Food Safe Finish

[keels]

Christmas is just around the corner so I decided to make cutting boards as Christmas presents.

What type of food safe finish do you guys recommend for these?

Thanks, Ryan

[Beamer]

For cutting boards, specifically, I suggest Mineral Oil

Most any finish is food-safe once fully cured. It's the solvents you don't wanna eat - but they're all gone once it's fully cured (2-3 weeks, usually). But for a cutting board, since it's going to see knifing and slicing, a film-based finish is not a good idea since it'll just flake away in short order.

You can get mineral oil from the drug store

[keels]

Thanks! I'll give it a try.

Just had a thought ... I glued all the cutting boards together with regular wood glue. Is that food safe?

[Beamer]

food safe, yes - not terribly water-proof, though. You might be fine, but do keep an eye out for separation

[TDHofstetter]

I second the mineral oil. Reapply it periodically... when it comes to you to reapply it.

Best to use a waterproof glue, given that a cutting board sees a lot of washing.

[Joe Lyddon]

Yep... Mineral Oil it is...

... and, if you ever have a constipation problem, you can take a swig or two... it works good for that too! ;D ;D

[sachbvn]

I've used mineral oil and "salad bowl finish" both.... (not at the same time hehe)

I've had good results with both, mineral oil is completely "food safe" straight outta the bottle - so - that may be the safest bet, though I honestly would not at all be concerned using a finish that had solvent in it - it will cure and then be gone.... plus the amount you'd possible consume is so small.... but..... to be on the safe side - I understand, it may be best to go with mineral oil.

I will advise - the first time I used it - I ended up putting way too much on.... it saturated the board all the way through and it left the board greasy feeling for days.... a week or more.... I wrapped it in a towel and let it sit.... periodically rubbing it with the towel. This took care of the problem - worked just find!!

I'd strongly recommend going with either Titebond II or III in the future - just to be on the safe side. Also - when washing the board - dry it with a towel and then stand it up on it's side until it dries - it does have the possibility to warp/cup if layed flat when wet.


Zac

[dicklaxt]

Yep ,Mineral Oil,,,,,hands down,with a small printed card of how to care for directions.

dick

[keels]

Joe - so thats a shot of mineral oil for the board ... shot for me ... shot for the board ....

Thanks for the glue advice Zac. I cut the boards on the glue lines last night and prepared them for joining. I'm getting glue today so I'll definitely buy the Titebond.

Dick - great idea about the card. And now, with all the help on this board I know what to print on it

Thanks again!

Ryan

[Doug B]

Ryan, one year I made a whole bunch of cutting boards for Christmas gifts for friends and family. I liked using Titebond III for them and the following is what I printed out and included with the cutting boards:

I made this cutting board out of Maple (the light colored wood) and Walnut (the dark colored wood). A rule of thumb I have heard is to apply mineral oil to the cutting board once a day for a week, once a week for a month, and once a month forever. I have already put several coats of mineral oil on your cutting board, but it soaks it up pretty quickly and will need some more before long.

I also found the following information concerning wooden cutting boards on the internet, which may be helpful.

I hope you enjoy the cutting board I made especially for YOU!

Doug

Maintaining and Sanitizing Cutting Boards
Wooden boards need oiling once a week to seal the grain against bacteria. An oil finish helps to prevent the wood from cracking or pulling apart at the seams. Use a product that is (1) edible; and (2) tasteless. USP-grade mineral oil is a popular choice as it is the cheapest pure food-grad oil you can buy (do not use vegetable or olive oil because it can turn rancid). Before applying oil to butcher block, warm the oil slightly. Apply oil with a soft cloth, in the direction of the grain, allowing the oil to soak in. Allow oil to soak in a few minutes, then remove all surface oil with a dry, clean cloth.
IMPORTANT: Whichever kind of cutting board you use, clean it frequently with hot soapy water. Sanitize both wood and plastic cutting boards with a diluted vinegar solution consisting of a one to five dilution of vinegar. Flood the surface with the vinegar solution and allow it to stand for several minutes, then rinse and air dry or pat dry with paper towels.
Wood vs. Plastic Cutting Boards
Did you know that wood cutting boards are the safest to use? For some reason, bacteria have a tougher time surviving on wood boards. Most people are surprised to hear that a wood cutting board may be more resistant to bacterial buildup than plastic ones.
Research has shown that bacteria, such as the salmonella often found on raw chicken, will thrive and multiply if not removed from plastic boards (because germs that cause food poisoning can hide out in the knife-scarred nooks and crannies that develop on the surface of a plastic cutting board). Hand scrubbing with hot water and soap can clear microbes from the surface of new or used wooden cutting boards and new plastic ones, but knife-scared plastic boards are resistant to decontamination by hand washing.
On wood boards, whether they are new or have been used for years, the bacteria dies off within 3 minutes. Researchers theorize that the porous surface of the wood surface of the wooden boards deprives the bacteria of water, causing them to die.


