Is treating wood cutting board necessary?

[Gilberto de Piento]

I was gifted a wood cutting board. Gift giver said I need to treat it. There are some suggestions for this online like using food safe mineral oil or beeswax. I have a few wood cutting boards and they have been going strong for years with no treatment. Is this really necessary? If so, what is the cheapest method? Use beeswax foraged from a nest of wild bees?

[Alphaville]

i think it’s a bit of a counterproductive scam turned urban legend to sell overpriced wood conditioners, but ymmv.

the antibacterial properties of wood cutting board i believe are predicated on the ability of wood fibers to wick away moisture. and if you oil the wood, won’t you make it impermeable, just like plastic? i’d think so, so i avoid it.

nevertheless, some people swear by oiling. so, if using mineral oil (i oil my pizza peel so stuff won’t stick to it), you can buy it very cheap at the pharmacy (safe to ingest).

[jacob]

Mineral oil costs almost nothing compared to how much/little you need. It's also good for rust prevention for e.g. knives.

It's not strictly necessary. It's mainly to prevent the wood from splitting if/when it dries out. This makes the board uglier but not any less functional. So it depends on how long you want to keep it. If it's a fancy one where the end grain points upwards and you're cutting into the end-grain, it could potentially last "forever" since the end-grain is not cut. If you're cutting along/across the grain, the board will eventually be ruined anyway.

Also see https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diderot_effect

[Miss Lonelyhearts]

IMO it helps. If you want to wait months (or years?) go ahead. At some point you'll notice the board is drying/dried out, and different sections will begin to pull away from each other. I've observed this with boards at my parents' and friends' homes. The broken sections can still be used.

I splurged on a fancy cutting board about four years ago. When Diderot shows up in his silk dressing gown, I'll have my zombie bat ready.

CVS.com | 32oz USP Mineral Oil
Caring for your Cutting Board | The BoardSmith
"One of the most hotly debated topics in the woodworking world" | Youtube: End Grain Cutting Board from Scrap Wood -- the difference between a dry and an oiled board

[Alphaville]

I splurged on a fancy cutting board about four years ago. When Diderot shows up in his silk dressing gown, I'll have my zombie bat ready.

:applause:

also a minor side note, i recall the store brand of mineral oil at walmart was cheaper... lml...

http://www.walmart.com/ip/Equate-Minera ... 1/44807472

[Gilberto de Piento]

Thanks guys. It is the end grain type of board. I think I will apply some mineral oil if for no other reason than I can tell my friend I followed his instructions if he asks since he went out of his way to give me the board.

It is a pretty nice board but not out of place for me. I'm a "utilitarian BIFL" kind of person for kitchen gear, as in, I don't care if it is fancy but I do appreciate quality and durability.