Oil Varnish

[Richard Chan]

Is there one better that another? It's for cutting board.

TIA

Richard

[Matt Day]

Generally it's recommended to use nothing but mineral oil on cutting boards - food safe is the key here. There are some other food safe finishes, but I think mineral oil is the cheapest and easiest.

[Brad Wood]

If you go by Flexner's word, all finishes are food safe once they have fully cured.

That said, true or not, I wouldn't want to put a film finish on my cutting board regardless of food safeness.

Matt has it right, most people just use straight mineral oil. That is what I use. I typically lay down some saran wrap, pour the oil on and rub it around until it stops soaking it, flip it, repeat, then wrap the whole thing up in the saran and let sit for at least a few hours... others have posted here of similar procedure but leave it for a day or two.
Remove from the wrap, wipe down all the excess, you will have a great board. Oil can be reapplied as needed, but prolly at least once a year. I've not felt the need to repeat the whole wrap procedure though, I just rub apply the maintenance applications.

[Scott Holmes]

I like mineral oil and parafin wax. About 6 to 1 mix. Micro wave it for a few minutes to melt the wax then it will stay mixed.

This finish is used, more than all others combined, in commercial kitchens with working wood surfaces.

[Richard Chan]

Thanks for the reply guys, but I try to find mineral oil last night but came up empty. Is the mineral oil you use the same as the stuff you drink when you can't go poo poo:eek::eek::eek:?

[Prashun Patel]

You don't want to use anything with too much 'varnish' component, because it will form a film that can will crack. A better choice is an oil/wax mixture.

Some choices include:

walnut oil
tung oil
mineral oil
raw linseed oil

You can mix any of these with melted beeswax - or not.

Beware that except for mineral oil, the others may not be appropriate for those with nut allergies.

[Ted Calver]

Richard,
Yes..you can use the stuff from the drug store. I prefer Mahoneys walnut oil and bees wax at 5:1

[Richard Chan]

Thanks again

[Eiji Fuller]

How about olive oil? Seems pretty food safe :D.

[Richard Chan]

Oilve oil would turn bad over time.

[Scott Holmes]

Ditto with Walnut oil...

I would not use it on a cutting board. Also "nut" allergies could be a issue.

[Howard Acheson]

An excellent treatment for wooden food preparation surfaces like cutting boards and butcher blocks is a mixture of mineral oil and either paraffin or beeswax. This is what is used on many commercial wood surfaces. It will last longer and be more protective than just mineral oil. Mineral oil can be found in most supermarkets in the pharmacy section or in a true pharmacy. Paraffin is found in the canning section of the store or in a hardware store.

Heat the oil in a double boiler and shave in some wax. The exact proportions are not critical--a 5-6 parts of oil to one part of wax will work fine. Stir the mixture until all the wax is liquefied. Apply the mixture heavily and let it set 10-12 hours or overnight. Next day do it again and continue until the wood will no longer absorb the finish. Let it set for 10-12 hours and then lightly scrape off any excess. Then buff it with a rag.

Reapply whenever the wood begins to look dry.

Never put a wood board in the dishwasher and don't soak it in dishwater for long periods.