Edit in: Oh yeah, I also gave them a bottle of butcher block oil that I found at Home Depot, which is really just some thin mineral oil.

That was what I found that worked best on my cutting boards - the mineral oil from the grocery store was thick and sticky

[Joe Lyddon]

Nov 27, 2009 14:10:20 GMT -6 Doug B said:

Ryan, one year I made a whole bunch of cutting boards for Christmas gifts for friends and family. I liked using Titebond III for them and the following is what I printed out and included with the cutting boards:

I made this cutting board out of Maple (the light colored wood) and Walnut (the dark colored wood). A rule of thumb I have heard is to apply mineral oil to the cutting board once a day for a week, once a week for a month, and once a month forever. I have already put several coats of mineral oil on your cutting board, but it soaks it up pretty quickly and will need some more before long.

I also found the following information concerning wooden cutting boards on the internet, which may be helpful.

I hope you enjoy the cutting board I made especially for YOU!

Doug

Maintaining and Sanitizing Cutting Boards
Wooden boards need oiling once a week to seal the grain against bacteria. An oil finish helps to prevent the wood from cracking or pulling apart at the seams. Use a product that is (1) edible; and (2) tasteless. USP-grade mineral oil is a popular choice as it is the cheapest pure food-grad oil you can buy (do not use vegetable or olive oil because it can turn rancid). Before applying oil to butcher block, warm the oil slightly. Apply oil with a soft cloth, in the direction of the grain, allowing the oil to soak in. Allow oil to soak in a few minutes, then remove all surface oil with a dry, clean cloth.
IMPORTANT: Whichever kind of cutting board you use, clean it frequently with hot soapy water. Sanitize both wood and plastic cutting boards with a diluted vinegar solution consisting of a one to five dilution of vinegar. Flood the surface with the vinegar solution and allow it to stand for several minutes, then rinse and air dry or pat dry with paper towels.
Wood vs. Plastic Cutting Boards
Did you know that wood cutting boards are the safest to use? For some reason, bacteria have a tougher time surviving on wood boards. Most people are surprised to hear that a wood cutting board may be more resistant to bacterial buildup than plastic ones.
Research has shown that bacteria, such as the salmonella often found on raw chicken, will thrive and multiply if not removed from plastic boards (because germs that cause food poisoning can hide out in the knife-scarred nooks and crannies that develop on the surface of a plastic cutting board). Hand scrubbing with hot water and soap can clear microbes from the surface of new or used wooden cutting boards and new plastic ones, but knife-scared plastic boards are resistant to decontamination by hand washing.
On wood boards, whether they are new or have been used for years, the bacteria dies off within 3 minutes. Researchers theorize that the porous surface of the wood surface of the wooden boards deprives the bacteria of water, causing them to die.


Edit in: Oh yeah, I also gave them a bottle of butcher block oil that I found at Home Depot, which is really just some thin mineral oil.

That was what I found that worked best on my cutting boards - the mineral oil from the grocery store was thick and sticky

... that should handle the question...

[TDHofstetter]

There's an issue with that red-letter logic, though... the oil doesn't (and isn't supposed to) seal the wood away from the bacteria. Most woods are naturally bacteriostatic, which is how trees don't get infections. The mineral oil's job isn't to seal the bacteriostat away from the bacteria - it's to saturate the wood so it doesn't take on an undue amount of water & blood from the cutting.

[Joe Lyddon]

That makes sense too!

Awe heck.. as long as Mineral Oil is used, you don't have anything to really worry about... ;D ;D