Tags: Zero Waste; Health
Wood cutting boards can last a long time if they are well cared for. One study even indicates that they may harbor fewer bacteria than plastic cutting boards. A wood cutting board needs to be kept dry to prevent molding and warping, though. Sealing a wood cutting board with spoon butter can also help make it last a longer.
Preparing an Old Cutting Board
Sanding down the old cutting board is the first step. This gets rid of layers of food, grease, old spoon butter, and mold. I used this rough wood sanding block made out of recycled glass.
Removing a layer of mold on the bottom:
Wood cutting boards can last a long time if they are well cared for. One study even indicates that they may harbor fewer bacteria than plastic cutting boards. A wood cutting board needs to be kept dry to prevent molding and warping, though. Sealing a wood cutting board with spoon butter can also help make it last a longer.
Preparing an Old Cutting Board
Sanding down the old cutting board is the first step. This gets rid of layers of food, grease, old spoon butter, and mold. I used this rough wood sanding block made out of recycled glass.
Removing a layer of mold on the bottom:
Sanding “after” shot with the sanding stone:
The process of removing the old layers can be messy and require strength, if the layers are thick and embedded. I suggest using a wet stone and washing and wiping off the gunk as you go along.
Making the Spoon Butter
Now we make the spoon butter. Traditionally, spoon butter is made with beeswax and mineral oil. Mineral oil is a petroleum product and petroleum products are not biodegradable, so I wanted to figure out if I could use vegetable oil instead. I settled on coconut oil for its shelf stability and antimicrobial properties.
Plant-Based Spoon Butter
4 parts extra virgin coconut oil
1 part candelilla wax (or beeswax)
Put the ingredients in an old glass jar. Alternatively, place in a glass bowl. Boil some water on the stove in a saucepan. Create a double boiler by placing the jar or bowl in the boiling water. Stir or swirl around until everything is melted and clear. Set the mixture aside to cool.
Put the ingredients in an old glass jar. Alternatively, place in a glass bowl. Boil some water on the stove in a saucepan. Create a double boiler by placing the jar or bowl in the boiling water. Stir or swirl around until everything is melted and clear. Set the mixture aside to cool.
Applying the Spoon Butter
Thoroughly clean and dry your cutting board. Once the spoon butter is cooled used a clean cotton cloth to buff the spoon butter onto the cutting board.
Thoroughly clean and dry your cutting board. Once the spoon butter is cooled used a clean cotton cloth to buff the spoon butter onto the cutting board.
Leave the spoon butter on the board
overnight then remove the excess with a clean cloth. Now your cutting board is
sealed and beautiful!
Here's our sealed board:
Here's our sealed board:
Store the leftover spoon butter in a cool, dark place. Discard after one year or if it starts to smell bad.
Repeat the process of sealing and/or sanding as you deem necessary over the lifetime of your board. If your board starts to smell bad, it might be time to sand off a layer and reseal, otherwise, you can just add another layer of spoon butter.
Resources:
P.S. I stumbled upon this recipe after the fact, so I didn't try it. It seems that someone had the same idea as me, though!
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