I don’t know about you, but I love a new wood cutting board. That first time you use it is quite an experience, but it soon starts to look dull, lifeless. Before you know it, it has started to loose its luster and lack it’s charm.
You can bring life back to your cutting boards in several ways. Some suggest using just plain olive oil as it will add back the sheen it had when it was new, but I prefer to use cold, unprocessed Coconut oil. I don’t know if it is because I think like vinegar, coconut oil has so many uses, it is like a miracle product, but I find that coconut oil really gets deeper into the wood and restores it completely, not just the surface.
There are plenty of products sold for restoring wood that are food safe and made just for this use. These products are not only expensive, but also unnecessary if you use coconut oil. While olive oil is in most people’s kitchens, it can also be pretty expensive and does not do as good of a job as coconut oil does. A small jar of coconut oil can cost you as little as $5.00 and since a little goes a long way with it, this is not an expensive option at all.
Another bonus to using coconut oil is that is has antimicrobial properties and will not allow for the growth of bacteria as a vegetable or olive oil will. Plus, it smells wonderful!
To restore your boards, follow the instructions below.
How to Restore Your Wood Cutting Boards:
- Make sure you boards are clean and dry.
- Taking some oil straight out of the container (coconut oil is actually solid and white if kept at room temperature), rub it into the board in a circular motion.
- You won’t need much, just enough to completely cover all the parts of the board.
- Allow it to completely soak into the board and wipe off any excess oil with a dry, soft cloth.
- Let the oil soak in for a few hours before using it to to be sure the coconut oil has time to condition the wood.
You can repeat this process as often as you need to as some woods will require it more often than others. Keeping the wood conditioned not only keeps it looking attractive, but also makes your cutting boards last longer and less susceptible to breaking.
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