Tenderizing Mallet

Contrasting woods pair for a striking striker

You may not realize you need a tenderizing mallet until you’re faced with transforming tough cuts of meat into something more palatable. This handy kitchen utensil is also useful for crushing nuts, garlic cloves, and other vegetables. The mallet head is made of Osage orange because it’s hard, heavy, closed-grain, and rot-resistant. The wood can be tough to cut on a table saw and is prone to splinter when run through a jointer or planer, so use caution. (See Woodsense on p. 56 for more on this species.) Other woods with similar characteristics, such as teak and pear, would also work. The handle is made of maple for its stiffness, durability, and contrasting color. Depending on your needs, you can texture both faces of the head or leave one flat. While this mallet can take a lot of abuse, remember that there’s no need to use it with the force you would to drive nails.

This is a simple project, but it takes patience to pull off some of the details: the textured faces, in particular. The tool requirements are minimal: You’ll need a tape measure and pencil, a drill press with a 1⁄2" brad point bit, a bandsaw, a file, a small spindle sander and/or a rasp. Likewise, the necessary supplies are basic: 60-, 80-, 120-, and 180-grit sandpaper; epoxy adhesive; some clean rags; painter’s tape; and a food-safe finish. Don’t keep the cooks in your life waiting; let’s build.