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Thread: Cutting Boards - Do's Dont's And Well Maybe's

  1. #1
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    Cutting Boards - Do's Dont's And Well Maybe's

    We have a kitchen knives thread, so let's have a thread on the other side of the cutting of food process, which is the cutting board!

    I like a rather large cutting board because most recipes use more than one item sliced, minced, or chopped, and I can work in the middle and push the piles of finished stuff aside, and then just clean it up once when finished. As long as I am not working raw meat. I'm talking about garlic, onions, celery, peppers, etc...

    They don't seem to make them big enough so my board of most use is a pastry board, 15" x 21" and it is VERY used. It warps and I have to wet the other side and reverse it and it will warp back, use and repeat..

    So I bought one of those John Boos maple edge grain boards from a seller on ebay, used it about a week and it cracked a small crack in the middle! I thought what in the world? So I clamped and superglued it and started reading up, they suggest this "mystery oil" which by all accounts is food grade mineral oil, and followed by the cream they sell which is ehh mineral oil and beeswax. I oiled the board for 3-4 days until it slowed down soaking in the oil, then I creamed it like they say and it's been sitting a couple of days now. I suppose I can wipe it down and begin using it.

    They did get some laboratory to certify that after treating with the oil and cream, the board was VERY antimicrobial and killed off bacteria within 3hrs in all of the tests so there is at least some benefit to the process they recommend.

    What do you use?
    Got a .22 .30 .32 .357 .38 .40 .41 .44 .45 .480 or .500 S&W cylinder that needs throats honed? 9mm, 10mm/40S&W, 45 ACP pistol barrel that won't "plunk" your handloads? 480 Ruger or 475 Linebaugh cylinder that needs the "step" reamed to 6° 30min chamfer? Click here to send me a PM You can also find me on Facebook Click Here.

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    After years of making and using large wooden Butcher Block Tables of Rock Maple , cutting boards of maple , black walnut , walnut and maple and oak cutting boards ... the cutting boards I have been using for the past 10 or 12 years aren't boards and they aren't even wood ! And I love wood !!!

    I hate to say it but all my beautiful butcher block tables and cutting boards see very little actual cutting use anymore , still displayed because of their beauty , but have been replaced with two cutting sheets of "white HDPE plastic" ... one is 12" X 15" X 1/16th" thick and is flexible ... the other is 11" X 8 1/2" X 3/16th" thick and is stiff . I hate to admit but the plastic " cutting boards" wash easier and store away easier (take up little room ) . Much easier to maintain them also ... just wash and wipe dry .
    When I was buying some custom made kitchen knives , the maker threw them in for free ... I wouldn't have bought them ... but after using them for a short time ... this old dog had to admit that perhaps a better cutting surface had been invented ... The wooden boards are for show and the plastic get the wear and tear .
    I still like wood ... just getting lazy !
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  3. #3
    Boolit Master
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    So what do you recommend for wood finish on a maple board? Thanks

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    I use end grain maple boards about 2" thick, and initially coated them with a food-grade mineral oil and beeswax combination, approximately the consistency of room temperature butter, then lightly rubbed with a cotton rag when dry. The boards clean up immediately with just hot water, even after resting and carving a fatty roast. Repeat the treatment as necessary. I use the Victorinox Fibrox line of knives in the kitchen, and these boards are very kind to their edges.

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    I have a 14X19 inch end grain maple board similar to the Boos boards that I bought many years ago from of all places, IKEA. I scrub it with salt after use and treat it every couple months with simple mineral oil. The only issue I have had with it is Her Majesty left it sit too close to the stove one evening and it scorched on one short edge. Doesn’t affect the performance in any way. Frankly, I wouldn’t mind a larger board, but then I wouldn’t mind larger everything in our galley kitchen.
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    UHDPE for cutting boards.

    Engineered quartz for countertops.

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    Quote Originally Posted by Martin Luber View Post
    So what do you recommend for wood finish on a maple board? Thanks
    Food grade mineral oil? The Boos mystery oil and board cream can be had from ebay for 24-ish bucks if you shop around the listings for it.
    Got a .22 .30 .32 .357 .38 .40 .41 .44 .45 .480 or .500 S&W cylinder that needs throats honed? 9mm, 10mm/40S&W, 45 ACP pistol barrel that won't "plunk" your handloads? 480 Ruger or 475 Linebaugh cylinder that needs the "step" reamed to 6° 30min chamfer? Click here to send me a PM You can also find me on Facebook Click Here.

