USE AND CARE OF OUR KITCHEN GOODS

USE and CARE of Our Cutting Boards, 

Bowls, and Spoons

Thanks for buying one of our kitchen wares. We use the same items in our kitchen every day, and we hope you enjoy them like we do.

BASIC: After use, DO wash briefly in warm, soapy water. Rinse and dry. DO NOT put into dishwasher. DO NOT soak in water for longer than is required to loosen food residue.

ADVANCED: Cutting Boards, especially end grain

butcher blocks, will absorb water and then release it through evaporation. If only one face of a board gets wet, that face will swell. The other face, if it remains dry, will stay the same size. Result: warping. When washing a cutting board, wet both faces evenly. Think of it like an algebraic equation: whatever you do to one side, do to the other. Same goes for drying: don't set a wet board flat on a countertop; the bottom face will dry more slowly than the top side, and the different moisture levels will result in warping. Allow cutting boards to dry while resting on edge, with good airflow. If warping happens, it can be corrected somewhat by wetting the "cupped" or concave face and putting it face down on a countertop. Keep your eye on it until it flattens out. But it's best to just keep each face with the same moisture level. Balance: the key to a long, happy life. Some of our end-grain cutting boards are 20 years old and still going strong.

OIL and WAX: Our kitchen goods are made for use. Over time, all wood wears, dries out, and fades. Whenever you feel like it, refresh all the wood in your kitchen (cutting boards, bowls, spoons, knife handles) by wiping with oil or an oil/wax blend marketed for cutting boards. Mahoney's Oil Wax Finish is an excellent example. Wipe it on, let it soak in for a few minutes, and wipe it off.

WHICH OIL?

Best: Flax oil a/k/a linseed oil. Flax oil dries to form a tough protective substance in the wood's pores. The best flax oil is in the refrigerated section of a health food store or Whole Foods. Spectrum is a fine brand but only one example. Flax oil has an aroma some people don't like, but once it's on the wood it fades within a couple days. Don't use the "boiled linseed oil" in a can from the hardware store.

Second Best: Walnut oil. Walnut oil is available in most grocery stores among all the other vegetable oils. (Read the label, make sure no other oils have been blended with it. You want pure walnut oil.) Walnut oil has a very faint, mild aroma. Like flax oil (a/k/a linseed), walnut oil dries to form a tough substance that protects the wood inside its pores. However, it dries much more slowly than flax oil: about three months in my tests, compared to just a few days for flax oil. "Mahoney's Utility Finish" is marketed to bowl makers and available locally at Highland Woodworking as well as online.

Distant Third: Mineral oil. Mineral oil gets used a lot on cutting boards and kitchen utensils. It has no odor and is completely nontoxic. However, unlike flax or walnut oil, it doesn't dry to form long-lasting protection; it just dissipates over time. However, it looks just fine when you put it on, and once you've used it, it's fine to switch to something better later on. Some people prefer not to use petroleum products, and mineral oil is a petroleum derivative. 

Honorable Mention: Tung oil. Like flax/linseed oil, tung oil dries to a tough protective substance. It's a totally natural product, made from a nut. I don't use it because it's a tropical import and I don't know how sustainably it's produced. I also don't like how it smells. I know that flax/linseed oil is sustainably grown all over the northern hemisphere, and it's affordable, so that's what I prefer to use.

Also Ran: Hemp, Coconut, Grapeseed, and other plant oils get used by some folks. That's fine; however, like mineral oil, these oils don't dry to a protective substance, just dissipate over time. So if you use them, you'll need to reapply frequently to keep your wood looking good.

MORE INFO: if you're into the chemistry underlying natural processes, read up on "drying oils." And