A friend of mine asked me a question I could not answer but maybe some of you can. He wants to refinish a butcher block and/or make a cutting board and wanted to finish it/them in finishes that are attractive but not toxic to the foods that would be prepared on them. Which finishes might be appropriate, but non-toxic. My first impression would be to leave it unfinished but since greases and oils from foods might seep into the pores, maybe that is not a good solution.
Any thoughts?
Replies
SAILALEX--the usual finish for butcher blocks( at least, that I'm aware of ) is plain mineral oil. You flood the surface, wait awhile, and wipe it off. Repeat as needed. I'm not aware of any food-grade finish that doesn't require regular maintenance. Hope this helps.
The quick answer is that all interior finishes and most exterior finishes are non-toxic when cured.
However, I would not use a film type finish on a board that will be used for cutting, chopping, etc. The film will be penetrated and moisture will get under the finish and rapidly cause loss of adhesion and the finish will quickly fail.
A better option is to use what many professional made butcher block are coated with. It's a mixture of mineral oil and paraffin. Heat the mineral oil in a double boiler and shave in some paraffin. About 8-10 parts of mineral oil to one part paraffin is about right. Brush it on hot and as heavily as you can. Let it sit overnight and do it again the following day. The next day lightly scrape or wipe off any residue and buff. Renew periodically.
There is no finish that will last very long particularly if the board is put into dishwater to soak. Never put the board in a dishwasher.
I made a dog feeder/food holder and used "salad bowl finish" from General Finishes. It looks pretty good to me so far.
I don't know if it would hold up to washing and water etc, but it looks pretty nice!
I think you'll find that "salad bowl finish" is expensive mineral oil.Gretchen
Yea, I'd leave it natural, maybe some olive oil to get it started. It'll probably be stripped with clorox regularly anyways.
I made an oak/walnut pizza peel a while ago and slathered it with olive oil (Extra Virgin, of course!). It's holding up beautifully.
-Ken
Any oil except mineral oil will get rancid and sticky eventually unless washed off.Gretchen
Good point G. Food grade mineral oil is best. It's also good for seasoning cast iron cooking stuff.
-Ken
Thanks for all your input; I will pass it on .
Sounds as if mineral oil is about the only finish practicable.
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