Bamboo Chopping Board

Beanstalk

Was wondering if anyone can help me?

I got this new bamboo chopping board yesterday, and in the instructions it mentions how I should oil it in mineral oil daily for a week before use, i don't have mineral oil, and i'd imagine olive oil might not be good, so I was gonna use peanut oil instead, is this ok?

Also, with wooden chopping boards is it still a really bad idea to use it for raw and cooked meats/vegtables, even if washed thoroughly between use?

Minder

I wouldn't use cooking oils - they might become rancid and taint the board - the DIY shops will have oils suitable for treating wood and not a danger to food.

It is not a good idea to use the same board for everything, but particularly raw meat vs other ingredients. I have all wooden boards, use one for raw meat, another for veggies and cooked meat and a third for bread and fruit. The taint of garlic in a fresh fruit salad isn't good;)

The Sweeper

Hey beanstalk - I have a range of bamboo boards that I use at home. None of them ever requested that I oil them daily for a week before use though.

Every so often I will oil them - and tbh I just use olive oil when I do it. I take a piece of kitchen towel, saturate it with oil but squeeze it out so there are no drips, and oil my washed, dried boards with it. I've never had a problem with oil turning rancid on the board, but I don't know if I'd use anything other than olive oil.

I find bamboo boards great - they're extremely hard with a tight grain, easy to clean, fairly lightweight and they take some abuse. None of mine have split or cracked at all, and one of them has had nearly four years of daily use. I'm taking a fine-grade sandpaper to the four year old one when next I think of it, because it's getting to the point where it's pretty scratched up, and I want to even the surface out a little.

Beanstalk

Four years? Thats brilliant! I made the right choice so. I was just fed up with plastic, cus they were easily stained and got a bit too jaggy. My flatmates have glass, but they just blunt the knives and are quite noisy too!

Thanks for the advice!

SnowMonkey

apprently there's an emzine in wood that helps keep germs at bay or something Jaime Olivier was saying on tv...

Wooden board rock!!!