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    Quote Originally Posted by Martin Luber View Post
    So what do you recommend for wood finish on a maple board? Thanks
    I'm old school ... Howard Butcher Block Conditioner , (USP grade mineral oil , beeswax and carnauba wax) warm it up and let the wood absorb as much as it will take in . Repeat coats untill a nice finish is put on . 12 oz. bottle $9.50 @ home depot ... good stuff .

    If you want to make your own ... 1 cup of usp mineral + 1/4 cup beeswax ... heat in a double boiler and stir until blended .
    Gary
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    gwpercle has it. That is the best process for something that is generally available at Lowes/Home Depot. I believe Howard Conditioner also has a touch of Vit.E in it as well? Be sure to coat both sides of the board equally, and you will have to re-coat multiple times, especially in the first year. Think about the traditional procedure for BLO - once an hour for a day, once a day for a week, once a week for a month, once a month for a year, once a year for life. This is not as onerous as that, but you are wearing off the coating every time you scrub your board, and hopefully you do that every time you cut raw chicken on it - and here I'm talking about a soap scrub, not just a wipe. Do that a couple of times and you will have to renew your coating.
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  10. #10
    Boolit Master
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    Wood, raw linseed oil "aka flax seed oil", rinse and wipe dry. It's been proven wood after drying kills the pathogens. Must work, as no one in my family has ever gotten a food born illness! High quality knives, wooden cutting boards!

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    Quote Originally Posted by Wayne Smith View Post
    hopefully you do that every time you cut raw chicken on it - and here I'm talking about a soap scrub, not just a wipe.
    I have always kept two boards, one for excessively messy stuff, and one for raw meats that can get scrubbed under HOT water, plus when someone says "Hey can I help?" I bust out the other board and a chef's knife and hand it to them! Especially helpful when I am making chili or soup, or something that has a LOT of chopped veggies in it.

    Now that I got this nice thick brand new Boos board, I took my bamboo board to the gf's house. All she had was plastic ones that were to small and I'm like "newp, not gonna cut it." Pun intended
    Got a .22 .30 .32 .357 .38 .40 .41 .44 .45 .480 or .500 S&W cylinder that needs throats honed? 9mm, 10mm/40S&W, 45 ACP pistol barrel that won't "plunk" your handloads? 480 Ruger or 475 Linebaugh cylinder that needs the "step" reamed to 6° 30min chamfer? Click here to send me a PM You can also find me on Facebook Click Here.

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    Several years ago I came across a study on bacteria contamination and how long it could live, on plastic handled butcher knives vs wood handles. This was related to commercial butchers. Finding was the wood was better, much better. I didn’t find that but did run across this link, it links to actual research indicating wood cutting boards are much better than plastic and glass in destroying bacteria. Other good info on the topic as well.
    https://commonsensehome.com/wooden-c...cherichia_coli
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    Like everything else in modern society, the danger of raw meat on any surface is wildly overblown.

    I recently saw a discussion on washing chicken and how the practice of using running water would "aerosolize" the deadly salmonella and contaminate the whole kitchen.
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    I use inexpensive smallish Bamboo cutting boards. They are easy to store as plastic boards. I'd rather have two small cutting boards out, when cooking complex recipes, than one large one. Once a bamboo boards gets fuzzy, it gets recycled.


    Bamboo cutting boards are tougher and much less porous than hardwood cutting boards. Bamboo absorbs very little moisture and resists scarring from knives, so they’re more resistant to germs and microorganisms than other wood. Bamboo is denser than other types of wood and is the reason for its durability. With the proper care and everyday cleaning and treatment, you may extend their use for decades. Before using the bamboo cutting board for the first time, it is recommended that you apply food-grade mineral oil and re-apply oil at least once a month because it will protect the bamboo from microorganisms and everyday use
    .
    https://royalcraftwood.com/bamboo-cu...20other%20wood.
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    Quote Originally Posted by Thundarstick View Post
    Wood, raw linseed oil "aka flax seed oil", rinse and wipe dry. It's been proven wood after drying kills the pathogens. Must work, as no one in my family has ever gotten a food born illness! High quality knives, wooden cutting boards!
    Treat linseed oil soaked rags with care. Spontaneous Combustion of Linseed Oil Rags Burned Down a Brand New House Here.
    Mal

    Mal Paso means Bad Pass, just so you know.

  16. #16
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    That's true with any polymerizing oil, BLO, Tung, or walnut. Be very careful of rags and make sure they dry completely.
    Wayne the Shrink

    There is no 'right' that requires me to work for you or you to work for me!

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