How to Season a Breadboard

Bread boards are portable surfaces for cutting bread, often made of wood. You can also use them as serving trays, and some versions have a built-in dipping tray for various dips and spreads. To make your wooden bread board last, you must season it properly. An unseasoned bread board can soak up food substances that are next to impossible to remove. Over time, the food residue can rot and may even grow mold. When you properly season your bread board, you create a barrier that protects it from these problems.

Things You'll Need

• 1 cup USP-grade mineral oil
• Microwave-safe dish
• Grater
• 1/2 teaspoon beeswax
• Microwave
• Spoon
• Clean cotton cloth

Instructions

1. Pour 1 cup of USP-grade mineral oil into a microwave-safe dish.

2. Grate 1/2 teaspoon of hard beeswax and add it to the mineral oil. Put the dish in the microwave and cook it on medium heat for 30 seconds, or until the wax melts.

3. Stir the mineral oil with a spoon to ensure the beeswax is evenly mixed throughout the oil.

4. Dip a clean cotton cloth into the beeswax mixture. Wipe the oil directly on the bread board. Continue wiping oil on the board until it is entirely covered.

5. Let the oil mixture soak in for 10 minutes and apply a second coat. Depending on the size of your bread board, you may need to make an additional batch of the mixture.

6. Repeat the process every six months.

Tips & Warnings

• Do not use any type of vegetable oil as a replacement for the USP-grade mineral oil. Most vegetable oils turn rancid over time and will ruin your board.

References

• What's Cooking America: Cutting Boards, Chopping Blocks, and Butcher Blocks