Choosing the right oil for your cutting board is important, as every board needs conditioning several times a year. The right oil is food-contact safe, resists rancidity, and helps prevent your cutting board from drying and cracking. The wrong oil, however, can ruin your board and send it packing for the landfill. Let’s look at some of the best and commonly used conditioners to properly preserve a cutting board to last for decades.
Best Oil for Conditioning Wooden Cutting Boards
Fractionated Coconut Oil
Fractionated coconut oil is easily one of the best options for conditioning cutting boards for many reasons. It remains liquid at room temperature, unlike the standard solid variety, and is highly resistant to rancidity because the fractionation process removes the longer-chain fatty acids that allow coconut oil to solidify and oxidize. Additionally, its low viscosity allows it to penetrate deeply into wood for long-lasting protection. And as a non-polymerizing product, it does not require an extended curing period. These features are exactly why it's a key ingredient in Walrus Oil Cutting Board Oil, Wood Wax, and many other products we offer.
Pure Mineral Oil
The most widely trusted choice for cutting board protection is food-contact safe mineral oil, which has been used to protect wood since the mid-1800s. NSF Certified food-contact safe varieties are not subject to California Prop 65 warnings, and are trusted in restaurants, food-service environments, and home kitchens. It's hypoallergenic, easy to apply, and can provide extended protection for cutting boards and other wood surfaces, making it a time-tested option.
Oil and Wax Formulas
Many companies, including Walrus Oil, offer cutting board conditioners made with oils and waxes such as coconut oil, mineral oil, beeswax, carnauba wax, candelilla wax, and more. As long as the ingredients are FDA approved for food-contact surfaces, these products generally can help protect your board. However, it’s best to avoid products that combine drying and non-drying oils, as the non-drying oil may interfere with the drying oil’s ability to polymerize and form a durable finish. Also, always check the label for “food-contact safe” or certifications such as NSF.
What About Drying Oils?
Polymerizing oils with high levels of linoleic and α-linolenic acid, such as pure tung oil and linseed oil, can cure into a durable finish for cutting boards. The tradeoff is that they can take days or even weeks to fully cure. While a cured finish can provide more durable protection than a non-polymerizing oil, the long cure time makes drying oils less practical for most cutting boards.
What About Walnut Oil?
Walnut oil is food-contact safe, however it is a semi-drying oil that can take even longer than polymerizing oils to cure, making it an unnecessary choice for most cutting boards. And because it's nut-derived, its not ideal for households with common nut allergies. That being said, if it's all you have available, it can be suitable.
What About Essential Oils?
Natural essential oils can be mixed with a carrier oil to condition a board while leaving behind a fresh, clean scent. Common choices include lemon oil and orange oil. Just be sure the scent is naturally derived and listed by the FDA as "GRAS" food-contact safe.
What About Cooking Oils?
Cooking oils and generic vegetable oils like olive, avocado, peanut, and almond oil are likely not the best choices for protecting wood cutting boards. Unlike highly stable oils such as fractionated coconut oil, cooking oils in general are susceptible to oxidation due to their high levels of unsaturated fatty-acid. When absorbed into wood and repeatedly exposed to air, heat, light, and moisture, they can eventually develop odors and gummy residues.
"It is best to avoid cooking oils such as olive or vegetable oil, as they may become sticky and turn rancid over time." - The University of Maine
So, What's the Best Oil for a Cutting Board?
Non-polymerizing, food-safe oils that resist rancidity, such as fractionated coconut and mineral oil, are best for maintaining wood cutting boards. They're both stable, easy to apply, and require minimal cure time. If you're patient, polymerizing oils such as pure tung oil can also be suitable. Avoid cooking oils and products that aren't specifically intended for food-contact surfaces. For added assurance, look for a wood conditioner that is NSF Certified for food-contact use, such as Walrus Oil Cutting Board Oil and other products that have earned similar certifications.