Steak board in Oak?

[Froggy]

Hi all and happy new year,

I have a couple of questions about steak boards like these http://www.arthurwalton.co.uk/catering- ... rds/sb2400
a) should these be end grain up as with butchers boards or is it fine 'long grain'?
b) would Oak be a suitable subitute for Beech and
c) what oil would be best bearing in mind people would be eating from it?

ok 3 questions!

Thanks in advance Froggy.

 

[LuptonM]

Isn't Danish oil the answer to c)?

 

[Froggy]

Isn't Danish oil the answer to c)?

I hope so, because I have some. :lol:

Thanks.

 

[cambournepete]

I didn't think Danish oil is food-safe.

For that I'd jut use ordinary vegetable oil - it works well for us on our chopping boards.

 

[paulm]

Just my thoughts, others might have different views:-

a) Either would be fine, the one pictured is long grain.
b) I wouldn't personally use oak as it is much more open-pored and open grained than beech and therefore would absorb more juices and/or be more difficult to keep clean/hygenic. I would stick to beech or sycamore which are relatively tight grained for that reason.
c) You could leave untreated, use a type of veg oil that dries over time such as sunflower or peanut/groundnut oil, but not olive oil or similar which stay tacky and attract dirt and dust and may turn rancid after a while, or something like Chestnuts food safe finish which is based on liquid paraffin with added dryers I think. Wouldn't use danish oil which is just a decorative finish and not designed for food use as far as I know.

Hope that helps, not necessarily definitive though as I said !

Cheers, Paul

 

[Froggy]

Thank you very much Paul, for the very concise and full answers. Shame about the Oak as I have plenty and no Beech but I guessed that might be the case.

Thanks again.

 

[big soft moose]

Just my thoughts, others might have different views:-

a) Either would be fine, the one pictured is long grain.
b) I wouldn't personally use oak as it is much more open-pored and open grained than beech and therefore would absorb more juices and/or be more difficult to keep clean/hygenic. I would stick to beech or sycamore which are relatively tight grained for that reason.
c) You could leave untreated, use a type of veg oil that dries over time such as sunflower or peanut/groundnut oil, but not olive oil or similar which stay tacky and attract dirt and dust and may turn rancid after a while, or something like Chestnuts food safe finish which is based on liquid paraffin with added dryers I think. Wouldn't use danish oil which is just a decorative finish and not designed for food use as far as I know.

Hope that helps, not necessarily definitive though as I said !

Cheers, Paul

also oak has a high tannin content which might taint the meat

 

[SVB]

Ditto Paul's full reply.

I would stick to beech and only use veg oil. (I avoid using ground-nut oil incase of allergies)

Also if it is not for you, make sure the new owner knows it should not go in the dishwasher :shock: - you may laugh, I have heard of some turners getting work back because it split / warped and after a while the reason became clear!!!!

 

[Froggy]

Ditto Paul's full reply.

I would stick to beech and only use veg oil. (I avoid using ground-nut oil incase of allergies)

Also if it is not for you, make sure the new owner knows it should not go in the dishwasher :shock: - you may laugh, I have heard of some turners getting work back because it split / warped and after a while the reason became clear!!!!

Two valid points as it's for a restaurant that want 20/25 pieces. I'll be sure to pass on both bits of info.

Thanks Simon

 

[squib]

Just to chuck in my tuppence worth i would use sycamore for its antiseptic qualities and i agree about using veg or olive oil to seal if it is needed at all.

 

[LuptonM]

What about boiled linseed oil then? Normal veg oil will just go rancid

 

[wills-mill]

also oak has a high tannin content which might taint the meat

That's not too much of an issue, but you can see on the Oak board if anyone's used a carbon steel knife... black lines and iron stains on the timber

 

[woodavee]

also oak has a high tannin content which might taint the meat

That's not too much of an issue, but you can see on the Oak board if anyone's used a carbon steel knife... black lines and iron stains on the timber

It is true. I have made a handle for my Japanese chop knife. It turns to black with iron stains just in a couple days.

 

[bugbear]

Ditto Paul's full reply.

I would stick to beech

You can add birch, sycamore and maple to the list of good options (they're all "diffuse porous" hardwoods)

The question of what finish to use on chopping/cutting boards has been "asked before":

What our American friends call "mineral oil" is the strong consensus.

BugBear

 

[tomatwark]

Most butchers blocks are left unfinished and scrubbed at the end of the day.

Make sure you use a glue that is waterproof ( not water resistant) and you get good joints between the staves otherwise you will have a complaining customer.

Tom

 

[BelgianPhil]

I just bought a can of this* for a meat carving stand.

£7.64 compared to Axminster's £19.60

 

[Niles Crane]

An end grain board I bought last year specified mineral oil to be applied in much the same way as linseed oil would be.

 

[bugbear]

Here's a helpful old thread:

food-safe-finish-mineral-oil-t24346.html

BugBear

 

[MickCheese]

For my beech spiked carving board I used liquid paraffin. It worked very well and was recommended by several people.

It was suggested that vegetable oil went a bit rancid and sticky after a while.

My board is about a year old and still as good as new.

Mick

 

[Froggy]

Most butchers blocks are left unfinished and scrubbed at the end of the day.

Make sure you use a glue that is waterproof ( not water resistant) and you get good joints between the staves otherwise you will have a complaining customer.

Tom

That's a good point Tom and one I considered today before I read your post. Do you have a recommendation? I believe Tite Bond do something that's food safe and waterproof.

In terms or the finishing oil - the customers have said they want to do that themselves, which takes the decision (thankfully!) out of my hands. But at least now I have plenty of info if they ask for advise. Not to mention a bit more knowledge for future reference. Thanks everyone.