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Oil for Cutting Boards
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buzzard767



Joined: 30 Jan 2008
Posts: 21

PostPosted: Wed Sep 24, 2008 2:56 am    Post subject: Re: Oil for Cutting Boards Reply with quote

I have to repost the BoardSmith's original. Mineral oil with or without beeswax ONLY. It works. It's safe. Why even speculate about something else?

The BoardSMITH wrote:
Stick with an inert oil like mineral oil. It adds nothing to the taste, will not turn rancid, is fairly inexpensive, is easy to find at your local drug or grocery store and is an effective coating. All organic oils will oxidize over a period of time causing the board to become unusable and dangerous. Some nut oils can cause an allergic reaction to those who are allergic to nuts.

Adding bees wax to mineral oil is easy. Shave some wax into the oil and heat in a double boiler. Microwaves are virtually useless here. Heat until the mixture reaches the color of apple juice, apply to a clean, dry wood surface, spread out, allow to soak then buff off with a clean towel when the oil doesn't soak any further. This is also an effective treatment for all wooden utensils like spoons, spatulas etc.....

Don't want to use mineral oil.....Use melted bees wax instead. A little more difficult but this will provide a good water resistant coating to your board without using mineral oil.

Or, you can use nothing and do like the old time butchers did. When they stopped working for the day, they scraped their blocks and applied a coating of salt overnight. The salt absorbed the moisture in the wood, killed the bacteria and sanitized the surface. The next moring they swept the salt off and started to work. I watched my Uncle do this, he was a butcher.
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PostPosted: Sun Feb 22, 2009 12:02 am    Post subject: Rancid oils do pose a health risk Reply with quote

All due respect to previous poster who submitted a link to the olive oil site, but that site lists no sources for its claim that rancid oil is safe. Rancid oils are a significant source of free radicals in our diets. These contribute to the degradation of our cells in numerous ways (hence the antioxidant craze). Not only are oils susceptible to oxidative rancidification, but so are other oil-rich foods, like nuts and seeds. I've often had walnuts go rancid. A less often considered source of rancid oils is flour. After wheat kernels (or rye, etc) are ground, their fats are subject to exposure to air and light, which quickly makes them rancid. It's worth tossing flour before it gets too old.
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PostPosted: Thu May 28, 2009 7:04 pm    Post subject: lignans and low O2 in wood delay decomposition Reply with quote

Wood has limited oxygen inside it. Rancidity is an oxidation reaction. Lignans inhibit bacteria in a way that polyethylene doesn't. Spray vinegar on your board after washing in hot soapy water after cutting meat, then leave to dry to reduce bacteria... The salt trick would also work here per my microbiologist mother. If very worried, bleachy water works - but never in combination with vinegar!! Peroxide would also kill everything.

Oil the board regularly with some type of oil - but petroleum products are not really what I'd like to eat traces of as it is not a food additive, inert or not. If the board is so oily that you are transferring it to wet food, dry with an old towel or paper towel until it isnt' any longer. Beeswax works wonderfully well, as does olive oil. Canola goes rancid rapidly, so I avoid it.
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Dilbert



Joined: 19 Oct 2007
Posts: 1304
Location: central PA

PostPosted: Thu May 28, 2009 7:49 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

>> but petroleum products are not really what I'd like to eat traces of as it is not a food additive,

you might want to research the use of "mineral oil"

olive / vegetable / canola / <any organic> oil will go rancid - that is a fact of science.

bees wax is a good alternative, just don't dilute it with turpentine and the like.....
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The BoardSMITH



Joined: 14 May 2008
Posts: 8
Location: High Point, NC

PostPosted: Fri May 29, 2009 10:06 am    Post subject: Cutting Board Oil Reply with quote

Anonymous wrote:


Oil the board regularly with some type of oil - but petroleum products are not really what I'd like to eat traces of as it is not a food additive, inert or not.


Actually, mineral oil, the highly refined oil that is used as a laxative, is entirely food safe and is used in many foods as an additive. Unless you create all of your own foodstuffs, you will be highly surprised what you are consuming and where it comes from.

I tell my customers; their boards are treated with mineral oil when they get them. What they use is up to them and their wishes. Just don't try to reinvent the wheel with some "new" way.
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Scott
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PostPosted: Fri Feb 19, 2010 2:41 am    Post subject: Re: rancidity Reply with quote

[quote="paulr"]Just to clarify a couple of things: rancid oil is not a health hazard. rancidity comes from the oxidation of unsaturated fats. It causes off-odors and flavors, but has nothing to do with microbial spoilage.

Some details can be found here: http://www.oliveoilsource.com/olive_oil_storage.htm

[quote]

Rancidity is not related to microbial food poisoning, it is related to chronic, cumulative oxidative stress and will lead to accelerated vascular disease and other pathology. It is very difficult to elucidate the burden of oxidative stress on chronic disease because it is impossible to do longterm, randomized, controlled, blinded studies in humans. However, measurable or not, the risk/benefit ratio of electively consuming rancid or oxidized oils is a losing proposition. I don't know what the oliveoilsource said about rancidity because that page is now blank. They have likely rescinded any statement dismissing the dangers of rancidity.
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Thomas
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PostPosted: Fri May 02, 2014 3:23 am    Post subject: Re: Cutting Board Oil Reply with quote

[quote="The BoardSMITH"]
Anonymous wrote:

Just don't try to reinvent the wheel with some "new" way.


Might I ask how long mineral oil has been a resource on the planet?

And how long have cutting boards been in use?

Seems like there was a natural oil in use before the age of petroleum. Maybe I'm just a little naive though.
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