Comments on: Food Safe Wood for Cutting Boards http://blog.larryeiss.com/2007/10/21/food-safe-wood-for-cutting-boards/ photography, woodworking, and such as may strike my fancy Wed, 25 Jan 2012 16:52:35 -0500 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: Larry http://blog.larryeiss.com/2007/10/21/food-safe-wood-for-cutting-boards/comment-page-1/#comment-19106 Larry Thu, 19 Jan 2012 16:41:08 +0000 http://blog.larryeiss.com/2007/10/21/food-safe-wood-for-cutting-boards/#comment-19106 Hi Keith, thanks for stopping by. The first place I'd look for definitive information on this is the Material Safety Data Sheet for the product itself. You can find an example here: <a href="http://www.rustoleum.com/CBGResourceCenter.asp?sn=ms2&msdstyp=PROCBG&msdsprc=57" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">http://www.rustoleum.com/CBGResourceCenter.asp?sn=ms2&msdstyp=PROCBG&msdsprc=57</a> Water-based Varathane is Tripropylene Glycol Monometyl Ether. Just the sound of that makes me cringe when thinking about it having food contact. That said, most finishes are actually pretty safe once they are fully cured. The issue here is that I'd see a greatly increased risk for your intended use. First, you'll be sliding it across a hard surface and that surface will be heated to about 500 degrees farenheit. That will lead to it chipping (or at least wearing) off, which presents the possibility of direct ingestion of the finish itself. Not an appealing idea.. Secondly, you'll be heating it significantly by holding hot pizza on it, and that might tend to make it break down. Cursory research hasn't provided any information on how hot it would have to get to break down, but I wouldn't personally chance it. If I were making a pizza peel, I'd leave it unfinished. If you want to pop the grain a little initially, you could use something benign like mineral oil. I would council against using too much however, because it is likely to smoke when heated and that could cause the user some concern. Hi Keith, thanks for stopping by.

The first place I’d look for definitive information on this is the Material Safety Data Sheet for the product itself. You can find an example here: http://www.rustoleum.com/CBGResourceCenter.asp?sn=ms2&msdstyp=PROCBG&msdsprc=57

Water-based Varathane is Tripropylene Glycol Monometyl Ether. Just the sound of that makes me cringe when thinking about it having food contact. That said, most finishes are actually pretty safe once they are fully cured. The issue here is that I’d see a greatly increased risk for your intended use. First, you’ll be sliding it across a hard surface and that surface will be heated to about 500 degrees farenheit. That will lead to it chipping (or at least wearing) off, which presents the possibility of direct ingestion of the finish itself. Not an appealing idea.. Secondly, you’ll be heating it significantly by holding hot pizza on it, and that might tend to make it break down. Cursory research hasn’t provided any information on how hot it would have to get to break down, but I wouldn’t personally chance it.

If I were making a pizza peel, I’d leave it unfinished. If you want to pop the grain a little initially, you could use something benign like mineral oil. I would council against using too much however, because it is likely to smoke when heated and that could cause the user some concern.

]]> By: Keith Sherwin http://blog.larryeiss.com/2007/10/21/food-safe-wood-for-cutting-boards/comment-page-1/#comment-19105 Keith Sherwin Wed, 18 Jan 2012 18:21:50 +0000 http://blog.larryeiss.com/2007/10/21/food-safe-wood-for-cutting-boards/#comment-19105 Hi, I have a question about using water based Varathane as a protection on a 1/4" Baltic Birch pizza peel. No cutting would be done on it & it would have hemp linen canvas covering the actual peel, so really no wet food contact. However, it might get used without the hemp linen in which case, there would be contact with 500 F or higher cooked pizza crust. So do you think the Varathane would be worse than Mineral Oil? Thanks, Keith Hi, I have a question about using water based Varathane as a protection on a 1/4″ Baltic Birch pizza peel. No cutting would be done on it & it would have hemp linen canvas covering the actual peel, so really no wet food contact. However, it might get used without the hemp linen in which case, there would be contact with 500 F or higher cooked pizza crust.
So do you think the Varathane would be worse than Mineral Oil?

Thanks,
Keith

]]> By: Larry http://blog.larryeiss.com/2007/10/21/food-safe-wood-for-cutting-boards/comment-page-1/#comment-18750 Larry Thu, 08 Sep 2011 00:29:41 +0000 http://blog.larryeiss.com/2007/10/21/food-safe-wood-for-cutting-boards/#comment-18750 Thanks for taking the time to comment, Max. I am a little skittish about olive oil personally. I have concerns about it going rancid. Some people seem to think that isn't a concern, but what I've read has me personally convinced otherwise. It's good to have your perspective added to the discussion here. Thanks for taking the time to comment, Max. I am a little skittish about olive oil personally. I have concerns about it going rancid. Some people seem to think that isn’t a concern, but what I’ve read has me personally convinced otherwise. It’s good to have your perspective added to the discussion here.

