I can add little to the discussion.  Most of the pertinent information has been added and discussed. 

What is important is hygiene, washing and caring for the wood board, or any board, as it should be.  Simple washing with dishwashing detergent and warm water after cutting raw meats will do wonders.  A spray of Clorox and water or vinegar and water will go a long way to avoid problems.  JUST DO SOMETHING!  I have customers who do nothing and I wonder why I don't see their names in an obituary or at least the hospital records.

Wood can't go in the DW. The high heat will warp the wood and melt even waterproof glue.  (The glues can stand up to water but not persistent heat.)

Wood is not, repeat, is not anti-bacterial.  It doesn't kill the bugs, just sucks them into the wood fibers where they die from a lack of moisture.  Wood is easier on the edges than glass, stone, nylon, composite or other harder types of materials. 

Stains can be removed with peroxide.  Odors like onion and garlic can be removed with baking soda

Just wash the darn thing in detergent and warm water, dry thoroughly and oil as needed and it will last for years.

I don't want the maintenance of a regular duty wood board. I happen to agree that plastic + bleach = no bacteria. I had read somewhere that either polypropylene or polyethylene was better, but now can't recall which. Anyone know which is better on knife edges?

Plastic + dishwasher= no bacteria.  Not much difference between the two plastics as far as edge retention goes.

Thanks for the reply, however I did read where one was better than another for edge retention. Should have written this down...

They're both bad for edges.  Not only do they blunt, but they promote chipping as well.  Most people have at least some torque in their chopping and mincing action.  Any plastic soft enough to scratch will grip the edge, that means a lot of lateral force when the knife is twisted, which in turn causes deformation and chipping. 

If you gotta you gotta.  Don't worry about it, make the best of it.  But if you're serious about maintaining your knives, you won't use plastic. End-grain wood is the best option.

It's pretty simple keeping a board sanitary without the dishwasher. It's only an issue if you lack good work habits or are unreasonably afraid of "germs."

BDL

or are unreasonably afraid of "germs."

In which case you shouldn't be working with raw foods in the first place. So "which board?" become academic at best.

Quote:

Originally Posted by boar_d_laze 

 

 

It's pretty simple keeping a board sanitary without the dishwasher. It's only an issue if you lack good work habits or are unreasonably afraid of "germs."

 

BDL

Maybe I'm just thinking too commerical here.  Many times when I use a cutting board, it's for boning out meat or fish, and when I do this, I like to enough of that particular item to make my time worthwhile.  And they do get grungy after boning out 4 or 6 chickens or fileting 3 or 4 h/on salmon.  I like to use the back of the knife to scrape of most of the grunge, hose it down, and toss it into the d/washer.

boar_d_laze you make a point. And my Shun looks just that way. Be darned... I sure learned something. Thanks for that.

How safe is the mineral oil in the wood boards?

QUOTE:

According to the National Toxicology Program, unrefined or mildly refined mineral oil is a known carcinogen due to the presence of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, which naturally occur in coal and petroleum. PAHs have been linked to various cancers, including scrotal, gastrointestinal, sinonasal, bladder and lung cancer. (reference 5) Mineral oil used for cosmetic purposes is highly refined to remove PAHs, but the U.S. Food and Drug Administration requires that some over-the-counter products containing mineral oil display a warning label. Consumer advocacy groups such as the Environmental Working Group advise exercising caution when using products containing mineral oil until more conclusive research is available.

Read more: http://www.livestrong.com/article/151529-negative-effects-of-mineral-oil-in-skin-care/#ixzz18hUJGWge

Quote:

Originally Posted by CairoBoy 

How safe is the mineral oil in the wood boards?

Stick with "food grade", then no problems!
 

Unrefined or mildly refined mineral oil is mainly used for hydraulic fluid and is usually dyed to make it different.  Mineral oil sold in stores and labeled as "USP" or "Laxative" is highly refined and designated food safe by the FDA and others.  The study you refer to is just another case of alarmist writing meant to scare people and further a particular point of view or raise money for their cause.   

