Oiling Kitchen Woods and Utensils with Natural Oils

Inspired by the PEP badge bit - Oil Kitchen Woods

I wanted to create a thread on the discussion of oiling kitchen woods, from utensils to butcher block.

Oiled Kitchen Woods

Oiling kitchen woods have several benefits. The oil helps prevent cracking, splitting, warping, and twisting of objects. Splits in wood provides spaces where bad things can take refuge and makes cleaning more challenging. Wood naturally expands and contracts with moisture and oil acts in away to help prolong the life of the wood fibers by resisting water intrusion. The oil makes the wood more durable and extends the lifespan of the item for the user in the long run with occasional reapplication.

I'd like to know the different kind of natural oils that people use and why?

I usually use olive oil on the cutting board.

I end up having to wash my knife handles when processing meat.

I just wash with hot water and don't pay much attention to what kind of oil, though I probably use bacon grease.

I am not a fan of wooden spoons so those just sit on display in a homemade vase that says `Spoons`.

This is the walnut oil I use:



And I think this link explains why pretty well: https://www.earlywooddesigns.com/blogs/earlywood-wooden-utensils-blog/17633464-food-safe-oils-which-type-should-you-be-using

Food based oils like olive, corn, vegetable, and canola oils will never dry and chip off into your food like hardening oils, but they can discolor your utensils, thicken, and go rancid, giving your spoons and cutting boards a rotten smell. Have you ever see an old cutting board that someone is selling at a garage sale that is yellow and sticky on the surface? It is that way because they most likely treated the board for years with one of these food-based oils. These oils are especially troublesome when used on counter top cutting boards that don’t get a thorough washing very often.

An exception to the typical food-based oils, is walnut oil. It’s widely recommended because it doesn’t go rancid. It dries, unlike the other oils in your kitchen. However, it can still get a tacky feel. If you’re a believer in walnut oil, be sure to apply it only to utensils you use – and wash – often. That should help keep it from developing a thick, sticky coating.

Another option is tung oil. It does a good job. It will dry, which will keep it from going rancid, and it shouldn’t create a sticky buildup, but to get a proper coating you’ll need to spend 7-10 days coating and drying.

So, we’re down to petroleum based oils, and within that category is our recommendation for treating your utensils, mineral oil. Mineral oil gets a bad rap from time to time because it is petroleum based. If you are anti petroleum products, that’s your thing and that’s just fine. We’re not here to convince you otherwise, we’re just here to tell you what works best for oiling wooden spoons!

In that last little note, they mention people who are "anti petroleum products" and I guess that's me. If I wanted to eat petroleum junk, I'd just use plastic cutting boards. So it feels to me like the options are: linseed oil, walnut oil, or tung oil. Walnut oil is already in the kitchen cupboard and I can just oil stuff a couple times per year without needing to get much extra stuff out. (Maybe eventually I'll be producing enough oil on the homestead to use home-grown and that'll be extra-cool!)

I guess I go “against the grain” in this regard, because I just don’t oil my cutting boards. Mostly just spray them down with water, wipe them down, and leave to dry vertically so water doesn’t pool up. Only use cleaning products if they got particularly funky.

They still last decades and don’t crack.

As a vegetarian, I’m just dealing with juices from fresh fruits and vegetables, thought, not raw meat!

Personally, I also like to utilize walnut oil as my wood maintenance oil.

Freshly oiled kitchen stuffs

Walnut oil is reported to be a deep penetrating drying oil. When it is exposed to air and light, it undergoes a process known as polymerization. This is a slow process, happening even after the wood feels dry. The oil ends up turning into a  stable protective semi-flexible film that resists water intrusion over time. Walnut oil is considered a food-safe oil. My understanding is that walnut oil does not go rancid like other food-based oils.

I recommend folks to apply it in small, thin coats and to add more coats depending on how 'thirsty' the wood is. Wipe up any excess oil or you might end up with sticky spots.

Christopher Weeks wrote:This is the walnut oil I use:

Me too!  Thanks for all of the in depth info on kitchen oiling options.

PSA. i always do this silly thing whenever anyone mentions linseed oil

We had a fire at my Alma Mater that destroyed some outlying industrial
arts class/workshops.

I believe the new teacher wasn't paying attention when they were
teaching his class about linseed oil.

Lucky for me then that Ace Hardware doesn't sell linseed oil.

Hello and Salut

The sun is shining. We had monsoon rain the other day, hip hip hooray, whilst the village down the road had a shower.
There you go.

WALNUT oil, I’m writing from walnut country and I confess to having taken a step back when I read that the oil is used for
treating wood. And why not? (I have used olive oil.)
It’s jolly expensive even here, and even if you have your own walnuts.
I didn’t make oil from the last crop. Some visiting friends asked if I could source some oil for them this last week.
Difficult as supplies have been sold in readiness for this year’s harvest.
Managed to find some: 2l of unknown quality in recycled clear glass bottles, @ 10€ each.
That’s a giveaway price and found another 1/2l for 12€, which is more like the bottom end of the going rate.

