Wooden bowls - making them safe for food

Will

Looking for a place in Dublin that sells some sort of sealer that will make the bowls I make safe to put food into like salads and other food items.

Was in McQuillans over the weekend but forgot to ask.

Any tips would be great, cheers

kadman

Will wrote: »

Looking for a place in Dublin that sells some sort of sealer that will make the bowls I make safe to put food into like salads and other food items.

Was in McQuillans over the weekend but forgot to ask.

Any tips would be great, cheers

Nothing................except maybe a coating of vegetable oil. Thats all i put on salad bowls or fruit bowls, and have done for 25 years.

http://www.buzzle.com/editorials/5-2-2006-95011.asp

By Linda Orlando

If you’ve been to a kitchen store in the last couple of years, you may have noticed that they are starting to carry more and more types of wooden cutting boards. Not long ago, it was hard to find a wooden cutting board among the stacks and displays of plastic cutting boards, their packaging proclaiming how much safer plastic is because it won’t trap and hold germs to get on food every time you use the board. Plastic boards were heavily advertised on TV for years, convincing everyone that plastic was better because it is non-porous. Cooks everywhere were told that wooden boards are so porous that harmful organisms such as salmonella, e-coli, and listeria would soak into the pores where they would lurk, waiting to contaminate other foods later.

The advertising seemed to make so much sense that everyone believed it was true. Many people threw out the trusty wooden boards they had been using for years, and the manufacturers quickly transferred their efforts to producing a wide variety of plastic replacements. Health officials even supported the idea that plastic was better—until 1993. Microbiologists at the University of Wisconsin’s Food Research Institute became the first to actually test the theory to see if it had any validity. The results of their tests stunned the entire chopping block community.

Researchers at the Institute intentionally contaminated both wooden cutting boards and plastic ones with all types of bacteria that cause food poisoning. They then tested the boards regularly, without washing or touching them, to see what happened to the bacteria. Surprisingly, all of the bacteria on the wooden board dried off within three minutes. On the plastic board, the bacteria not only remained alive but actually multiplied overnight.

The explanation for the dramatic results is that wood has a natural bacteria-killing property, which plastic does not. Because of the capillary action of dry wood, germs quickly disappear beneath the surface of the board, where they die quickly. The exposed area on top of the board is free from microbes. In contrast, bacteria just sit on the hard surface of a plastic cutting board, ready to attack whatever food is placed on the board next

kadman

MathsManiac

That's interesting, kadman.

There are food-safe oils for rubbing into wood, but this seems to suggest you'd be better off leaving a wooden chopping board entirely untreated.

Also, it seems to me to be another good reason for ensuring that the working surface is end-grain, since I assume that optimises the effect of the capillary action.

kadman

MathsManiac wrote: »

That's interesting, kadman.

There are food-safe oils for rubbing into wood, but this seems to suggest you'd be better off leaving a wooden chopping board entirely untreated.

Also, it seems to me to be another good reason for ensuring that the working surface is end-grain, since I assume that optimises the effect of the capillary action.

Sure aren,t we lucky to be using such amazing stuff as wood:D

kadman

ednwireland

vegetable oil tends to go rancid
theres food safe finishes out there (chestnut do one) Based on liquid paraffin

Double Barrel

Plus one for Kadmans advice.

Put me in the I would not mind having it in my salad category, olive or walnut are usually in the kitchen. I eat salad every day so rancidity really is not a concern.
If you want a bit more durability heat beeswax and mix with walnut oil. One part beeswax mixed with two parts walnut oil seems to work for me.

Will

Cheers for the advice everyone Just used a bit of olive oil for a lil bowl I made.

kadman

Will wrote: »

Cheers for the advice everyone Just used a bit of olive oil for a lil bowl I made.

Nice one, any pic:)

kadman

Will

dunno of this will work. Using my phone. Small olive wood bowl.



have had a few people asking me to make them bowls. Any tips on pricing? I don't wanna rip anyone off but don't wanna sell
myself short either

sfakiaman

I always use shellac based sanding sealer to seal the wood, then sand that back using liquid paraffin as a lubricant. This leaves the sealer in the pores of the wood and an oil finish on the surface.

kadman

Will wrote: »

dunno of this will work. Using my phone. Small olive wood bowl.



have had a few people asking me to make them bowls. Any tips on pricing? I don't wanna rip anyone off but don't wanna sell
myself short either

Thats a beautiful bowl. Bottom right hand corner of the bowl looks like a small animal, lovely form.

What diameter is the bowl.

kadman

Will

6" in diameter, took me a lil over an hour to make. Very happy about it as they usually take me 2 hours or more

Radiotower

Prob a bit late but Tung oil is good for surfaces that come in contact with food. Only place I found it was here (I tried McQuillans in Blanch plus all the usual DIY stores around)

http://www.handyhardware.ie/product/31558/Liberon-Pure-Tung-Oil-250ml