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Conventional wisdom regarding finishing cutting boards and other food prep surfaces is to coat them heavily with mineral oil and/or a food safe paste wax to "seal" and/or "condition" them. Seri Robinson asserts otherwise, her research has shown that any finish applied to wood decreases its natural anti-microbial properties.

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[-] CompactFlax@discuss.tchncs.de 9 points 1 week ago

Ftfa: Unfinished wood is naturally anti­microbial. In fact, when rinsed and dried properly between uses, it is self-cleaning. Wood finishes only serve to undermine this amazing property of wood.

while partially true, unoiled wood also tends to take in any kind of fluid deeper, and that includes coffee stains, oil stains, and smells. i honestly don't prefer my woodworks start smelling a bit over time.

[-] CompactFlax@discuss.tchncs.de 4 points 1 week ago

Yeah I’m not sure I’m going to stop oiling my counter. But if you just used a plank and replaced it every year? Probably better than spending $500 on a boos block and treating it like an heirloom.

[-] HewlettHackard@lemmy.ca 2 points 1 week ago

Did you see the pictures in the article showing how stains disappear?

[-] Zexks@lemmy.world -5 points 1 week ago

If that was true wood would not decompose.

[-] CompactFlax@discuss.tchncs.de 9 points 1 week ago

Wood that is kept dry is very resistant to decomposition.

well it decomposes slowly, over 20 years, while continuously being exposed to moisture

[-] FauxPseudo@lemmy.world 5 points 1 week ago

Knife cuts break the board down more than bacteria and moisture.

this post was submitted on 05 Apr 2025
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