Adoring the Simple: How to lubricate a wooden cutting board!

Monday, July 8, 2013

How to lubricate a wooden cutting board!

I love wooden cutting boards. I've used them for the last 25 years. My brother owns his own cabinet business & made my cutting boards for me for many years. Now I just buy them at store. I do not like butcher block, Bamboo or plastic. Just the simple, wooden boards.

Wooden cutting boards must be lubricated to prevent splitting, cracking, drying & breaking. Kind of like our feet. :)

I use Mineral Oil to treat my board, because it's safe to ingest & doesn't develop an odor over time. I recommend not using vegetable, canola or like oils because they are apt to become rancid & stain. I used to use vegetable oil before switching to mineral. I have used mineral oil for several years now & I love it. I think it keeps the board lubricated longer. I also love how my board sheens after treated! Pretty is so important, you know. :)

Application can vary & really, you can use any technique you want. I use use paper towels. The mineral oil really saturates the paper towels, making application coat really well.

(The above photo was taken right before I lubricated my board. It was on my island, under the light. My board looks really dry in the two photos below because when I moved my board to the sink, I forgot to turn the sink light on. I turned the light on as soon as I noticed. It actually looked like the photo above - I keep my board lubricated at all times.)

The first thing I do is pour a very generous amount of mineral oil onto my board. I like it good & thick for good coverage.

Then, I take my paper towel & just start rubbing & coating the board. (This task can get messy! Wear gloves if you deem necessary. After so long, the paper towel begins to disintegrate but it's ok, application still works & I wash off any paper towel residue when done.)

I make sure all areas are covered & because mineral oil is nice & shiny, I can see any areas that I missed. I even do the edges & sides of the board. When the front is done, I flip to the back & repeat.

After I'm done, I let it sit & absorb, for about 10 minutes or so. Then, I wash it with hot water & soap.

I am a hot water & soap kind of girl & almost everything I have & own gets washed that way, including my cutting board. By doing so, I know it's nice & clean. I do not put it in the dishwasher - I hand wash it. If over time the board begins to wear, I buy a new one. Easy peasy. I always stand my cutting board up to dry. After I wash it, I stand it up & lean it against my faucet in the sink. This board is on the large size, so it's a booger to wash, but I can still stand it up to dry. Forgot to take that photo - oops.

Here's my board, after completing all above steps! I treat my board about every 6 weeks, sooner if need be. My cutting board looks like this all the time! Nice & moisturized & pretty!