Food Safe Finishes

[Ronald L Cool]

What is everyone and what is the best finish for food safe thanks

[Jonathon Spafford]

You can use different food oils like walnut oil, peanut oil, canola oil, olive oil as well as waxes like beeswax and I believe carnuba. There are even some commercially made food safe finishes. I think that Richard Raffan just uses peanut oil and beeswax exclusively on his kitchenware. Some people argue that all finishes are food safe once they cure, but I can't verify this. To be on the safe side you might as well use some sort of kitchen oil. Be careful though of using walnut or peanut oil because there are people that are highly allergic to the stuff!

[Ted Calver]

Ronald,
Whatcha gonna put it on? For cutting boards, wooden utensils and user bowls for family and friends I use a couple of coats of Mike Mahoneys Walnut oil followed in a week or so by a coat of a Walnut Oil/Beeswax mixture made from a recipe in an old FWW magazine. IIRC the mix is four parts oil to one part wax. I use a heavy glass container with five equally spaced marks on the side. Fill with oil to the forth mark. Heat gently in the microwave until warm, then shave in beeswax and continue to gently heat as necessary until the liquid hits the fifth mark. Warn everyone about the walnut oil and the possibility of nut allergies--you can substitute mineral oil if allergies are a problem, but I really don't like to use it on bowls because it doesn't dry like the Mahoney stuff.

[Ronald L Cool]

not sure how to word this but do this oils clean well or will it be sticky ok new question what is the best way to clean wood bowls plates with these oils mentioned on creek thanks

[Ted Calver]

Ron,
Wash with warm water and soap, rinse and towel dry immediately. Do not immerse in water or let stand with liquid inside.

[Bernie Weishapl]

I use the same as Ted. Mike Mahoney's Walnut Oil and then after that sits for a couple of weeks I put the Walnut Oil/Beeswax/Carnuba wax mixture. I also like to use General Finishes Seal-A-Cell then Arm-R-Seal. It seems to hold up pretty good. I use this finish on salad bowls or plates.

[Ronald L Cool]

Ok Thanks For Tips I was Just wondering if the wood will soak the water in and the mess with the shape warping the bowles and plates

[George Tokarev]

Remember, wax isn't a "finish," rather an embellishment. A few detergent contacts will do for it, as well as non-curing oils. Leave the water on it too long, and the waxes can pick up a haze which is most unattractive. Wouldn't bother waxing a working bowl.

Pretty much any cured finish is as safe as another, being indigestible and in its location, hardly ingestible. Cured material gives the bacteria no place to hide in the finish. I want their little cells to burst in contact with the detergent, which means keeping them available outside of the protection of oil or wax. .

[Ronald L Cool]

Thanks for info

[Jim Becker]

All finishes sold to day are "food safe" when fully cured or in the case of mineral oil, etc., when applied. There really isn't a "food safe" type of designation...

[Mark Pruitt]

All finishes sold to day are "food safe" when fully cured or in the case of mineral oil, etc., when applied. There really isn't a "food safe" type of designation...

Jim, while this is correct, I do wonder sometimes about the prospect of a film finish such as poly or another varnish "flaking" and making its way into a serving, ultimately being ingested. Maybe it wouldn't be dangerous as far as its content, but if it was big enough it could theoretically block someone's airway. The odds of such are quite slim, but some of us seem quite skilled at being accident magnets.

[Reed Gray]

For cleaning, most of the time I just rinse my bowls out well, and dry (either drip or with a towel). You can wash with mild soap and water, or use table salt and some lemon or lime (either juice or wedges). Both do the same thing. If you start to feel a build up inside the bowl, then that is when you need to soap it. Bowls need to breath, so don't lock it away in a cabinet. Don't store wet foods in it. Don't store it in a refrigerator with food in it. I also use the Mahoney oil. It is heat processed. This is supposed to break down the proteins which cause the allergies.

robo hippy

[Jim Becker]

Mark, if your finish is flaking off, especially in chunks big enough to block an airway...perhaps it's time to alter the finishing process to make sure it sticks the next time around...

Polyurethane varnish actually does pose some risk of flaking, merely because it doesn't like to stick to itself and when one forgets that important scuff sanding between coats...the layers can peel. But there should be no danger to health if pieces are ingested.

[William Bachtel]

Mineral oil is a good one, you can buy it at the drug store, its cheap. Use it offend.