Slightly OT: Renovating a Butcher's Block

[lou]

This is slightly OT as it's about a period item rather than a property question but I have recently bought a lovely old butcher's block that looks as though it's never been treated with any kind of oil or other finish. Others I have seen appear to be waxed and have the lovely honey colour that waxing imparts but this one is going to be used in the kitchen for actual chopping, so whatever I use needs to be suitable for food prep. I have just read Toby Newell's article on wood but this doesn't really address my query.

Any ideas gratefully received.

 

[robgil]

Just scrub it down every now and then with warm water and fairy, and obviously after chopping meat on it..

 

[LadyArowana]

If I acquired something like this for food prep I would give it a very very good scrub down with an anti-bacterial agent, then a very very good rinse with lots of clean water. Let it dry out completely, then do the same with ordinary fairy liquid, rinse again and let it dry out again. I am not sure a lovely shiny honey colour patina is going to be compatible with fairly regular use as a meat preparation surface as, like Rob says, you will need to scrub down every time. However wiping it over with some olive oil when it's dry might restore a bit of lustre and wouldn't be a problem contamination wise.

 

[lou]

Thanks - olive oil sounds like a good idea for the surface. And while I had intended to wash it down thoroughly, I think the belt and braces approach to cleaning is a good suggestion. Don't want to poison the family and guests!

 

[Nigel Watts]

I would not treat the surface with anything and would not get obsessed with hygeine issues either. If the colour is too irregular for your taste give it a going over with a cabinet scraper and then leave well alone.

I have been sawing up joints of meat and chopping meat, offal, fish, fruit and vegetables on the untreated beech chopping surface in my kitchen for over 15 years on a virtually daily basis with little more than a light wipe over after each use and no one in my family nor any guest has suffered any ill effects. I tend to reserve one end for chopping onions and garlic but this is only to stop their flavour getting into dishes where they are not wanted.

 

[Moo]

To summarise the above: just keep doing what the butcher did.

 

[Penners]

I would not treat the surface with anything and would not get obsessed with hygiene issues either.

Hear, hear!

Wood contains natural enzymes to fight bacteria when it's a growing tree, and these enzymes persist in the wood, making it naturally hygienic. I wouldn't treat it with anything, just washing it down with water and a little mild detergent. Don't overuse the detergent, because it will dry out the oils in the wood.

If you feel that you must oil it, then a natural vegetable oil should, of course, be used.

 

[Moo]

I have a dim memory of some proper scientific research that found that wood is a much more hygienic chopping surface than plastic

 

[Penners]

Quite so. Bacteria snuggle into the scratches in plastic a breed away merrily. In wood, the enzymes disapprove of this.

 

[LadyArowana]

I would not treat the surface with anything and would not get obsessed with hygiene issues either.

Hear, hear!
.

:roll: boys! :lol: for me there is an additional level of cleansing required when an item has been owned by someone else, maybe I was told too many times "put that down you don't know where it's been".

 

[Penners]

To which my rebuttal is: http://www.suite101.com/content/early-germ-exposure-boosts-immune-function-a76488

 

[LadyArowana]

To which my rebuttal is: http://www.suite101.com/content/early-germ-exposure-boosts-immune-function-a76488

I'm sure they have a point. However there is a disconnect between how much actual harm something might do and how unappealing it is. Nobody wants to find a stray hair in their sandwich or know that the cat had a quick chew on the bacon ( unless it's Joce's lovely kitty) but it probably wouldn't do you any harm at all. I just like to think anything vintage starts off uber clean, if I am a bit lax with standards after that then at least it's my own dirt and it doesn't bother me.

 

[Penners]

I confess that I have been playing Devil's Advocate in this matter. I, too, have something of a phobia about other people's dirt.

It's somehow so much dirtier than my own.

 

[michael]

Try a few of these sites. Might give you a few ideas.

whatscookingamerica.net/CuttingBoards/AllAbout.htm
(Scroll down to How to season)

www.woodworkdetails.com › Finishing

www.wood-finishes-direct.com › wood finishes › wood oils

Interestingly the first site doesn’t recommend using olive oil or any other vegetable oils due to the fact that they go rancid over time.

 

[michael]

Sorry should be:-
www.whatscookingamerica.net/CuttingBoards/AllAbout.htm

 

[JoceAndChris]

unless it's Joce's lovely kitty

:lol: Even I wouldn't rescue it if it was being chewed - but he does tend to jump everywhere to sniff things and give them a tentative lick - never done me any harm. I do favour the anti-bacterial sprays though. Promise I won't make any PPUKers eat cat-licked food, ever.

Although the top of this butcher's block must be left au naturel, could the sides be waxed?

 

[jocelyn plummer]

The Butcher usually uses sawdust and a stiff brush to clean the surface. Agree with Nigel, no need to go over the top. I have been known to bleach a pine surface if it gets too bad. Kim and Aggie would probably recommend rubbing a lemon across the surface.

 

[Moo]

For me the idea of other people's dirt comes in a dead heat with the thought of kitchen surfaces that have had a cat strolling all over them.
So whilst I'm a firm advocate of grubby children*, I think that if I had to live with a cat I'd develop an obsessive/compulsive complex about sanitising my kitchen surfaces.



* Remember that story about the Eskimos being decimated by the common cold when it was brought in to their land by western explorers?

 

[Penners]

Kim and Aggie

Who?

 

[lou]

Thanks for all your opinions. I'm with Lady A on this - similar dire warnings in childhood, no doubt. It looks as though it's been mouldering somewhere for a good long while so may have had who-knows-what crawling over it. It will definitely be getting a jolly good scrub with something anti-bacterial. And there's e-coli (?) to think of too. However, once this is done, a good wipe with a hot dishcloth will suffice.

Thanks to Michael for that useful link too.