So I have this nice piece of cedar (not the aromatic type) that I'd like to use as a cutting board. Mostly for veggies, fruits, and such. It's about 6" x 13" x 3/4". My question is how to prepare it/seal it? I checked online (duh) and found most folks say mineral oil and/or beeswax. I know we have some woodworkers in the forum, what do you guys say? Thanks in advance
Personally, I would not choose to use cedar for a cutting board. Too soft. Knife cuts will be very deep, allowing food & bacteria entry into the wood. There's a reason tight-grain maple and other hard woods/endgrain are recommended for this purpose. Cedar also has tannins that may add an unpleasant flavor, no matter how one seals the finish. Once one slices through the sealer with a knife, you've exposed wood. Cedar is a great wood, but I would find an alternate non-food purpose for its use.
I agree with HolyRollah, cedar is a little soft for use as a cutting board. If you make the plank into a cutting board anyway, I think beeswax would be the best finish. It is non-toxic and won't affect the food flavors. Wooden cutting boards can be breeding grounds for bacteria, though. Plastic cutting boards do not have this problem.
One exception for cedar planking for 'food'—smoking salmon on cedar planking has been done for ages. But all foods remain on the surface with no intrusion into the wood (i.e. knife damage), and the cedar imparts a 'desired' flavor profile in this instance.
Actually that was the original purpose for this board LOL But then I saw a similar sized cutting board and voila! An idea was born You guys reasoning for not using it are all valid of course. So I may re-purpose it for something else. Thanks for the info! You are right about the bacteria. I hadn't really considered that. But i HATE plastic cutting boards lol I may just invest in a professionally made butcher block...
I know you cannot trust everything on the net but here ya go dude. http://commonsensehome.com/wooden-cutting-boards/ http://www.organicauthority.com/eco...a-wooden-or-plastic-cutting-board-better.html
Harder woods such as ash and oak are better for cutting boards, but bamboo boards are perhaps the best compromise between wood and plastic.
Having used both maple cutting boards and HDPE (high density polyethylene) cutting boards, each has its advantages. HDPE is bleach-able (for disinfecting/sterilizing), lighter than wood, sandable, easy on knife edges and can be cut to size, any dimension and thickness. I use several different sizes but the largest (38x48) is still portable AND affordable... Wood is good, great for knives, but the weight, cost and maintenance are it's biggest downside. I also have a sheet of Corian that serves well as cutting board material: sandable & can be bleached (sterilized), easy on knife edges and lightweight.
I use mineral oil on my wood and cork boards. Buy it for less than $2 in the pharmacy at Walmart. It's labelled as laxative. Food grade and pure. Stay away from anything labelled specially for cutting boards. It's a rip-off.
I know for a fact in professional kitchens the health department says no to wood cutting boards and also handles on knives do to the bacteria growth potential and they like to see color coded boards and knives to prevent possible cross contamination at least in Washington State.