As a wise man once said, "Believe only half of what you read and nothing of what you hear".

David, no disrespect meant, but that sort of sweeping dismissal as alarmist paranoia isn't justifiable in my mind. I'm not sure the Livestrong organization is scaring donations out of us, per say.

There apparently are known carcinogens in less processed mineral oil. I don't hink that's contested. So the question I have is how much of these problematic compounds exist in the more refined food grade oil.

The fact that the FDA says it's OK today does not at all mean that the FDA will still approve in 20 years.This is probably the best advice in my opinion: ..."exercising caution when using products containing mineral oil until more conclusive research is available.

Does anyone use coconut oil? Non-hydrogenated. I read where some treat their boards with this. " Dorw''  dwsd

Sani-Tuff boards seem like the answer. Not much to look at, but perform the same as end grain wood from what most people say online. Much less expensive and can be thrown in the dishwasher. Sanded later if you like.

No matter what people online say, chopping one rib of celery will convince you that Sani-Tuff is not wood's equal. Unsurprisingly the feel of the knife on the board is like metal on hard rubber.  In addition, Sani-Tuff scars and NEEDS frequent sanding.  Sani-Tuff is easier on your knives than plastic, but it's unpleasant.

Really, you don't have to be afraid of wood boards.  Keeping them clean isn't difficult.  I never found it particularly onerous to wipe my wood board down in the middle of a volume task, nor did I ever find it a good idea to just soldier on chicken after chicken on plastic.  Also, you have to sanitize the one as often as the other. 

I certainly can't guarantee that food grade mineral oil as a wood-preservative won't ever cause harm to anyone under any circumstances, but your fears seem to me to be overblown.  If baby laxatives were that bad my generation would have perished long ago, there are a worse things floating around.

Trust me, I'm a lawyer.

BDL

Uhhh.. how much mineral oil would one have to consume in order to test fortvarious cancers?

Carcinognic? Most smoked foods are:  bacon, ham, sausages, cheeses, heck I make a wicked smoked onion soup.

No one's drinking the stuff by the quart, are they?

If you absolutely have to, use olive oil.  Unlike most other vegetable oils, it won't go "gummy" when exposed to air.  It will eventually go ranacid, however.

Beeswax is pretty inert, makes a good furniture polish too.  Many mnfctrs make a special "Butcherblock wax" which is nothing more than beewax thinned out with--- you guessed it, mineral oil.

I appreciate everyone's opinions. I won't argue the merits or risks associated with ingesting petroleum products. I will simply say that it is unfortunately part of the American culture to be trusting of manufacturer's health risk claims.

I had heard from reputable sources that the Sani-Tuff is easy on knife edges like wood. I appreciate BDL's perspective about the feel of the cut.

I'd still like to know if anyone on this forum uses coconut oil on wood boards. Other forums / websites talk quite favorably about it. I believe it would last better / longer than other oils (even olive).

I'd be more convinced to use wood boards if I could avoid the mineral oil. But that's just me.

Thanks again for the replies.

ON a related note, I have heard fantastic things about BoardSmith boards. Better and less expensive than Boos.

Quote:

Originally Posted by CairoBoy 

ON a related note, I have heard fantastic things about BoardSmith boards. Better and less expensive than Boos.

When I bought my board about 2 years ago, the Boo was less expensive than the BoardSmith. It was for a 12x18x2 maple butcher block. I love my Boo! But never tried a BoardSmith.
 

PS: I've used SaniTuff quite a lot, and they really don't compare to wood. Not at all.

Quote:

Originally Posted by CairoBoy cancers, including scrotal

Well, you got my attention :)

Quote:

Originally Posted by boar_d_laze Trust me, I'm a lawyer.

There's five words I never expected to see together in a serious tone :).

What do you think of Acacia for use in an end grain board?

Had one for a bit now, and seems to be OK so far.

Could this be too hard?