Cutting Board Oil 4 ounces

Your choice of protective cutting board oils matters when it comes to protecting your wooden kitchen, bar, and grill items. Many people just use what’s on hand, including vegetable oils and coconut oil to finish commonly used food preparation or food contact surfaces like cutting boards and wooden bowls and utensils. Compounding the problem was that the majority of choices in the market are made with mineral oil, a substance derived from petroleum. For those who want to reduce the use of petroleum and chemicals in their life, there were not many options. These concerns led the Real Milk Paint Co. to create the ideal product for finishing wooden food contact surfaces — Cutting Board Oil.

The Best Oil for Your Cutting Boards, Charcuterie Boards, and Wooden Bowls

Maintain wood food contact surfaces easily with shelf-stable Cutting Board Oil by the Real Milk Paint Co. Made entirely with plant-based ingredients, this vegan-friendly oil has an excellent penetrating quality that goes deep into wood fibers for long-term protection of everything from wooden utensils and salad bowls to serving trays and bamboo cutting boards. Formulated to work with any species of wood, this finishing oil for food contact and food preparation surfaces will resist turning rancid and delivers more sustainability and protection than food-grade mineral oil. All this is without any solvents, fragrances, or other petroleum-derived materials.

Food-Safe Wood Utensil and Cutting Board Oil With All-Natural Ingredients

Rely on the organic plant-based ingredients to provide dependable coverage on your wood or bamboo serving board, charcuterie, or cutting board without solvents or fragrances. This oil offers an earthy aroma from the all-natural ingredients it comprises — palm fruit oil, refined almond oil, hemp wax, and rice bran wax — and no volatile organic compounds or other potentially allergenic materials to better protect your family’s health. We keep the ingredient list simple so you know exactly what you’re putting on your cutting board and food contact surfaces for added peace of mind.

Safe Alternative to Food-Grade Mineral Oil on Your Wood Cutting Board

Use Cutting Board Oil from the Real Milk Paint Co. as a natural alternative to food-grade mineral oil for finishing food contact surfaces in your kitchen and beyond. We avoid using mineral oil in our product because it’s derived from petroleum and the side effects of long-term use are unknown due to its widespread use. Likewise, our product replaces cooking oils like vegetable oil and coconut oil when it comes to board maintenance to better protect the wood’s surface. And, since no one wants a rancid cutting board oil, we formulated our oil to be shelf-stable.

Hand-Rubbed Low-Luster Finish That Complements Wood Grain

Enjoy a low-luster finish that complements your favorite wooden cutting board when you use our Cutting Board Oil in place of your regular board cream. Our oil adds rich, natural wood color to your well-oiled cutting board while letting lighter woods like maple retain their natural coloration. This hand-rubbed finish complements wooden spoons, cutting boards, and charcuterie boards alike for versatility in usage on various food preparation surfaces in your home and wood in direct and indirect contact with food.

Conditions Your Wooden Cooking and Kitchen Items

Count on Cutting Board Oil from the Real Milk Paint Co. to be the best cutting board oil for new wood or board maintenance. No other oils with questionable origins are included in this formulation, such as USP light mineral oil, olive oil, virgin mineral oils, coconut oil, or liquid paraffin. Much like Pure Tung Oil, our combination of food-safe wood oils helps prevent the drying of organic material, making it ideal for new or well-used cutting boards. Additionally, our product resists going rancid for a shelf-stable way to maintain your food preparation surfaces.

Advantages of Using Real Milk Paint Co. Cutting Board Oil

Numerous advantages exist for using Cutting Board Oil from the Real Milk Paint Co. on your next wood project. Some of these include:

• Easy to apply and maintain by rubbing onto the surface, then buffing excess oil
• Boasts eco-friendly formulation with 100% plant-based ingredients
• Contains no volatile organic compounds, fragrances, or solvents
• Made with palm-fruit and refined almond oils plus hemp and rice bran wax
• Has penetrating quality that sinks deeply into wood fiber and wood pores
• Features shelf-stable formulation that resists going rancid or spoiling
• Lets you clean off food particles and organic materials with a damp cloth
• Offers more protection than other oils like vegetable oil, coconut oil, or mineral oil
• Helps prevent the drying of your wooden cutting boards, bowls, and utensils
• Adheres to FDA regulations for food contact and food preparation surfaces
• Works equally well for wooden bowls, utensils, servings trays, and charcuterie boards
• Delivers hand-rubbed low-luster finish that deepens the color of darker woods
• Provides protection for light woods like maple without changing the natural hue
• Suitable for all wood surfaces and species for added flexibility in usage

Oil Properties and Characteristics

Why We Didn’t Use Mineral Oil

There are many resources that promote and brands that use mineral oil as a sealant on cutting boards. After researching heavily into food-grade mineral oil, we decided to not use it in our cutting board oil. This section explains why.

Mineral oil is a product produced during the refining process of crude petroleum. As it is refined, different levels of mineral oil and other petrochemicals are filtered off. These levels of mineral oil fall under different grades and have various classifications. Crude petroleum is turned into things like gasoline, mineral spirits, and mineral oil. Untreated, or mildly treated mineral oils are classified as carcinogenic to humans (Source, Source) whereas highly treated mineral oil, what is considered food grade is “not classifiable as to its carcinogenicity to humans” by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) which is a group under the World Health Organization (WHO) (Source). This study was conducted in 1984 (Source) with its findings confirmed most recently in 2012 (Source) With this in mind, we decided it would be better to not include a substance that changes in carcinogenicity depending on how it is refined. 

