The Best Food-Safe Finish May Be None at All

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Mortalis

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Interesting "Fine Woodworking" article on finishes on wood products to be used in food services.
The author, Seri Robinson, is well know for her studies in wood and it's properties. You may know her from the book on Spalting wood.

The Best Food-Safe Finish May Be None at All

I didnt need any membership to read this article. Hope you dont have any issues either.
 
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Mortalis said:
Interesting "Fine Woodworking" article on finishes on wood products to be used in food services.
The author, Seri Robinson, is well know for her studies in wood and it's properties. You may know her from the book on Spalting wood.

The Best Food-Safe Finish May Be None at All

I didnt need any membership to read this article. Hope you dont have any issues either.
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Great article thanks for sharing. It seems that end grain cutting boards are worse than an ordinary plank.interesting...maybe a wood cookie is the best thing to use
 
I wouldn't even think about using the same cutting board for meat and vegetables, I use my shop made wood board for veggies and a plastic one for meat.

I make my own beeswax and mineral oil formula to put on my wood board, melt the beeswax and add mineral oil, pour it into a mason jar and it will last a lifetime.
 
rherrell said:
I wouldn't even think about using the same cutting board for meat and vegetables, I use my shop made wood board for veggies and a plastic one for meat.

I make my own beeswax and mineral oil formula to put on my wood board, melt the beeswax and add mineral oil, pour it into a mason jar and it will last a lifetime.
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I do pretty much the same but it seems that wood butter is useless. That lady has a phd in wood anatomy..sounds convincing
 
rherrell said:
There are plenty of folks with phd's that don't know squat when it comes to the "real" world. Nowadays students are taught WHAT to think, not HOW to think.
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I agree but on the other hand the expert opinion always carries its weight. The gamechanging concept outlined in the article is that the wooden surface intented for food use, MUST expand and contract (as it absorbs and looses moisture). Whereas in ordinary wooden furniture, pens etc. the aim is limiting that movement.
Makes perfect sense and there is science to back this up. Thats why i mentioned her credentials for the scientific part of the explanation
 
I've heard even before reading this article that wood has antibacterial and antimicrobial characteristics. I just have never had it explained WHY this is true.

Her book on Spalting is very interesting and she can even provide spores upon request that will spalt specific wood species and generate specific colorations. I would say she pretty much knows what she is doing.
 
Mortalis said:
I've heard even before reading this article that wood has antibacterial and antimicrobial characteristics. I just have never had it explained WHY this is true.

Her book on Spalting is very interesting and she can even provide spores upon request that will spalt specific wood species and generate specific colorations. I would say she pretty much knows what she is doing.
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Many woods are acidic, adding antibacterial properties. However, food service certification as National Sanitation Foundation requires synthetics to be used. Now they are color coded for meat, poultry and vegetables. Never mind that cuts can harbor bacteria unless sanitized thoroughly. That is the rub.
 
Mortalis said:
I've heard even before reading this article that wood has antibacterial and antimicrobial characteristics. I just have never had it explained WHY this is true.

Her book on Spalting is very interesting and she can even provide spores upon request that will spalt specific wood species and generate specific colorations. I would say she pretty much knows what she is doing.
Click to expand...
Getting spores to create known spalting characteristics is a very intriguing idea.
 
Woodchipper said:
Many woods are acidic, adding antibacterial properties. However, food service certification as National Sanitation Foundation requires synthetics to be used. Now they are color coded for meat, poultry and vegetables. Never mind that cuts can harbor bacteria unless sanitized thoroughly. That is the rub.
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maybe this wet/dry cycle takes time and its not suitable for a commercial setup.. you are right about the cuts though.
 
rherrell said:
There are plenty of folks with phd's that don't know squat when it comes to the "real" world. Nowadays students are taught WHAT to think, not HOW to think.
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I agree we shouldn't just automatically accept everything we read as truth, but it's an equal folly to automatically dismiss someone's work when (1) it's backed up by scientific studies, (2) it makes sense to the layman or adequately explains why "common knowledge" is wrong [this article does both], (3) the person has legitimate credentials, and (4) there's no reason for the expert to mislead us.

And, as it has always been, those who wish to learn HOW to think will learn it, those who wish to be told WHAT to think will be told, and those who want neither will become a problem for everybody.
 
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