I know that Maple is the preferred wood but why? I have an abundance of
Oak, is there any reason that I can't use that. For finishing, I realize
that Mineral Sprits is the only proper finish as it's meant to come in
contact with food, but I don't want to use Maple unless I have to.

Don

Oak is "ring-porous" absorbs a lot, maple is consistently dense.
Apple or Pear wood works well too.

RayJ

"D. J. Dorn" wrote in message
...
I know that Maple is the preferred wood but why? I have an abundance of
Oak, is there any reason that I can't use that. For finishing, I realize
that Mineral Sprits is the only proper finish as it's meant to come in
contact with food, but I don't want to use Maple unless I have to.

Don

Maple is preferred because of its tight closed grain. Oak has more of an
open pore grain that can collect food.
Mineral Spirits for a finish? I don't think so... Maybe Mineral Oil.

"D. J. Dorn" wrote in message
...
I know that Maple is the preferred wood but why? I have an abundance of
Oak, is there any reason that I can't use that. For finishing, I realize
that Mineral Sprits is the only proper finish as it's meant to come in
contact with food, but I don't want to use Maple unless I have to.

Don

oak doesn't work. don't try to re-invent the wheel.

Olive wood...... makes a nice cutting board. Maple makes a nice
cutting board.

-Dan V.

On Tue, 8 Jun 2004 21:00:18 -0500, "D. J. Dorn"
wrote:

I know that Maple is the preferred wood but why? I have an abundance of
Oak, is there any reason that I can't use that. For finishing, I realize
that Mineral Sprits is the only proper finish as it's meant to come in
contact with food, but I don't want to use Maple unless I have to.

Don

In article , "D. J. Dorn" wrote:
I know that Maple is the preferred wood but why? I have an abundance of
Oak, is there any reason that I can't use that.

Well, it's porous. Stuff will get stuck in it.

The other consideration to bear in mind with oak is, red or white oak? Wet red
oak smells like cat urine, and will impart unpleasant flavors to anything that
you cut on it. White oak will also impart flavors, which may or may not be
desirable, depending on the food.

Having "an abundance of oak" is a poor reason for using it for a purpose to
which it is very ill-suited.

Maple is a much better choice.

For finishing, I realize
that Mineral Sprits is the only proper finish as it's meant to come in
contact with food, but I don't want to use Maple unless I have to.

Surely you mean mineral _oil_. :-)

Why don't you want to use maple? It has all the ideal characteristics needed
for a cutting board: it's hard and strong, not porous, looks nice, easy to
work, not terribly expensive, and doesn't impart flavor.

--
Regards,
Doug Miller (alphageek-at-milmac-dot-com)

Get a copy of my NEW AND IMPROVED TrollFilter for NewsProxy/Nfilter
by sending email to autoresponder at filterinfo-at-milmac-dot-com
You must use your REAL email address to get a response.

Best woods are those, as indicated, which are relatively close-grained, so
as not to shelter nasties.

Best finish is nothing, for the same reason. If you expect the detergent to
kill bacteria, don't give them oil to hide in.

Make two distinctive boards, one for raw foods, one for foods to be cooked -
don't mix.

"D. J. Dorn" wrote in message
...
I know that Maple is the preferred wood but why? I have an abundance of
Oak, is there any reason that I can't use that. For finishing, I realize
that Mineral Sprits is the only proper finish as it's meant to come in
contact with food, but I don't want to use Maple unless I have to.

Don

I have made several from cherry with apparent success.
I finish with oil or an oil/beeswax paste.
Sometimes I put in a strip or two of walnut for decoration.
Wilson
"D. J. Dorn" wrote in message
...
I know that Maple is the preferred wood but why? I have an abundance of
Oak, is there any reason that I can't use that. For finishing, I realize
that Mineral Sprits is the only proper finish as it's meant to come in
contact with food, but I don't want to use Maple unless I have to.

Don

Yes, that's correct, I knew what I meant I suspected the reason was
grain related - since finish isn't an issue, I'll pick up some Maple,
thanks.

Don

"Leon" wrote in message
m...
Maple is preferred because of its tight closed grain. Oak has more of an
open pore grain that can collect food.
Mineral Spirits for a finish? I don't think so... Maybe Mineral Oil.

