Making board butter
Every board we make leaves the studio sealed with a blend of mineral oil and beeswax. Next, we're getting that same board butter into small tins so it can go home with the board.
Anonymous
3 min read
One of the questions we get is whether our boards are just for show. They aren't. Every board is sealed with a mineral oil and beeswax salve before it leaves the studio. It's food safe, and the board is meant for chopping, serving and everyday use as much as for hanging on a wall.
That salve is our board butter, and what's on the bench right now is getting it into small tins so it can go home with the board.
Why oil and beeswax
The two ingredients do different jobs.
Mineral oil soaks into the wood. It keeps the fibres from drying out and cracking, and it deepens the grain so the engraved map stands out against it. We use mineral oil rather than a kitchen oil because vegetable and olive oils can go rancid in the wood over time.
Beeswax stays closer to the surface. Blended with the oil it makes a soft paste that's easy to rub in, and it leaves the board with a gentle sheen and a little more resistance to water.
Together they make something you can rub in with a soft cloth, with nothing in it you wouldn't want near your food.
How we finish a board
When a board comes off the laser, it gets a soak in oil first, then a coat of beeswax over the top. We give the wax two or three hours to soak in before a board goes out the door. The engraved lines are cut deep, so the map won't fade, but a well-fed board shows them off at their best: dark lines, warm grain, no pale dry patches.
Into the tins
Making board butter itself is simple and a bit old-fashioned. The oil and beeswax are warmed together until the wax melts into the oil, poured into tins while still liquid, and left to set into a soft balm.
We're planning three sizes of tin: 2 oz, 5 oz and 8 oz. The small one would be a handy companion for a single board; the larger ones make sense if you have a few boards in the kitchen. Each tin will get a small round label.
Using it
Whenever your board starts to look pale and dry, that's the time:
Make sure the board is clean and completely dry.
Rub a little board butter over both faces and the edges with a soft cloth.
Leave it to soak in for a few hours, or overnight.
Wipe off anything still sitting on the surface.
There's more on washing, oiling and what to avoid in caring for your board.
If you have one of our boards and want to know how it's holding up, or you'd like a tin to go with a new board, get in touch.
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