I won a maple cutting board!

[allie]

This was in September. The cutting board was a leftover from a construction job where the customer had maple inset cutting boards in their countertop. It's a solid piece of maple and is sanded smooth. The only thing left to do is season it. I know you're supposed to rub it with oil and read that walnut oil is best for that. I can't find any so was wondering what you all would suggest.

[kuan]

Haha! Good job!

[adamm]

i think you can find walnut oil in the grocery store, im pretty sure i have seen some there. When i was in wood shop class in high school the teacher had the kids that made butcher block tables used olive oil on it, but a different shop teacher said later that this was bad for the wood. Also you might want to check out at a lowes or home depot for food grade finishing oil, i would think they would sell something.

[KYHeirloomer]

Lucky you, Allie. Use it in good health.

How big is the piece you got?

Wooden cutting boards should be maintained with mineral oil. You can buy it as such (often called butcher block oil) and pay big bucks. Or just go to the drugstore where it is sold with the laxatives.

Normal schedule on a new board: Once a week for two months. Once a month for the next six months. Once every six months after that. If the board has gotten exceptional usage (as in a restaurant), more frequent oiling may be called for.

Do not, repeat, NOT put a wooden board in the dishwasher!

[angrybob]

MINERAL OIL. Apply liberally give it several coats over a few days before you use the board. Apply to the entire board. Why mineral oil? It won't go rancid and as KY said it's very inexpensive if you buy it a drug store or discount store. MINERAL OIL IS THE BEST CHOICE.

[allie]

I know I can find mineral oil. I've looked at the three grocery stores in my area but no walnut oil on the shelves with the cooking oils so I just don't think it's available.

It is 9 1/4" wide X 24" long X 1 1/2" thick with all rounded edges.

The irony is that I won the drawing on my birthday!

Thank you for the schedule, KY. Don't worry, I don't even possess a dishwasher and when I had one I was pretty selective about what went in it. My kitchen in this home has no room for one.

[bbay]

personally, i'd just use canola. that's what i've used in the past on wood covered baking tables. let it set in for 12 or so hours. i, myself, wouldn't use mineral oil because i've heard that it ...um... hastens the movements of the bowels.

i may be completely off base, and if i am, i would expect a plethora of people in the know to shoot me down post haste.

but, anyway, that's my 2 cents. if you want to be picky, i might suggest grapeseed oil. other than that, canola.

good luck.

[ANAMERICANWOODW]

TRY A WOODWORKING STORE. SUCH AS WOODCRAFT.
I personally use mineral oil on the boards that i build.

[KYHeirloomer]

Bbay, mineral oil is used as a laxative, the way caster oil used to be. However it takes quite a bit for the effect. There is no way you can injest that much as residual transference to chopped foods.

So if that's your only objection, but it out of your mind. It won't happen.

Mineral oil is the best thing, overall, for your boards when you factor in cost and effectiveness.

An American: I, too, am a builder of custom cutting boards and chopping blocks. The last place I would purchase mineral oil is at Woodcraft, where it's only available as the overly expensive Butcher Block Oil.

[shel]

I'm far from an expert here, however, I do have some small experience using cooking oil for oiling a board, or in my case, a small, custom-built block. I used walnut oil, and some time later, when the block needed oiling again, I used canola or olive oil - don't recall which. The block was really sticky, smelled "rancid" and was un[leaant to the touch. Later on, when the mess was finally cleaned up, I used mineral oilo, and the results were much better - no stickiness, no rancid smell.

I'd go with KY's advice in all things pertaining to wooden boards.

shel

[MikeLM]

My son was a cabinetmaker for several years; he bought a semi-trailer of maple cutoffs from an installer of bowling alleys and made dozens of cutting boards, as well as several handsome cabinets. He researched the oil question extensively. Use USP-grade mineral oil: it's cheap at any drugstore and does not get rancid. Use KYH's schedule and as he says, NEVER in a dishwasher. If it gets too chopped up, you can resurface it with a belt sander and then reseason.

A couple of research papers from the U of Wisconsin Food Sciences department concluded that wood cutting boards were more sanitary than plastic because the wood actively killed bacteria, whereas you had to run the plastic boards through the dishwasher.

Don't use soap on them, either. Rinse in hot water immediately after use, wipe off, and stand on edge to dry. They are better for knife edges, too. There's a review in this month's Cook's Illustrated; they like a bamboo board best, with a wood laminate second and a maple board third.

Their take on the recently-popular glass cutting boards..."horrible."

If you are siezed with a desire to make your own, use hard maple and join with Titebond II or (better) Titebond III glue. Both are FDA-approved for foodservice use.

Mike

[allie]

Thanks for the info everyone! I usually use one of those flimsy, disposable plastic boards for poultry and other meats so will probably continue to do that since I already own them. I just wash them and then sanitize with bleach water. So far we haven't gotten sick! lol

I'll definitely pick up the mineral oil this weekend and get started on my cutting board.

I've never used one of the glass ones. My mom has one but I haven't used hers. I'd heard bad reports on them. I use a large heavy, hard plastic one and I'm not sure if it's any better for your knives. I don't have a really good knife yet but have one that works ok for now. Maybe for Christmas? LOL

[bbay]

good to know.

wikipedia:
Mineral oil or liquid petrolatum is a by-product in the distillation of petroleum to produce gasoline. It is a transparent, colorless oil composed mainly of alkanes (typically 15 to 40 carbons) [1] and cyclic paraffins, related to white petrolatum. Mineral oil is a substance of relatively low value, and it is produced in very large quantities. Mineral oil is available in light and heavy grades, and can often be found in drug stores.

sounds kind of gross, but i've got to question myself about the useage of vegetable oil. a rancid baker's table is unforgivable.
thanks for the information. will take it to heart.