Making A Surface Food-Safe

Hi All-

I purchased a large wooden island for my kitchen, similar to this:

http://www.amazon.com/Powell-Color-Butc ... 424&sr=8-4

They call it a butcher block, but the surface isn't actually intended for direct cutting - or at least I don't think it is. The wooden top is finished with a light coat of lacquer - or something like that. However, I bought this thing to be an actual chopping block - to be used as my primary cutting surface in the kitchen.

Since it wasn't originally intended to be used like this - I feel like the top maybe isn't food safe. It cleans up well and doesn't stain or anything, but I'd rather be safe than sorry.

The bigger issue I have is that this finish on the block makes the work surface "slow", as it pertains to the knife blade running across the surface. The blade sort of gets caught occasionally and the cutting motion isn't smooth.

So - what do I do?

Do I sand down the surface until I get to the raw wood? But then will THAT be food safe, or do I need to do something?

Or would it be better for me to buy a second cutting surface the same size that already it intended for chopping, and screw it on top of the existing piece? Where could I get this sort of thing?

Or is there another option I'm missing?


Thanks!

Dan,

"Or is there another option I'm missing?"

What would be wrong with placing your existing cutting boards on the block? I don't have a butcher block, but I like the fact that depending on what I'm cooking, I'm able to put two, three or even four cutting boards in the dishwasher, which makes clean up a lot easier.

I don't know - I mean, that definitely is the obvious, simple solution.

I think I just like the feel of having this large single surface with lots of space.

Maybe I'll think more on it before making a decision...

I think Evil Ronnie's suggestion is the way to go: get different cutting boards for different uses: maybe a nice hardwood one for fruits & veggies that'll let your knife glide smoothly & quickly, and something dishwasher-safe that can stand up to more aggressive cutting (like a self-healing-type plastic, for example) for meat.

The other nice thing is that, if one of your cutting boards gets irreparably scuzzy down the road, you can chuck it & get a new one.

Cutting boards should be cleaned with soap and plenty of hot water. Even if this surface is safe to use, how would you ever clean it properly?

The first thing that popped in my head was to sand it down. FWIW, I use my block for fruits and most veg and wipe it down w water most times, scrub w salt monthly and treat w mineral oil every other month or so. To cut meat, poultry, garlic, or onions I place those cheap color coded flex boards on top of the block. I still have the feel of wood (mostly) and much easier clean up.

My countertops are John Boos 4" thick butcher block.
They arrive sanded and finished with a food grade mineral oil that Boos sells for that purpose.
All that is required is sanding and refinishing at periodic intervals depending on usage.
I do use a large poly board for fish and meat cleaning for sanitary reasons but all else is cut right on the block and simply cleaned with dish soap and water.
I would contact the manufacturer of your block and ascertain what was used in the finish and whether you purchased an island for show or for actual use. Then I would decide on your course of action.
Proper butcher block can be used with a food grade finish with no problems. But the question is, what do you have?-Dick

Yes, contact the manufacturer. I suspect you will have to sand down the finish and then apply a food-safe finish (like a mineral oil).

lougord99 wrote:Cutting boards should be cleaned with soap and plenty of hot water. Even if this surface is safe to use, how would you ever clean it properly?

Just as you mentioned: with soap and hot water.

Khaopaat wrote:The other nice thing is that, if one of your cutting boards gets irreparably scuzzy down the road, you can chuck it & get a new one.

The well-used look is part of the look that many people go for when they choose countertop cutting boards or butcher blocks. In any case, a quick sanding restores it to the original smoothness.

Darren72 wrote:

Khaopaat wrote:The other nice thing is that, if one of your cutting boards gets irreparably scuzzy down the road, you can chuck it & get a new one.

The well-used look is part of the look that many people go for when they choose countertop cutting boards or butcher blocks. In any case, a quick sanding restores it to the original smoothness.

I agree with you in the case of wood. However, when I wrote that I was thinking of the plastic, dishwasher safe cutting boards that start out nice & white, and over the years, turn various shades of green, brown & red, and get all of those knife cuts that become more & more visible and take on a darker shade of whatever's staining the rest of the plastic.

