Fractionated Coconut Oil on Blades and Boards?

[Bloke]

Amen to Beeswax and Linseed oil! Yep not food safe but will keep a table and tool/axe handles for literally centuries. I always used it on my gransfors hunters axe handle which I have had since they were introduced. I admit I have skipped the turpentine in my last few batches (wife said it was a bit strong for her nose in the house) so I went to pure boiled linseed. Made it thinner more like a soft paste and she hits all the wood furniture with it.

I hear you on the gum turpentine. It make my eyes water taking the lid off the tin and if beloved wife is around she threatens me with violence and chases me out to the backyard brandishing a broom or worse. Ah, hahaha!

[Matus]

For cutting boards or other wooden utensils in the kitchen I only use board butter - a mix of beeswax and mineral oil. It is a food safe and chemically stable solution. So I don't really see the point of using something else.

I don't put wax on the blades, that would not make much sense. In fact - I don't put anything on them, just clean them after use. With few exceptions our kitchen knives are not stainless.

Even oiling the blades for storage may lead to problems if humidity gets trapped underneath. For long term storage I use VCI paper and then wash the knives before use. There is a reason why Japanese kitchen knives always come packed in VCI paper. It simply works well.

[Bill1170]

As food oils go, coconut oil has the lowest risk of rancidity. It is highly saturated, so there aren’t many openings on the carbon chains for stray oxygens to attach themselves. See https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iodine_value for more information.

Mineral oil is also quite safe, though not a food oil. Properly refined it is a neutral chemical in the GI tract, “just passing through.”

[Kale]

My favourite, though it’s not food safe is Beeswax, linseed oil, and gum turpentine. I can’t remember the exact ratio’s off the top of my head but it’s the best I’ve found for my Brux hatchet and the like. It protects the steel, wood and leather all in one.

I helped a friend build a shed over the summer. He used a linseed and turpentine mixture to waterproof the bottom of some posts. Sounds like it's a very old and proven formula (but definitely not food safe!).

[Kale]

For cutting boards or other wooden utensils in the kitchen I only use board butter - a mix of beeswax and mineral oil. It is a food safe and chemically stable solution. So I don't really see the point of using something else.

I don't put wax on the blades, that would not make much sense. In fact - I don't put anything on them, just clean them after use. With few exceptions our kitchen knives are not stainless.

Even oiling the blades for storage may lead to problems if humidity gets trapped underneath. For long term storage I use VCI paper and then wash the knives before use. There is a reason why Japanese kitchen knives always come packed in VCI paper. It simply works well.

Out of curiosity, why do you avoid oil on your kitchen knives? For the patina? I know a lot of people swear by non-stainless Japanese knives in the kitchen. But I'm not familiar with how they're typically maintained.

[Kale]

Thank you to everyone for your feedback. I bought the Clark's board oil (which is the fractionated coconut), as well as their oil/wax mixture. The oil is exactly like mineral oil. I put some on my m4 lil' Native blade... seems good, but I'll report back on whether it goes rancid.

Unlike the oil, the oil/wax mixture has a faint smell -- not perfume or rancidity, but you can smell something, fwiw. I'm going to start with using the oil alone on the board and see how that goes. I assume the wax forms a better seal on wood, but the oil should at least prevent cracking damage.

[Matus]

Out of curiosity, why do you avoid oil on your kitchen knives? For the patina? I know a lot of people swear by non-stainless Japanese knives in the kitchen. But I'm not familiar with how they're typically maintained.

I am not actively avoiding oil on my carbon steel kitchen knives, I just don’t use it on those that are stored for longer period of time.

When I am using them, I just always flush them with water and wipe dry if I am done with some part of cutting. Letting a carbon knife just sit one a counter for a minute or two after cutting onions will yield orange color patina that can quickly turn to surface rust. Over time the knife gains a more stable patina that offers a little protection. Still - keeping the knife clean snd dry is the key.