On the cutting board write-up, an observation and a question.
After seeing a reference to "board cream", I did a bit of research. You can make your own using 1 part beeswax or paraffin to 4 parts food-grade mineral oil. Combine them in a pint canning jar and then place the jar in a pan of simmering water until the wax has melted. Transfer the liquid to a smaller canning jar and seal. (Not seal w/a water bath; just place a lid on top and finger-tighten w/a canning ring.) It doesn't seem to matter whether you use beeswax or paraffin. I currently am using paraffin pellets as they're easy to measure out. And yet another argument for a kitchen scale.
On immersing the wooden tools, it seemed like it might be easier to do it in bag instead of an open container; possibly a Ziploc or silicone bag? You could seal it and just give it a tumble anytime you walked by.
Which then made me think that you could also vacuum-seal it, but then I decided that perhaps it was time to go take a walk outdoors.
I grew up in a household where we had special rules for washing wood or wood-handled cooking tools. They couldn't sit in the dishwater and certainly not go in anything like a dishwasher. I have some grapewood spatulas that I've been using for ~50 years. Do I oil them regularly? No. I do use them when I'm frying tortillas for crisp tacos to hold the bent tortilla shells apart. So the working end is resting in hot oil.
I need to try your board cream out once I finish the stuff I have at home. The Ziptoc bag should be great and wise because you will use less. Thank you for sharing this with us.
On the cutting board write-up, an observation and a question.
After seeing a reference to "board cream", I did a bit of research. You can make your own using 1 part beeswax or paraffin to 4 parts food-grade mineral oil. Combine them in a pint canning jar and then place the jar in a pan of simmering water until the wax has melted. Transfer the liquid to a smaller canning jar and seal. (Not seal w/a water bath; just place a lid on top and finger-tighten w/a canning ring.) It doesn't seem to matter whether you use beeswax or paraffin. I currently am using paraffin pellets as they're easy to measure out. And yet another argument for a kitchen scale.
On immersing the wooden tools, it seemed like it might be easier to do it in bag instead of an open container; possibly a Ziploc or silicone bag? You could seal it and just give it a tumble anytime you walked by.
Which then made me think that you could also vacuum-seal it, but then I decided that perhaps it was time to go take a walk outdoors.
I grew up in a household where we had special rules for washing wood or wood-handled cooking tools. They couldn't sit in the dishwater and certainly not go in anything like a dishwasher. I have some grapewood spatulas that I've been using for ~50 years. Do I oil them regularly? No. I do use them when I'm frying tortillas for crisp tacos to hold the bent tortilla shells apart. So the working end is resting in hot oil.
I need to try your board cream out once I finish the stuff I have at home. The Ziptoc bag should be great and wise because you will use less. Thank you for sharing this with us.
A big Congratulations Nik on Veg-Table being named a Best Cookbook of 2023.
Thank you, Kathy! Where did you see this? I might have missed it.
At the beginning of your latest newsletter
Ah, I thought I might have missed something 🤣