The Best Food-Safe Finish May Be None At All - Fine Woodworking Article (www.finewoodworking.com)

submitted 1 month ago by captain_aggravated@sh.itjust.works to c/woodworking@lemmy.ca

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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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[-] gandalf_der_12te@discuss.tchncs.de 1 points 1 month ago

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 month 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 month ago

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

this post was submitted on 05 Apr 2025

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