]]> By: max http://blog.larryeiss.com/2007/10/21/food-safe-wood-for-cutting-boards/comment-page-1/#comment-18749 max Wed, 07 Sep 2011 10:00:32 +0000 http://blog.larryeiss.com/2007/10/21/food-safe-wood-for-cutting-boards/#comment-18749 bark contains lots of tannins that are good for us so a little bit of bark on your chopping board is not going to harm you and bacteria will find it a hard environment to live in, but thats not to say it wont. My bigest worry would be as you said about it going mushy but if you treat with olive oil every few months it may be ok. I always wash chopping boards with vinigar, salt and scrub with half a lemon or lime the dry it and finish it off with a layer or two of olive oil. bark contains lots of tannins that are good for us so a little bit of bark on your chopping board is not going to harm you and bacteria will find it a hard environment to live in, but thats not to say it wont. My bigest worry would be as you said about it going mushy but if you treat with olive oil every few months it may be ok. I always wash chopping boards with vinigar, salt and scrub with half a lemon or lime the dry it and finish it off with a layer or two of olive oil.

]]> By: Larry http://blog.larryeiss.com/2007/10/21/food-safe-wood-for-cutting-boards/comment-page-1/#comment-18534 Larry Thu, 21 Apr 2011 11:57:54 +0000 http://blog.larryeiss.com/2007/10/21/food-safe-wood-for-cutting-boards/#comment-18534 Hi Sandy! I apologize for the lengthy delay in responding to your post. I have no experience at all with leaving the bark on a cutting board, but I would personally do it only for a decorative cutting board that was not to be used for food for all the reasons you listed in your comment. It seems like asking for trouble to me. Hi Sandy! I apologize for the lengthy delay in responding to your post. I have no experience at all with leaving the bark on a cutting board, but I would personally do it only for a decorative cutting board that was not to be used for food for all the reasons you listed in your comment. It seems like asking for trouble to me.

]]> By: Sandy http://blog.larryeiss.com/2007/10/21/food-safe-wood-for-cutting-boards/comment-page-1/#comment-18528 Sandy Wed, 06 Apr 2011 01:32:33 +0000 http://blog.larryeiss.com/2007/10/21/food-safe-wood-for-cutting-boards/#comment-18528 Dave, I have a question, that I suspect I already know the answer to. Is it food safe to leave any bark on a natural edge cutting board? Not a lot, just a couple of patches of those last few layers of color and texture. Sanded smooth, of course. I am using Black Walnut to make several boards. Some bark left behind looks good. But, seems like it would be bad in the long run. As if it would eventually become mushy with cleaning. And, hold all kinds of bacteria. Could it be treated with wood hardener, then mineral oil? I am also worried about that dirt like substance that is under the bark. Hmmm? Thanks, Sandy Dave,
I have a question, that I suspect I already know the answer to. Is it food safe to leave any bark on a natural edge cutting board? Not a lot, just a couple of patches of those last few layers of color and texture. Sanded smooth, of course. I am using Black Walnut to make several boards. Some bark left behind looks good. But, seems like it would be bad in the long run. As if it would eventually become mushy with cleaning. And, hold all kinds of bacteria. Could it be treated with wood hardener, then mineral oil? I am also worried about that dirt like substance that is under the bark. Hmmm?
Thanks,
Sandy

]]> By: Larry http://blog.larryeiss.com/2007/10/21/food-safe-wood-for-cutting-boards/comment-page-1/#comment-18458 Larry Thu, 16 Dec 2010 16:11:11 +0000 http://blog.larryeiss.com/2007/10/21/food-safe-wood-for-cutting-boards/#comment-18458 I use Titebond II. This is an aliphatic resin glue and not considered dangerous or toxic. According to the manufacturer's product safety data sheet, if you ingest it in its liquid form you should wash your mouth out with water. That makes sense since it's water soluble. Once it has dried it is inert as far as I can tell. Gluing end grain to face grain reliably will be challenging. The only recommendation I can give you is to use extra glue on the end-grain piece. Try applying glue to it and allowing the glue to be absorbed by the end-grain and then when it's starting to dry pretty well, apply more glue and clamp the pieces. In this way you help minimize the wicking action of the end-grain piece, which can starve the joint of glue and make it weak. I think 1.5 inches should be fine for a board of the size you propose. There really isn't a minimum, but one I made that was around that size and just under one inch thick warped badly in use. Every time the juice from the meat would contact the board it would bulge to the point that it was nearly useless! So keep that in mind when deciding how thick to make it. End grain is like a sponge, and changes in moisture content can cause a great deal of movement. Adding the initials will be a nice touch! I see not reason to be concerned about the size really. Just do what you think looks best. I can even envision using a large <a href="http://www.woodcraft.com/AffiliateWiz/aw.aspx?B=2679&A=19&Task=Click&TargetURL=http%3a%2f%2fwww.woodcraft.com%2fProduct%2f2004663%2f7611%2fCore-Box-34-D-58-CL-38-R-14-SH.aspx" Target="_Top" rel="nofollow">core box</a><img border="0" src="http://www.woodcraft.com/AffiliateWiz/aw.aspx?B=2679&A=19&Task=Get" width="1" height="1"> bit to create a 3/4 inch wide by maybe 1/4 inch deep set of initials that take up a lot of the board surface and act as a sort of ditch in which to capture meat juices. I use Titebond II. This is an aliphatic resin glue and not considered dangerous or toxic. According to the manufacturer’s product safety data sheet, if you ingest it in its liquid form you should wash your mouth out with water. That makes sense since it’s water soluble. Once it has dried it is inert as far as I can tell.

