# Vaseline on cutting boards



## Cutty Sharp (Jul 1, 2012)

Has anyone had any experience using 100% petroleum jelly/vaseline to maintain cutting boards? 

Chemically/physically it's very close to mineral oil, apparently, and available where I live . Try as I might, I can't find any mineral oil.


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## RRLOVER (Jul 1, 2012)

The Laxative isle in your drug store should have food grade mineral oil.


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## TB_London (Jul 1, 2012)

It might be sold as liquid paraffin too.

No idea about Vaseline, it is food safe though, during WW2 rationing in the Uk it was known to be used in place of butter to make cakes, though had the unfortunate side effect of being laxative.....


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## add (Jul 1, 2012)

TB_London said:


> No idea about Vaseline, it is food safe though, during WW2 rationing in the Uk it was known to be used in place of butter to make cakes, though had the unfortunate side effect of being laxative.....



So, eat like a king then chit like a goose?


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## ecchef (Jul 1, 2012)

add said:


> So, eat like a king then chit like a goose?



:laugh:


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## Tristan (Jul 2, 2012)

I have the same problem, no mineral oil. No laxatives based on mineral oil. No machine oil sold in hardware stores that is food safe (all have some additives).

I use board butter, or john boos wood oil or whatever I can import. It annoys me to death that I can't get hold of mineral oil.


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## RobinW (Jul 2, 2012)

In Sweden you can find mineral oil in the painters store. Medical grade....
I use it for oiling the aluminimum mast on my boat and i get it there for that. I really have no idea what it is used for in relation to paint though.


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## Cutty Sharp (Jul 2, 2012)

RRLOVER said:


> The Laxative isle in your drug store should have food grade mineral oil.


 
I wish, but I'm in Korea and have asked around in pharmacies here. Even did the same in Japan to no avail. 

... Incidentally, I asked a few people in Japan last week how they care for their boards and the response was that they just keep them clean. No oils applied, apparently. Does anyone know anything about this? Anyone worked in a kitchen there?



TB_London said:


> It might be sold as liquid paraffin too.



Yup! Thanks, but I've tried that too. Different countries, different names to refer to same things.... In Korea they tend to use US English names for things, though.



RobinW said:


> In Sweden you can find mineral oil in the painters store. Medical grade.... I really have no idea what it is used for in relation to paint though.



Me neither. Hmm... But it's an idea to look in places like that. I know, for example, that mineral/paraffin oil is available here for industry or whatever. I wonder if there would be any danger in using medical grade oil versus food grade on boards?


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## TB_London (Jul 2, 2012)

I use pharmaceutical/medical grade mineral oil, I doubt you'd find food grade as being petrochemical based its indigestible and not used in food.


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## narcnh (Jul 2, 2012)

You want to use an oil, so it will soak into the pores of the wood and keep if from drying out, warping and splitting. If the board is in an environment that is normal to high humidity (i.e. NOT in a North American hot-air heated house in the winter), then it may not be a problem, which could be the case locally for you, don't know. Good habits also help, as in wiping down the board immediately, so it does not have water/fluids sitting on it. I don't think Vaseline is a good option, because it is a solid at room temperature. So, it will just sit on the surface and not really soak in. I suppose you could rub it in really well (maybe with a hot towel?), but my guess is that there would be some kind of greasy residue. Do they sell linseed/flaxseed oil locally as a dietary supplement? Can also be used and not as likely to go rancid as vegetable oil. If you can get medical grade mineral oil, get it and use it. It has very high purity. In reality, since mineral oil is a commodity item, it is probably the same cut as the food grade. But, medical grade is U.S.P. tested for purity and quality.


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## unkajonet (Jul 2, 2012)

> I don't think Vaseline is a good option, because it is a solid at room temperature. So, it will just sit on the surface and not really soak in.


I agree that Vaseline is probably not a good option, but not with the solid at room temperature reason. Board butter is solid at room temp, and a lot of people use some variation of that.



> Do they sell linseed/flaxseed oil locally as a dietary supplement? Can also be used and not as likely to go rancid as vegetable oil.



Flaxseed oil has a very short shelf life. About a week at room temp, a month refrigerated, and a year frozen. This might not be a good option either.

Cutty, you might just have to bite the bullet and order some board butter (or something like it) online. The cost might seem prohibitive, but a little bit of that stuff goes a long way.


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## ajhuff (Jul 2, 2012)

Isn't baby oil just scented mineral oil?

-Aj


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## EdipisReks (Jul 2, 2012)

ajhuff said:


> Isn't baby oil just scented mineral oil?
> 
> -Aj




i think baby oil is squeezed from babies.


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## zitangy (Jul 2, 2012)

seems to be available at amazon.com 

http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_n...-alias=aps&field-keywords=howards+mineral+oil

a)Butcher block conditioner ( mineral oil adn bees Wax)
b)Mineral oil

c)Boos mystery oil ( i suspect a mix of tung oil adn mineral oil..)

have fun


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## RobinW (Jul 2, 2012)

Ohhh, another potential source might be the veterinarian. Apparently horses quite often have indigestion problems and are given mineral oil.
Medical grade is what i use and what was redily available in the US. 

