Gramma picked up a cutting board at a garage sale a couple of years ago. It’s made of unfinished birch or maple with some “homey” stuff woodburned onto the surface. I know nothing about cutting boards that aren’t plastic. She was told that in order to use it and keep it she needs to seal it with something, so it’s been sitting in her cabinet for three years because she’s afraid to use it
So. Does she need to seal it? If so, what should she use?
Man would I love to know the answer to this…
We just bought a house, and I really want to change the cutting board, which as it stands, is a peice of what looks like CDX plywood.
I was looking at some wood just last weekend at (insert big box home improvement store name here) and wondering if I made it myself, what I would finish it with…
Anyone?
Anyone?
You can seal wooden cutting boards simply by rubbing them down with an edible oil about once a week. I’ve used olive oil, peanut oil and mineral oil. I just ran a quick check to make sure I was right about this, and found this cite:
I wash my wooden cutting boards with hot soapy water, and if I’ve cut something “stinky” (like garlic) on it, I will also wipe it down with vinegar to get rid of the odor and sterilize it.
AKAIK there is no way to seal wood that does not involve the use of a varnish like substance,. Such a finish could not withstand the blade of a knife. I have a wooden cutting board that I routinely clean, let dry completely, and rub with olive oil.
Wooden cutting boards are breeding grounds for bacteria. Too much exposure to water softens the wood and all sorts of nasy critters can grow in the cracks. Cleanup with a bleach solution is best.
The dangers of wood cutting boards is overstated – some studies have even shown they have fewer bacteria than plastic ones.
I use food-grade mineral oil to season my cutting boards. You can find it at any upscale kitchen store.
Places like Bed Bath and Beyond also sell cutting board oil. More expensive perhaps than plain mineral oil, but you know it won’t go rancid like veggie oils, and you know it doesn’t have any toxic additives.
I’ve also used food grade paraffin wax (canning wax), rubbing it into the wood then rubbing it back off again. That’s vigorous work, though.
The food grade mineral oil is the best way, you can also buy it at drugstores where it’s sold for laxative purposes. Oil it once a day for a week, once a week for a month, and once a month for the rest of its life.
Olive oil? Eeek, it goes rancid. Yucky. Peanut oil will not go rancid, but I think you’d be better off with mineral oil.
even plain old canola oil will work too. Do it on a weekly basis, like after cutting the vegetables after the Saturday dinner prep and you are golden.
// minor hijack //
olive oil goes rancid??? damn, news to me. i’ve used it for YEARS to oil all my saddles and other tack. does a great job, absorbs well, doesn’t get gummy, doesn’t overly-darken leather, doesn’t leave dark patches on clothing. and i’ve never noticed any funkiness or rancidity in all this time.
in fact, we’ve specifically used it simply because we were under the impression it DIDN’T turn rancid.
i’m somewhat unconvinced.
// end hijack //
Yeah, I;ve never had a problem with olive oil. But then again, my cutting boards are in daily use, usually several times a day, so maybe it never gets a chance to go rancid around me.
Olive oil can definitely go rancid. I shudder every time I pass outdoor tables of an Italian restaurant with bottles of Olive Oil sitting in sunlight. :ugh: If you’re using it for non-edible purposes (ie. saddles & tack) I don’t imagine it would be an issue, since olive oil’s “off” smell is very subtle. Often I have a hard time discerning whether a bottle is rancid or not, so unless it’s been stored in the refrigerator I just assume it is.
Most people eat rancid olive oil without knowing it. I suppose it’s not great for you, but it won’t kill you either (IANAD). Ideally, Olive Oil should be stored away from light in a very cool place (like the fridge). Exposure to light and heat will turn it quickly. I tried to do this for years but I kept forgetting to take it out ten minutes early to “thaw” before I needed to use it, so I just take my chances keeping it in the cupboard.
As far as a cutting board goes, definitely FOOD GRADE
…is the way to go.
:smack: hit the wrong button. Sorry about the aborted post…
Mineral oil, that is. Carry on, then.
Wow, I’ve never seasoned a cutting board in my life. I use 'em, clean 'em, and store 'em. Usually rinse/wash, with bleach if it needs disinfecting. Never had any problems.
Why do they need to be seasoned?
Seasoning prevents the wood from eventually drying out and cracking or splitting. It also helps prevent bacteria from working its way deep down into the board and making itself at home.
From Hawk’s Staff Report What’s better, a wooden cutting board or a plastic one?
My brother is a chef, and one who is really into the technical, chemical, biochemical natures of everything cooking (I wish he would write a book.) According to my long distant memory, he said that wooden cutting boards are better than plastic because they have an enzyme that kills bacteria and such. Though as a chef his personal favorite is a rubber cutting board, as it is nicer on knives (and presumably gets cleaned multiple times a day so bacteria isn’t an issue.) Though he said that you can only order the rubber ones from a kitchen supply place and that they are all bright green–so not that pretty.
Which…seems to be exactly what he said.