Oils become rancid over time when exposed to air, this process is known as oxidization. During the refinement process of food-grade mineral oil, vitamin E which is naturally found in mineral oil and aids resistance to oxidization is removed. Thus, it is noted by the FDA that adding antioxidants such as vitamin E to help prevent oxidization is allowed (Source).

Food Grade (white) Mineral Oil is classified as suitable to be used as a direct additive to food (Source) as well as indirect contact with food by the FDA (Source).  Food grade mineral oil is used widely in the processing, packaging, and preserving of food (Source). Therefore, it is widely present in our everyday lives from the products we use through contact or ingestion, meaning our exposure is more than what is taken intentionally. It is also used as a laxative when taken in higher doses by blocking the absorption of water in the intestines and if used for prolonged periods can reduce the absorption of essential vitamins and minerals for the human body. There is growing concern over the bioaccumulation of mineral oil hydrocarbons (MOH) in the body (lymph nodes, liver, spleen) and the toxicological effects of mineral oils found in food packaging and food. (Source, Source, Source) However, there are also conflicting opinions on which MOH are of concern and which are not.

In light of all this information and in an effort to provide an effective and affordable alternative to mineral oil, we decided to not use mineral oil in our Cutting Board Oil and instead choose to use plant-derived ingredients.

What We Did Use

The unique properties and characteristics of each ingredient in Cutting Board Oil from the Real Milk Paint Co. make it the best cutting board oil for food contact and food preparation surfaces. The advantages conveyed by these vegan-friendly ingredients include:

• Palm-Fruit Oil: Not to be mistaken with “palm kernel oil”, this oil is extracted from the fleshy part of the fruit of palm trees. Palm-fruit oil has potent antifungal properties that help you better maintain your wooden cutting board. It is also known to be rich in vitamin E, an essential antioxidant naturally aiding in rancid resistance (Source). Palm oil is also FDA-approved for food contact (Source). The Real Milk Paint Co. only uses palm fruit oil that carries RSPO Certification, otherwise known as Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil, guaranteeing the sustainability and traceability of the palm fruit oil production throughout the supply chain. RSPO-IP (Identity Preserved) certification is one of four certification levels offered by the RSPO and carries the highest and strongest level of sustainable guarantee with traceability of each lot of palm fruit oil back to the field of origin. With Identify Preserved sustainable palm fruit oil, the entire batch of palm fruit oil is from a single identifiable certified source and kept separate from all non-certified batches.
• Refined Almond Oil: This all-natural nut oil offers a pleasant natural scent to the formulation while helping it soak into the surface of your wood cutting board, bowl, or utensils. This deeply penetrates for long-term moisture and conditioning. Refined Almond Oil is approved by the FDA for food contact as it is a edible oil. (Source) Some may be rightfully concerned about almond oil as an allergen. While we are not medical professionals and recommend asking the advice of your doctor before use of our product it is worth noting that highly refined oil derived from almonds is exempted from being classified as a major food allergen because it lacks the proteins that typically trigger an allergic response. For more concerning this topic click here and here.
• Rice Bran Wax: This ingredient in Cutting Board Oil comes from the husk or outer shell of individual rice kernels. It provides a light protective barrier against spills and moisture while also enhancing the sheen of the final finish. Rice Bran Wax is approved by the FDA to be used in contact and in food and can be commonly found in things like candy and chewing gum (Source).
• Hemp Floral Wax: Suitable for use on leather, wood, skin, and more, hemp wax offers antimicrobial properties and delivers excellent protection against organic materials.

How To Apply Cutting Board Oil

Applying our product to a bare wood surface is easy — simply rub the oil onto the surface with a clean cloth or by hand and let it soak into the wood pores. Once most of the coat has absorbed into the surface, buff away the excess oil, and your cutting boards are ready for use.

Maintaining a Wood Surface

When your favorite wooden item is looking dry, Cutting Board Oil helps prevent cracking and can even revitalize worn wood. Simply apply oil the same way you apply it to bare wood — wipe it on the surface with a cloth or paper towel, let it soak into the wood fiber, then wipe away excess oil once most of it absorbs. Reapply when the low-luster finish of your wood items starts looking or feeling dry again.

Whether you need a high-quality finishing oil for new or old cutting boards, charcuterie boards, or wooden bowls and utensils, Cutting Board Oil from the Real Milk Paint Co. has you covered. All-natural ingredients formulated for usage with any species of wood make this low-luster wood finish a functional, sustainable way to protect food contact and food preparation surfaces. Every plant-based ingredient helps protect and maintain your surface, so you have one less thing to worry about as you go about your business prepping for your next feast. Ditch the petroleum-derived mineral oil and try sustainable, plant-based Cutting Board Oil on your next project. It just may be your next favorite finish.

Want something a bit more technical? Feel free to view and download our Cutting Board Oil Safety Data Sheet.