Oiling your cutting board before and after use is super important. Maintaining the cutting board at least once a week will ensure to keep it safe, clean and sanitized, and engraved makes sure their boards stay in good condition by giving a small pamphlet on how to do so with each board. Here, at Engraved cutting boards, we use a mixture of bee’s wax and mineral oil which we recommend.
Oiling your cutting board once a week will reduce the number of bacteria accumulated with each use. Oil reduces the absorption of bacteria and flavors of the product you are cutting. This will help and simplify not only cleaning your cutting board but keeping it natural and sanitized at the same time.
There is a great long list of different oils that you can use to help your cutting board, some preferred more than others. One of the classics is Mineral Oil, which helps keep the natural wood intact but doesn’t cause any chemical effect with the food you’re preparing. Another good oil to use is coconut oil, which helps keep your cutting board in good shape. Coconut oil is best paired with bee’s wax. Bee’s wax is known as a dry oil and won’t damage the wood and will reduce and repent water, it also gives the cutting board a nice shiny look to it. If you really want to be safe, you can always make your own oil as long as you make sure that all the ingredients are wood and food friendly, to make sure you don’t do more damage than good.
Make sure you don’t use oils that will begin to oxidize your boards. Vegetable oil and shortening will oxidize your board and make it rot. Always make sure all the oils you use on your cutting board are completely food safe so you don’t contaminate the next product you cut on it. As well as making sure that even with the oil of your choice, the board stays clean and sanitized, this is why creating your own oil can create many problems. Be very selective with the oils you choose to keep your board in it’s best condition.