The oil should not be heated for culinary use; it has some sort of nasty chemical effect. Not good.
And, a question for a quizz night: which oil can be emulsified with water?
Answer, yes, walnut oil. The one and only I have been led to believe.
I haven’t tried this myself.
An ancient, experienced walnut person advised me of this and the information could be useful for our wood treatments.

Interesting also if you want to ‘lengthen’ your oil to achieve higher profits. The things people do.
Something I would come across in my line of work at some stage of my professional meanderings.

Thank you for all the wood advice.
Let’s have a lovely week with thoughts of autumnal planting blessings
M-H

Edward Lye wrote:PSA. i always do this silly thing whenever anyone mentions linseed oil
We had a fire at my Alma Mater that destroyed some outlying industrial
arts class/workshops.
I believe the new teacher wasn't paying attention when they were
teaching his class about linseed oil.

Thank you Edward, this is an important reminder.  There is a general warning that finishing oils can spontaneously combust.
I think that any rags used for oiling should be soaked in water to stop this.  Personally, I place used oilrags in the fire so if it goes up, no problems.

marie-helene kutek wrote:WALNUT oil, ...It’s jolly expensive even here

It really doesn't take very much. $20 of good quality walnut oil will last decades if all you're doing is oiling kitchen wood.

I have never used it, but there are quite a few products that combine beeswax (and maybe carnauba wax) with the Walnut oil. I guess it is supposed to add some extra protection? Have any of you tried the mix?

From the link that I quoted in my first post up-thread:

We should also mention beeswax. It’s a safe option. It will give you a shiny smooth surface and be essentially waterproof. This sounds like a good thing, but the problem is that it is hard at room temperature, and as soon as you dip that treated spoon into a hot dish, the wax immediately melts into your food, thus losing most of its protection. Beeswax is often blended with mineral or other oils and is dubbed as “spoon oil”. We have found that the addition of wax to mineral oil only thickens the oil, makes it harder to apply and restricts the depth to which it can soak in. Therefore, we’re not huge fans.

Christopher Weeks wrote:From the link that I quoted in my first post up-thread:

We should also mention beeswax. It’s a safe option. It will give you a shiny smooth surface and be essentially waterproof. This sounds like a good thing, but the problem is that it is hard at room temperature, and as soon as you dip that treated spoon into a hot dish, the wax immediately melts into your food, thus losing most of its protection. Beeswax is often blended with mineral or other oils and is dubbed as “spoon oil”. We have found that the addition of wax to mineral oil only thickens the oil, makes it harder to apply and restricts the depth to which it can soak in. Therefore, we’re not huge fans.

I did skim that section :), my apologies... but the information that I found was more related to furniture and cutting boards, than cooking utensils. It was also used as a top coat... not the only coat. They recommended  putting a layer or two of straight oil, letting it dry, and then topping it off with wax-mix... which would help with the soaking in issue.

Not sure about the heat though. It would probably have to be re-applied to anything that got washed in hot soapy water. I suspect it some of it could stand up to being washing in a sink with normal hot water... but probably not at the temps in a dish washer.

That makes sense. I haven't ever used it so I don't have anything first-hand to say about it.

Matt McSpadden wrote:but probably not at the temps in a dish washer.

The only wood that goes into my dishwasher is like the handles on cheap silicone spatulas and bamboo chopsticks that aren't really expected to last forever. When I'm cleaning my wood, I usually run hot water in the sink and rub it with a luffa or bristle-brush. I don't think it'll melt away instantly with that treatment, but over time. Maybe using it would extend the gap between times you need to reapply oil, but I'm not sure if it's really saving you anything at that point.

I just started using Kramer's Wood Food Oyl on my wooden utensils and I like it very much. By the way, his other products are really exceptional., as I've posted elsewhere ( I have no connecion to the company; I just luse and appreciate their products) https://www.kramerize.com/products.htm

Here's what Kramer writes :

Kramer's Best Wood Food Oyl,  is for use on food service items, such as butcher blocks,salad bowls, cutting boards, etc. — anything that will be in direct contact with food. Keeping these utensils clean and safe requires regular washing with lots of hot soapy water and a scalding rinse. These pieces soon dry out, lose their color and will crack and split over time if left untreated. As with other modern wood care products, the formulations offered for the care of wooden food utensils usually have petroleum derivatives, such as mineral oil, as their base. Repeated use may leave a "gummy" build-up. Only materials natural to the wood are capable of furnishing what is necessary for effective care. Food-grade oils, such as the common vegetable oils may be more desirable, but may turn rancid over time. Our Kramer's Best Wood Food Oyl,  when applied occasionally as needed, reverses the dryness and at the same time maintains the natural appearance and condition of the piece.

Use your treenware, as it was intended, without worry. If the wood seems dry, work some of the Wood Food Oyl into the wood. Continue to use and care for your pieces in your normal way, reapplying the Wood Food Oyl, as necessary, if you begin to see surface dryness return.