[lobster]

I was given a very nice covered cake stand that I've not used yet. It has a heavy one-piece glass dome, and the base is solid wood (some type of hardwood) that rotates on ball bearings. The problem is the wood gives off a 'woody' scent - not particularly unpleasant, but won't the scent be transferred to whatever is stored in it? I've coated the wood with cutting board 'oil', but the scent remains. Any ideas on how to 'fix' this? thanks..

[Katherine]

Use a glass plate as a, or buy a new pedestal. You can buy one without a dome.

[W.DeBord]

I've worked a little with wood in my former life.....anyway, as I see it using oil leaves the wood "open". Open to breath, dry out, get stained and to give off it's natural scent. You can seal wood better using a heavy wax and polishing it with a buffer, but then that needs to be repeated in time and it won't totally seal off the scent.

The total solution is polyurathane, they're so advanced now that it's had to notice them on the surface and much easier to work with them they were a few years back. It completely seals the surface and makes it very durable. If you buy one with a mat finish you won't be able to tell it's on the wood. Once it dries they'll be no scent but your cake!

Talk to a person at the hardware store, some products are easier to apply then others.

[momoreg]

On the contrary, mineral oil is a way to keep cutting boards from cracking.

And is polyurethane food safe??

[Katherine]

They make food-safe wood sealers.

[momoreg]

That's good to know.

[lobster]

Thanks for all the useful tips... I'll investigate the food-safe wood sealants.