"D. J. Dorn" wrote in message
...
I know that Maple is the preferred wood but why? I have an abundance of
Oak, is there any reason that I can't use that. For finishing, I
realize
that Mineral Sprits is the only proper finish as it's meant to come in
contact with food, but I don't want to use Maple unless I have to.

Don

Never thout of that and you're right. Going to stick with Maple.

Don

"Doug Miller" wrote in message
...
In article , "D. J. Dorn"
wrote:
I know that Maple is the preferred wood but why? I have an abundance of
Oak, is there any reason that I can't use that.

Well, it's porous. Stuff will get stuck in it.

The other consideration to bear in mind with oak is, red or white oak? Wet
red
oak smells like cat urine, and will impart unpleasant flavors to anything
that
you cut on it. White oak will also impart flavors, which may or may not be
desirable, depending on the food.

Having "an abundance of oak" is a poor reason for using it for a purpose
to
which it is very ill-suited.

Maple is a much better choice.

For finishing, I realize
that Mineral Sprits is the only proper finish as it's meant to come in
contact with food, but I don't want to use Maple unless I have to.

Surely you mean mineral _oil_. :-)

Why don't you want to use maple? It has all the ideal characteristics
needed
for a cutting board: it's hard and strong, not porous, looks nice, easy to
work, not terribly expensive, and doesn't impart flavor.

--
Regards,
Doug Miller (alphageek-at-milmac-dot-com)

Get a copy of my NEW AND IMPROVED TrollFilter for NewsProxy/Nfilter
by sending email to autoresponder at filterinfo-at-milmac-dot-com
You must use your REAL email address to get a response.

As many as 81 million cases of food-born illnesses occur in the United
States each year, and most of these gut-wrenching infections can be traced
to the home kitchen. Any surface -- even stainless steel pans, knives,
sinks, food-processor blades, and mixing bowls --- can harbor nasty
microbes. Fortunately, kitchen germs can usually be killed by a good
scrubbing with hot water and soap, or a turn in the dishwasher, and by
keeping all surfaces clean and dry. A good procedure for disinfecting both
wood and plastic cutting boards, as well as other surfaces and utensils, is
to spray them first with a mist of vinegar, then with a mist of hydrogen
peroxide. This combo kills bacteria on meat and produce, too, without
hurting the food.


"D. J. Dorn" wrote in message
...
I know that Maple is the preferred wood but why? I have an abundance of
Oak, is there any reason that I can't use that. For finishing, I realize
that Mineral Sprits is the only proper finish as it's meant to come in
contact with food, but I don't want to use Maple unless I have to.

Don

On 9-Jun-2004, "George" george@least wrote:

Make two distinctive boards, one for raw foods, one for foods to be cooked -
don't mix.

We use three - one for meat, one for raw, one for cooked - not mixing is a good
idea.

Mike

Others have posted why hard maple is the choice for the wood. As for
finish:
http://www.woodfinishsupply.com/butcherblock.html

I personally don't like the idea of mineral oil (non-drying) coming
out of the wood afterwards, so I use *pure* tung oil (LV 56Z10.01).

"D. J. Dorn" wrote in message ...
I know that Maple is the preferred wood but why? I have an abundance of
Oak, is there any reason that I can't use that. For finishing, I realize
that Mineral Sprits is the only proper finish as it's meant to come in
contact with food, but I don't want to use Maple unless I have to.

Don

I always wash the cutting board after every use with liquid dish
detergent and then diluted chlorine bleach. When the board dries, if
the oil is depleted I resoak with mineral oil. No problems with bugs
ever. Warren

Any Hardwood will work for a cutting board. A lot of woods will look
prettier than others, but a nice fine grained wood will work well. For
sanitiizing use 1 cap of bleach per gallon of cool water. This gives
you the reccommmended sanitizing solution of between 50 and 200 parts
per million of chlorine. The board is not considered sanitized until it
is dry, since the drying process is what actually kills the bacteria. I
have owned 3 restaurants for over 20 years and this is standard on all
wood cutting boards. The latest data is that wood may actually be a
better suraface than the poly cutting boards because it evaporates
moisture so well, but I don't believe they will ever go back no matter
what the data. Our baking tables are allowed to be wood since its the
perfect surface for dough. Hope this helps. \

