Cutting board

[Jannie]

I walked into my favorite consigmnent shop today looking for nice tank tops since the weather is warming up and instead found a new cutting board for my apartment. This store is great...1/2 really nice clothing and 1/2 medium nice furniture etc.

Well I got a NSF Pro-Chef board (which I believe is a product of John Boos & Company–at least they're posted on their website), it's 18" x 30" x 1 1/2" in absolute good condition for $38.00.

I have a Boos 16"x 20"x 1 1/2" board which is nice – both are side grain maple, but I wanted a much larger one not just for cutting but as a designated work station in my otherwise small apartment kitchen. The new board fits perfectly. This is an area which always has to stay clear of all those other things which seem to fill up the counter space.

I am soooo thrilled, I've been oogling one which is 18"x28"x1 1/2" but couldn't justify the price- pretty cool huh. Well a light sanding and seveal coats of mineral oil, it's almost ready to go to work. The instruction sheet that came with it from John Boos, stated that the board should be treated with a combination of mineral oil mixed with parafin, go figure? I've not seen parafin since my own mother used it for canning when I was young, and it was a pretty solid thing unless melted.

Ya I still want a few other smaller boards to use on top for chicken and raw meat, something with groves around the edges...something better than the plastic ones I now have but at least I've got my foundation...COOL.

Jannie:)

[Arturo]

Congrats on your score! I hear beeswax is works too.

[kamkazmoto]

I decided to buy some of the bamboo cutting boards that I see at a lot of discount clothing places. Bought a set of two boards for $12.00 and I'm very happy with them. I also have some flexible cutting mats that I put on top of the boards when I do meat or chicken.

[Sid Post]

Looks like you found a good score that was worth the elbow grease to get it back into top condition.

[Sullybob]

Great find. I have been looking at the Boo's boards and I really like them.

Kankazmoto, which flexible cutting boards do you use? I have some and I can not stand them. They are very slippery and putting a towle under them to hold them in place is not really an option becuase they are so flexible.

[Walter W. Shubsda]

Jannie,

I was using up all my spare time surfing the web for knives and other cooking stuff, and I came across the web site--

http://www.woodnwaresmontana.com

It was a site for Montana wood products like spoons, spatulas, and the like. One of the things they are selling is a wax/oil treatment for cutting boards and wooden utensils. I don't know how it works, but I do know that straight food grade mineral oil does not protect wood they way I would like.

Just thought this would be better than your mother's paraffin that she used for canning.

Take care and happy cooking.

Walt

[Jannie]

The wax/oil idea makes a lot of sense, parafin certainly does seal things, I remember it so well back when mom was canning just about everything, it sure sealed the food into those old Mason jars.

I have a bedroom set which is made of cherry and has an oil/wax finish, it rarely needs to be treated the way most oil finished furniture does.
Jannie

[kamkazmoto]

Walt, the link leads me to a blank page:confused:

[Sid Post]

Try again. It works for me. ;)

[kamkazmoto]

Try again. It works for me. ;)

Yep it works now, great link. Thanks.

[kamkazmoto]

Great find. I have been looking at the Boo's boards and I really like them.

Kamkazmoto, which flexible cutting boards do you use? I have some and I can not stand them. They are very slippery and putting a towel under them to hold them in place is not really an option because they are so flexible.

I use a shelf paper mesh like stuff under the plastic. It is elastic and holds things in place but it is only about a 1/16 inch thick. The boards I use are cheap ones that I get at Trader Joes. If I cut through one it 's no big deal.

[VHo]

bravo!

I continually thrilled w/ my board.

[Robt]

I think the paraffin is the best product for the wood. It keeps other oils and gunk from getting down into micro cracks etc. The USP mineral oil then can protect the surface wood that you can use sacrificially and easily replace periodically [like weekly].

Nearly all groceries have paraffin, i usually see it and the canning jars around the isle labeled 'baking goods' or the housewares section.

BTW, great find!