A Lasting Gift from the Last Frontier

Since 1991, The Great Alaskan Bowl Company is proud to continue the 150+ year American tradition of milling wooden bowls in Alaska. Our equipment is designed from machinery developed in the late 1800’s in the North-Eastern United States. Alaskan Birch hardwood bowls are created from freshly cut, select trees 13” in diameter or larger. Harvesting 3-5 trees per acre, the fresh “green” logs (at 40-60% moisture content) are cut to length and split for turning. This process allows us to cut up to 8 solid one-piece bowls from a single split log section. These deep and functional bowls range from 7” to 22” in diameter and nest for easy storage. Freshly cut bowls are then sorted and stacked in our progressive kiln, beginning the most critical step in the production process.  The kiln monitors both heat and humidity and over the course of a week, lowering the moisture content of the bowls to less than 10%. Each bowl is then individually sanded, inspected, and branded before being hand dipped in block oil. Our 22 individual production steps bring you these beautiful, functional, and solid one-piece Alaskan Birch bowls. As your bowls age over time, they will develop a warm, rich patina that with proper care, will last for generations.

Care and Feeding of Your Bowls

Before you use any bowl for food preparation or serving, season them by applying a light coat of kitchen grade block oil inside and around the bowl with your hands or a rag, once a day for about a week. You are allowing the “thirsty” wood to absorb the good oil so that it resists absorbing dressings, butter, juices, etc. during normal use. Seasoning is a one-time process and oiling can be done on an as needed basis after that. Get to know your wood! The more you use your wooden bowls the more you will grow to truly appreciate their unique character and beauty. You will also be able to tell when they need “touch-up” oiling which helps prolong their life.

Suitable block oils range in name and ingredients and may be used on any wooden utensils or cutting boards. The key is to look for block oils that are food-safe, but more refined than food-grade oils like vegetable and olive oils. We are always stocked with Homewood Block Oil if you need to purchase additional bottles in the store, online or over the phone.

Never place your wooden bowls in an oven, freezer, microwave, or dishwasher. Avoid leaving woodenware sitting in a sink or other location where it may get splashed regularly or allowed to stand in water or soak with water inside. Care of your wooden bowls is quite simple—just hand wash them after use in warm, soapy water, rinse, and allow to dry upside down. Apply a light coat of block oil when bowls feel or appear dry.

Individual Bowl Care & Information

Laser Engraved Bowls & Boards should have special care to maintain their engraving. To limit fading keep out of direct sunlight and limit washing of laser engraving. While the image itself will slowly lighten over time, the engraving itself will last the life of the product.

Photo Bowls, Burl Bowl Sets & Original Art Bowls are lacquered either on the outside of the bowl or both the inside and the outside. This is to protect the laser engraved image and the original artwork on the bowl or in the case of burls, to feature the beauty of the woodgrain. Please note that this lacquer is not food safe and bowls with lacquer on the inside should only be used for display. If a bowl is lacquered on the exterior and oiled on the inside; it can be used for food and oiled on the inside as needed. Please keep these items out of direct sunlight to protect their photo engravings and artwork, and limit fading.

Knotty but Nice Bowls include a greater amount of burling and grain twisting in the wood offering deep rich tones and grain patterns. Knots found in these bowls are the result of the cross section cutting of a branch which was growing out of the standing tree. While you may have to avoid their use for pastas or salads, these are still wonderful vessels for a wide variety of dry goods to include rolls, popcorn, fruit, nuts, and potpourri.

Uses for your bowls…

A 7” Round Bowl Holds:

1 pint of ice cream

Or

44 birch caramel candies

Or

213 cashews

Or

2 cups of moose chili

Or

17,280 grains of uncooked rice

A 9” Round Bowl Holds:

6 cups of popped corn

Or

1 large salad serving

Or

1000 Alaskan wild blueberries

Or

818 jellybeans

Or

1 household of keys

An 11” Round Bowl Holds:

1 batch of sourdough pancake batter

Or

4 apples, 3 oranges, 2 pears and a bunch of bananas

Or

6 servings of salad

Or

12 cups of popped corn

Or

2 weeks of your neighbor’s mail while they’re on vacation

A 13” Round Bowl Holds:

3 lbs. of pretzels

Or

1 epic Caesar salad

Or

24 cups of pasta

Or

5 lbs. of Halloween candy

Or

A triple batch of cookie dough

A 15” Round Bowl holds 48 cups

A 17” Round Bowl holds 72 cups

A 19” Round Bowl holds 114 cups