Jim

Photo wrote:
As many as 81 million cases of food-born illnesses occur in the United
States each year, and most of these gut-wrenching infections can be traced
to the home kitchen. Any surface -- even stainless steel pans, knives,
sinks, food-processor blades, and mixing bowls --- can harbor nasty
microbes. Fortunately, kitchen germs can usually be killed by a good
scrubbing with hot water and soap, or a turn in the dishwasher, and by
keeping all surfaces clean and dry. A good procedure for disinfecting both
wood and plastic cutting boards, as well as other surfaces and utensils, is
to spray them first with a mist of vinegar, then with a mist of hydrogen
peroxide. This combo kills bacteria on meat and produce, too, without
hurting the food.


"D. J. Dorn" wrote in message
...

I know that Maple is the preferred wood but why? I have an abundance of
Oak, is there any reason that I can't use that. For finishing, I realize
that Mineral Sprits is the only proper finish as it's meant to come in
contact with food, but I don't want to use Maple unless I have to.

Don

Thanks - that's a great piece of advise.

Don

"Photo" wrote in message
ble.rogers.com...
As many as 81 million cases of food-born illnesses occur in the United
States each year, and most of these gut-wrenching infections can be traced
to the home kitchen. Any surface -- even stainless steel pans, knives,
sinks, food-processor blades, and mixing bowls --- can harbor nasty
microbes. Fortunately, kitchen germs can usually be killed by a good
scrubbing with hot water and soap, or a turn in the dishwasher, and by
keeping all surfaces clean and dry. A good procedure for disinfecting both
wood and plastic cutting boards, as well as other surfaces and utensils,
is
to spray them first with a mist of vinegar, then with a mist of hydrogen
peroxide. This combo kills bacteria on meat and produce, too, without
hurting the food.


"D. J. Dorn" wrote in message
...
I know that Maple is the preferred wood but why? I have an abundance of
Oak, is there any reason that I can't use that. For finishing, I
realize
that Mineral Sprits is the only proper finish as it's meant to come in
contact with food, but I don't want to use Maple unless I have to.

Don

On Wed, 09 Jun 2004 16:04:11 -0700, Warren wrote:

I always wash the cutting board after every use with liquid dish detergent
and then diluted chlorine bleach. When the board dries, if the oil is
depleted I resoak with mineral oil. No problems with bugs ever. Warren

Not me. Whack up a chicken, whack up those veggies all on the same board.
It's part of the new "green apple quickstep" diet and it's working!

-Doug

--
"A government that robs Peter to pay Paul can always
depend on the support of Paul." - George Bernard Shaw

"Leon" wrote in message
m...
Maple is preferred because of its tight closed grain. Oak has more of
an
open pore grain that can collect food.
Mineral Spirits for a finish? I don't think so... Maybe Mineral Oil.


Plus, you've gotta like a wood where allergic reactions are rare...after
all, people consume concentrated maple tree sap on their pancakes!

Chopping block = laminated maple
Cutting board = walnut, maple, cherry, maple, walnut....in that order.
Have Fun,
Lumberjack

"rj" wrote in message
news:9huxc.18425$4S5.18170@attbi_s52...
Oak is "ring-porous" absorbs a lot, maple is consistently dense.
Apple or Pear wood works well too.

RayJ

"D. J. Dorn" wrote in message
...
I know that Maple is the preferred wood but why? I have an abundance of
Oak, is there any reason that I can't use that. For finishing, I
realize
that Mineral Sprits is the only proper finish as it's meant to come in
contact with food, but I don't want to use Maple unless I have to.

Don

Any Hardwood will work for a cutting board. BRBR

Not true, don't use an open pored wood, oak is a terrible choice. A previous
poster mentioned walnut, which is not only worse, but stupid. Walnut can cause
toxic reactions.

his gives
you the reccommmended sanitizing solution of between 50 and 200 parts
per million of chlorine BRBR

A good freind who is a food health service expert recommends keeping a spray
bottle, with one tbs of clorox of one gallon of water., wipe, spray, let dry.
Much easier.