Here's a link to a recent Cooks Illustrated test of cutting boards. Surprisingly, the plastic boards did not fare all that well. http://www.cooksillustrated.com/equipme ... ocid=31381

On second thought, I would be concerned about whatever type of wood is under the surface layer coating and maybe a wood veneer.
Boos butcher blocks are end grain maple and are dense, hard and don't splinter and add anything to your food. If the wood is soft or has allergens, when cut, it may contaminate your food. I would want to know the construction and types of wood and finishes employed.-Dick
BTW I give little credence to anything Cook's publishes.

budrichard wrote:BTW I give little credence to anything Cook's publishes.

Yeah, but how does it compare to something you read on an anonymous internet message board?

budrichard wrote:I do use a large poly board for fish and meat cleaning for sanitary reasons but all else is cut right on the block and simply cleaned with dish soap and water.

Maybe you rarely cut meat or fish. But it seems to me that if you already have poly boards out for your protein, why not do everything on them.

lougord99 wrote:

budrichard wrote:I do use a large poly board for fish and meat cleaning for sanitary reasons but all else is cut right on the block and simply cleaned with dish soap and water.

Maybe you rarely cut meat or fish. But it seems to me that if you already have poly boards out for your protein, why not do everything on them.

I do the same thing budrichard does, only I have multiple cutting boards instead of a block. Regardless of how much/how often I find myself cutting meat, it takes 5 seconds to stick a meat-juice-covered cutting board in the dishwasher & pull a clean fruit-and-veg-only cutting board out of the cabinet. It seems like literally the easiest way to minimize cross-contamination (and general yuckiness).

I think the cutting board route is the easiest. That said, I think it would be safe to use as long as the finish can be completely removed and the wood is not just a veneer.

If the wood is well treated with mineral oil (and you clean it reasonably soon after using it) you should not have any liquids penetrating into the wood. I usually heat mineral oil before apply it to my wood cutting boards to help it penetrate more deeply. I've cut a few of my cutting boards into sections after treating them and the oil has penetrated much deeper than any nick I've ever put on the surface with a knife.

I also use wood cutting boards for cutting up meat. As long as the board is well treated and cleaned soon after use it should present no problem at all. Many butcher shops and kitchens around the city use mineral oil treated wood boards to cut their meat.

That looks like solid butcher block to me. If it's a veneer, I'd be surprised that they went to all the trouble of inlaying squares of veneer on the top. Give it a light sanding to get off the lacquer and finish with mineral oil.

N.B. it WILL stain, it WILL show knife marks, it WILL get discolored from use and washing it. If that bugs you, keep the lacquer and use a separate cutting board. I myself don't have any issues with the patina that develops over time on a butcher block, in fact I prefer it to a pristine surface.

I'm with Octarine. I like the wear of years showing on the surface. (Same with people, frankly.)

"That looks like solid butcher block to me. If it's a veneer, I'd be surprised that they went to all the trouble of inlaying squares of veneer on the top. Give it a light sanding to get off the lacquer and finish with mineral oil."

While shopping for new counter-tops, we were shown a veneer surface that for all the world looked exactly like end grain butcher block and was not composed of individual tiles. I asked if you could cut on this surface and was told it was only for looks. I told my wife I know where to get a counter-top that we can really cut on and that's where the John Boss came from.-Dick

Bud, i know about the laminates that look like butcher block. Those are HPL and are pretty easy to spot. The piece in the OP was at least 3" thick and the lines matched from side to top, not something you could do with a counter top sheet material.

Thanks for all the replies so far!

The block is definitely solid and not a laminate.

I am leaning towards taking sort of everyone's advice and getting a couple dishwasher safe cutting boards for raw meat, and doing the rest of the cutting directly on the surface.

I will definitely want to sand it down - can I do this with just simple sand paper? Is there a particular grain you'd recommend? Should I use a couple different grains over the course of the process, or is one just fine?

