is about the tap. Here it is only wood after washing: dry, not swollen in a puddle — not a speech about a new set of spoons from the aisle.

If it already soaked — I take it out, rinse without a scourer on the grain, dry it upright, I don’t hide a split “for one more use”. I’m not choosing a new “unbreakable” spoon in this note — only the one already by our hob.

I don’t need to save a minute at the cost of a cracked spoon. I need dry wood after the wash. In your kitchen is the wooden spoon dried upright — or already left soaking in the sink?