Good luck on finding it


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## narcnh (Jul 2, 2012)

unkajonet said:


> I agree that Vaseline is probably not a good option, but not with the solid at room temperature reason. Board butter is solid at room temp, and a lot of people use some variation of that.



I was thinking that, since it would not soak into the board, it would leave more of a vaseliny (vaselinish?) residue/potential taste. On a side note, Board Butter appears to be a mixture of mineral oil and beeswax. I also raise honeybees. Wonder if I should mix up some of my own and try it? Not sure of the ratio, though. 





unkajonet said:


> Flaxseed oil has a very short shelf life. About a week at room temp, a month refrigerated, and a year frozen. This might not be a good option either.


I read somewhere that some steakhouses use linseed oil on their boards. Thought flaxseed oil and linseed oil were the same? Just researched a little more, and I think they have common source but different processes to produce. And, I think the stable version is not good to use on a board that contacts food.


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## Cutty Sharp (Jul 2, 2012)

narcnh said:


> I don't think Vaseline is a good option, because it is a solid at room temperature. So, it will just sit on the surface and not really soak in. I suppose you could rub it in really well (maybe with a hot towel?), but my guess is that there would be some kind of greasy residue.



Apparently, it can be okay. But yeah, that's what I'd worry about.



unkajonet said:


> Cutty, you might just have to bite the bullet and order some board butter (or something like it) online. The cost might seem prohibitive, but a little bit of that stuff goes a long way.



Shipping costs, shipping costs.......

And still interested if anyone knows about this: "... I asked a few people in Japan last week how they care for their boards and the response was that they just keep them clean. No oils applied, apparently. Does anyone know anything about this? Anyone worked in a kitchen there?"


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## EdipisReks (Jul 2, 2012)

i don't think vaseline would be too different from the beeswax coating i put on my boards, after oiling. just rub in well and wipe off well. the problem is that vaseline isn't going to penetrate the board well like mineral oil does.


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## 99Limited (Jul 2, 2012)

Frankly, I wouldn't worry about it. My Boos edge grain cutting board is in fine condition and I only use mineral oil on it every couple of years. I'd find a picture of a bottle of mineral oil, load it on your phone and then show it to a local pharmacist.


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## Rottman (Jul 3, 2012)

Pharmacists should refer to it as paraffinum liquidum or perliquidum (the thinner variant)


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## Cutty Sharp (Jul 4, 2012)

Thanks for the suggestions, guys, but impossible so far to find the products here in Seoul. (Mineral oil is usually sold as a laxative, right? and in the land of kimchi and a thousand other vegetable dishes, I guess there isn't really a need nor a market for laxatives.)

Decided to bite the bullet and order oil, beeswax and oil/wax combo from Amazon. :curse:


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## Crothcipt (Jul 4, 2012)

ya your gonna find some a week after it arrives.


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## Cutty Sharp (Jul 4, 2012)

Crothcipt said:


> ya your gonna find some a week after it arrives.



No doubt - and you're probably jinxing me! :laughat:


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## Crothcipt (Jul 4, 2012)

not meaning to, but that usually happens to me when I look that hard.


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## Cutty Sharp (Jul 4, 2012)

Crothcipt said:


> not meaning to, but that usually happens to me when I look that hard.



Of course! One of the laws of nature. ... In fact, that's why I went ahead and ordered the stuff. No, I don't thind I can cancel the order when I inevitably find stuff here tomorrow. But this way I'll have double what I needed and know where to get more in the future.


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## Tristan (Jul 4, 2012)

I can't find it in Singapore. I've tried all the pedestrian channels... I've decided I'd save time and money just ordering some and paying shipping rather than running around like a madman asking for mineral oil laxatives.


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## Cutty Sharp (Jul 5, 2012)

Tristan said:


> I can't find it in Singapore. I've tried all the pedestrian channels... I've decided I'd save time and money just ordering some and paying shipping rather than running around like a madman asking for mineral oil laxatives.



Hehehe.... Yes, there you go. It's in places like the US where you find mineral oil everywhere - and where people frequently require laxatives, apparently. :thumbsup:

Oil: ordered half a litre through Amazon. Cost: about $4. Shipping: Lord knows.......


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## SameGuy (Jul 5, 2012)

If I checked luggage, I'd lug some to both you and Tristan next week (stopping in Singapore on the way from Brisbane to Narita and Incheon). But I do carry-on only. Sorry. Unless 100 ml would suffice...


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## Cutty Sharp (Jul 5, 2012)

SameGuy said:


> If I checked luggage, I'd lug some to both you and Tristan next week (stopping in Singapore on the way from Brisbane to Narita and Incheon). But I do carry-on only. Sorry. Unless 100 ml would suffice...



Ah, shucks! Thanks. I've ordered, as said, and so you should reserve your valuable carry on allotment for such things as duty-free booze.


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