And maybe this is a stupid question, but where does one buy mineral oil? And is there a particular brand that's best? Lastly, how often should mineral oil be applied?

I imagine if the finish isn't too thick, you could sand it down with 100 grit, maybe finishing it up with 150. Then liberally apply the oil — preferably warmed — let it soak in for a few minutes, then wipe off the excess. Personally, I prefer walnut oil to mineral oil, because it dries, whereas mineral oil doesn't. I think most drug stores sell mineral oil; any good food store should have walnut oil.

nr706 wrote:Personally, I prefer walnut oil to mineral oil, because it dries, whereas mineral oil doesn't. I think most drug stores sell mineral oil; any good food store should have walnut oil.

Walnut oil is pretty perishable -- won't it go rancid and make the board smell bad?

watson wrote:Walnut oil is pretty perishable -- won't it go rancid and make the board smell bad?

There was a recent discussion of oils that can polymerize in the context of curing cast iron; the same applies to treating wood. Especially if you heat the oil before flooding the surface of the wood, it will polymerize pretty quickly, so there will be no chance of rancidity. Bot do store the bottle of the liquid oil in the fridge.

nr706 wrote:I imagine if the finish isn't too thick, you could sand it down with 100 grit, maybe finishing it up with 150. Then liberally apply the oil — preferably warmed — let it soak in for a few minutes, then wipe off the excess. Personally, I prefer walnut oil to mineral oil, because it dries, whereas mineral oil doesn't. I think most drug stores sell mineral oil; any good food store should have walnut oil.

100 grit will fill almost immediately, particularly if you use a standard 100 grit - there are special no-fill papers, but they are more expensive. Start with 50 and sand with a sanding block until there is no more finish. Then you can quickly sand out the 50 scratches with 80 and then the 80 scratches with 100 and then the 100 scratches with 120 and then 180.

I really think you will be happier if you go through the whole series to get a smooth surface and it won't take that much more time. If you do not go through the series of papers, you will see the scratches as soon as you apply the oil.

I don't think you want an oil that polymerizes. You do not want a hard surface oil. You want an oil that soaks in and keeps the water from soaking in - that is the point of the oil. You can get mineral oil at Walgreen's.

Nut based oils are NOT suitable for a wood top! They will go bad and get sticky and gross and rancid. Mineral oil is harmless to eat in the minute quantities you might pick up on a board, if you start chugging the stuff, you'll just get real "regular" for a bit

I'd start at 80 as the smallest , then go 120 then 240 to get it smooth. Use all three grits, it will make a difference.

240 will not sand out 120 scratches. If you go to 240, you need to use 180 first.

My preferred resurfacing approach is to start with a scraper, then 50 w/belt sander, 80 w/belt sander, 100 (switch to orbital sander), then 180, and 240. I use 00 steel wool at the very end, wipe off sawdust with a damp rag (or blow off with a compressor if you have one). Once it is dry you can apply the heated mineral oil. I've found scraping the surface takes the initial veneer off much more quickly. The sanding is just to even the surface, not remove the veneer, so although I'm listing a lot of different grits each one is a quick couple passes over the entire surface.

I am fairly clueless about different tools (though confident enough where when I learn what I need to, I can do the job).

What exactly are you referring to when you say a "scraper"?

Don't think about a scraper. It's a hardened piece of tool steel that you file to a burred edge and use to get a glass smooth finish. It wouldn't work on a butcher block and is overkill. Just get the selection of paper from 80-240 and use them instead.

::remembering having to scrape smooth birdseye maple drawer fronts:: Heck no, never again!

DClose wrote:I am fairly clueless about different tools (though confident enough where when I learn what I need to, I can do the job).

What exactly are you referring to when you say a "scraper"?

Octarine basically covered the general description. I'd use something like this, or this to do it. If you haven't worked with one it may not be the best way to go, there is a risk of making some nasty gouges.

I love using scrapers, it drives me crazy sanding away at a surface when a couple passes with a scraper will just shave it right off.