Gluing end grain to face grain reliably will be challenging. The only recommendation I can give you is to use extra glue on the end-grain piece. Try applying glue to it and allowing the glue to be absorbed by the end-grain and then when it’s starting to dry pretty well, apply more glue and clamp the pieces. In this way you help minimize the wicking action of the end-grain piece, which can starve the joint of glue and make it weak.

I think 1.5 inches should be fine for a board of the size you propose. There really isn’t a minimum, but one I made that was around that size and just under one inch thick warped badly in use. Every time the juice from the meat would contact the board it would bulge to the point that it was nearly useless! So keep that in mind when deciding how thick to make it. End grain is like a sponge, and changes in moisture content can cause a great deal of movement.

Adding the initials will be a nice touch! I see not reason to be concerned about the size really. Just do what you think looks best. I can even envision using a large core box bit to create a 3/4 inch wide by maybe 1/4 inch deep set of initials that take up a lot of the board surface and act as a sort of ditch in which to capture meat juices.

]]> By: Jodie http://blog.larryeiss.com/2007/10/21/food-safe-wood-for-cutting-boards/comment-page-1/#comment-18443 Jodie Wed, 01 Dec 2010 20:32:21 +0000 http://blog.larryeiss.com/2007/10/21/food-safe-wood-for-cutting-boards/#comment-18443 All this talk about food safe wood and finish is great stuff. What I would like to know is what food safe wood glue is used? I would like to make my board with the look of inlay borders and mosaics. There will be face grain glued to face grain, and end grain to face grain. All the same thickness so its the same on both sides. Is there a minimum thickness for a 16" X 24" board (1-1/2")? I would also like to router in some templet initials in one of the corners. I was thinking around 3/8" for the initials. All this talk about food safe wood and finish is great stuff. What I would like to know is what food safe wood glue is used? I would like to make my board with the look of inlay borders and mosaics. There will be face grain glued to face grain, and end grain to face grain. All the same thickness so its the same on both sides. Is there a minimum thickness for a 16″ X 24″ board (1-1/2″)? I would also like to router in some templet initials in one of the corners. I was thinking around 3/8″ for the initials.

]]> By: danny http://blog.larryeiss.com/2007/10/21/food-safe-wood-for-cutting-boards/comment-page-1/#comment-18438 danny Wed, 20 Oct 2010 16:43:40 +0000 http://blog.larryeiss.com/2007/10/21/food-safe-wood-for-cutting-boards/#comment-18438 WOOD ROCKKSSS!!!!!!!WOOOOOT WOOOOTT WOOD ROCKKSSS!!!!!!!WOOOOOT WOOOOTT

]]> By: Larry http://blog.larryeiss.com/2007/10/21/food-safe-wood-for-cutting-boards/comment-page-1/#comment-18092 Larry Wed, 17 Mar 2010 01:29:48 +0000 http://blog.larryeiss.com/2007/10/21/food-safe-wood-for-cutting-boards/#comment-18092 Mark, thanks for dropping by. This is a great question. Mineral oil is sold in drugstores everywhere for internal use. It has been shown to be completely safe even though it does not fully cure. In addition it is the traditional butcher-block finish, though traditionally it's combined with wax to give additional durability and aid cleaning. I personally skip the wax; mostly because I am lazy. However, everything I've read makes it clear that all oils that cure fully are food-safe once cured. So Tung oil, which doesn't fully cure, isn't a safe choice, but variants that do fully cure would be fine. Polymerized oils have a drying agent, and in some cases they build up like varnish. That wouldn't be a good choice for a cutting board. Years ago some of the drying agents were dangerous, and this is where many get the idea that some fully-curing oils are not food-safe. Mark, thanks for dropping by. This is a great question. Mineral oil is sold in drugstores everywhere for internal use. It has been shown to be completely safe even though it does not fully cure. In addition it is the traditional butcher-block finish, though traditionally it’s combined with wax to give additional durability and aid cleaning. I personally skip the wax; mostly because I am lazy.

However, everything I’ve read makes it clear that all oils that cure fully are food-safe once cured. So Tung oil, which doesn’t fully cure, isn’t a safe choice, but variants that do fully cure would be fine. Polymerized oils have a drying agent, and in some cases they build up like varnish. That wouldn’t be a good choice for a cutting board. Years ago some of the drying agents were dangerous, and this is where many get the idea that some fully-curing oils are not food-safe.

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