I'd like to share a good way to seal a cutting board or butcher block that my father taught me many years ago. Use a heat gun, (not a blow drier for hair, not hot enough), to heat the board. Extreme caution must be taken as not to over heat as this will loosen the glued blocks! Low heat on a commercial gun woks well. Using a pair of tongs, hold a block af paraffin or bees wax and begin moving it...+READ

I'd like to share a good way to seal a cutting board or butcher block that my father taught me many years ago. Use a heat gun, (not a blow drier for hair, not hot enough), to heat the board. Extreme caution must be taken as not to over heat as this will loosen the glued blocks! Low heat on a commercial gun woks well. Using a pair of tongs, hold a block af paraffin or bees wax and begin moving it around the suface of the board. The wax will immediatly begin to soak in. You'll be amazed at how much wax it will absorb. It will start to pool on the surface when it can't absorb anymore. While it's still warm, wipe up the excess. Once cooled, scrub the surface with soap and warm water to remove any remaining residual wax. Clean and sanitize the board as recommended on a regular basis, and then begin your treatments of mineral oil. The wax will do the heavy sealing while the oil will treat the suface after washing. I believe this is an exellent way of keeping bacteria at bay. Hope this works for you, remember, careful with that heat gun!-COLLAPSE

By ChefJeffs on March 3, 2009 06:15 AM

I like to use a combination product that includes both Food Grade Mineral Oil and high quality natural beeswax. Mineral oil soaks into the board creating a protective barrier while a thin layer of natural beeswax rests on the surface... helping prevent excessive moisture from penetrating the board. Wooden Wonders Beeswax Butcher Block Conditioner is the best value I have found to date (high...+READ

I like to use a combination product that includes both Food Grade Mineral Oil and high quality natural beeswax. Mineral oil soaks into the board creating a protective barrier while a thin layer of natural beeswax rests on the surface... helping prevent excessive moisture from penetrating the board. Wooden Wonders Beeswax Butcher Block Conditioner is the best value I have found to date (high quality beeswax and best pricing).-COLLAPSE

By ChefCharlie on January 28, 2009 04:09 AM

Butcher block oil is just mineral oil in a more expensive container. Sometimes they throw in some wax or "citrus" goop to make it seem like there's good reason to be paying three times more for it. Performance characteristics are identical to mineral oil. Check the label.

The tung oil generally available from hardware/home stores contains something called "cobalt 2-ethylhexanoate". I don't know...+READ

Butcher block oil is just mineral oil in a more expensive container. Sometimes they throw in some wax or "citrus" goop to make it seem like there's good reason to be paying three times more for it. Performance characteristics are identical to mineral oil. Check the label.

The tung oil generally available from hardware/home stores contains something called "cobalt 2-ethylhexanoate". I don't know what that is and it's probably harmless but I feel weird having it anywhere near my pork chop. Here's the MSDS:
http://www.rockler.com/tech/RTD20000218AA.pdf-COLLAPSE

By Chuckles the Clone on September 8, 2008 01:11 PM

You should use Butcher's Block Oil or Tung Oil to finish any wooden object that may be used for food such as salad bowls etc. This is available from Home Depot etc.

Also the best cutting boards are made from glued squares of wood with the end-grain being the cutting surface. That way the knife slices between the wood fibres and not into them. This keeps the knife edge much sharper....+READ

You should use Butcher's Block Oil or Tung Oil to finish any wooden object that may be used for food such as salad bowls etc. This is available from Home Depot etc.

Also the best cutting boards are made from glued squares of wood with the end-grain being the cutting surface. That way the knife slices between the wood fibres and not into them. This keeps the knife edge much sharper. Unfortunately, they are also more expensive.-COLLAPSE

By Paulustrious on September 8, 2008 08:19 AM

>> That needs to be food grade mineral oil, which is
>> usually found at the drug store.

In the "laxative" section, normally. Don't be scared, it's not going
to have that effect in the tiny quantities that go on the board.

The only difference between drug store mineral oil and the stuff
you can buy specially for cutting boards is that the specialty
stuff costs about 5x more. And sometimes has fake...+READ

>> That needs to be food grade mineral oil, which is
>> usually found at the drug store.

In the "laxative" section, normally. Don't be scared, it's not going
to have that effect in the tiny quantities that go on the board.

The only difference between drug store mineral oil and the stuff
you can buy specially for cutting boards is that the specialty
stuff costs about 5x more. And sometimes has fake lemon
smell added in an attempt to justify that 5x price differential.-COLLAPSE

By Chuckles the Clone on July 23, 2008 12:47 PM

You can buy bottles of this oil in the kitchen gadget area, near the cutting boards of most Wally Worlds (Wal*Mart).
-BnF

By Big N Fat on July 21, 2008 01:05 AM

You can buy bottles of this oil in the kitchen gadget area, near the cutting boards of most Wally Worlds (Wal*Mart).

By Big N Fat on July 21, 2008 01:05 AM

^ Thank you!

By Maxmillion on July 7, 2008 03:42 PM

That needs to be food grade mineral oil, which is usually found at the drug store.

By rockfish42 on July 2, 2008 03:34 PM