The best cutting board is probably osage orange, but it's really expensive, and
tghe dust gets everywhere. I would think apple and pear work well. I actually
ahd a birch one for years, and constant washing didn't even disintegrate it. i
made it before I "knew" that birch and water don't mix. It probably started
warping when I knew it was the wrong thing to use.

Avoid padauk too; p;us any exotic where an allergiuc reaction is possible.

I wonder how ipe would be? Any ideas?

DarylRos wrote:

Any Hardwood will work for a cutting board. BRBR

Not true, don't use an open pored wood, oak is a terrible choice. A
previous poster mentioned walnut, which is not only worse, but stupid.
Walnut can cause toxic reactions.

his gives
you the reccommmended sanitizing solution of between 50 and 200 parts
per million of chlorine BRBR

A good freind who is a food health service expert recommends keeping a
spray bottle, with one tbs of clorox of one gallon of water., wipe, spray,
let dry. Much easier.

The best cutting board is probably osage orange, but it's really
expensive, and tghe dust gets everywhere. I would think apple and pear
work well. I actually ahd a birch one for years, and constant washing
didn't even disintegrate it. i made it before I "knew" that birch and
water don't mix. It probably started warping when I knew it was the wrong
thing to use.

Avoid padauk too; p;us any exotic where an allergiuc reaction is possible.

I wonder how ipe would be? Any ideas?

If you're concerned about allergic reactions from walnut, then run fast and
far from ipe. Google "Lapochol".

--
--John
Reply to jclarke at ae tee tee global dot net
(was jclarke at eye bee em dot net)

In article ,
(DarylRos) wrote:

Guess I've been using dangerous woods all my life. So far I haven't had
any problems. It seems a shame to throw out the twenty year old cutting
board and the 15 year old salad bowls that have served so well all these
years. Maybe I will just continue the take a big risk in life.

Dick


Any Hardwood will work for a cutting board. BRBR

Not true, don't use an open pored wood, oak is a terrible choice. A
previous
poster mentioned walnut, which is not only worse, but stupid. Walnut can
cause
toxic reactions.

Wow, I've got birch no-cook boards myself. Now what is it about birch and
water that I should know after six years? Yellow birch will even grow where
its feet get wet.

As to bleach solutions and oiled boards, you'd be better with detergent.
Oil and water still don't mix, but detergent emulsifies the oil on the board
and the lipid walls of bacterial cells. If your board's - recommended -
unfinished, or, as the "expert" probably deals with , plastic, bleach is the
way to go.

"DarylRos" wrote in message
...


A good freind who is a food health service expert recommends keeping a
spray
bottle, with one tbs of clorox of one gallon of water., wipe, spray, let
dry.
Much easier.

The best cutting board is probably osage orange, but it's really
expensive, and
tghe dust gets everywhere. I would think apple and pear work well. I
actually
ahd a birch one for years, and constant washing didn't even disintegrate
it. i
made it before I "knew" that birch and water don't mix. It probably
started
warping when I knew it was the wrong thing to use.

Avoid padauk too; p;us any exotic where an allergiuc reaction is possible.

I wonder how ipe would be? Any ideas?

I made mine out of hickory, workes quite well. No warping or other problems
that we've noticed. I don't know how we clean it. I don't do the cooking.

"George" george@least wrote in message
...
Wow, I've got birch no-cook boards myself. Now what is it about birch and
water that I should know after six years? Yellow birch will even grow
where
its feet get wet.

As to bleach solutions and oiled boards, you'd be better with detergent.
Oil and water still don't mix, but detergent emulsifies the oil on the
board
and the lipid walls of bacterial cells. If your board's - recommended -
unfinished, or, as the "expert" probably deals with , plastic, bleach is
the
way to go.

"DarylRos" wrote in message
...


A good freind who is a food health service expert recommends keeping a
spray
bottle, with one tbs of clorox of one gallon of water., wipe, spray, let
dry.
Much easier.

The best cutting board is probably osage orange, but it's really
expensive, and
tghe dust gets everywhere. I would think apple and pear work well. I
actually
ahd a birch one for years, and constant washing didn't even disintegrate
it. i
made it before I "knew" that birch and water don't mix. It probably
started
warping when I knew it was the wrong thing to use.

Avoid padauk too; p;us any exotic where an allergiuc reaction is
possible.

I wonder how ipe would be? Any ideas?