The Tung Oil Difference
tung oil vs. mineral oil
Why do we finish our charcuterie/cutting boards with tung oil?
Tung oil is a natural oil unlike mineral oil. Mineral oil is a byproduct of refining crude oil. While both oils are food safe, tung oil is naturally pressed from the seed of the tung fruit. We use a 50/50 mix of pure tung oil and pure orange peel oil from Real Milk Paint Co.
It dries and hardens. Tung oil will soak into the wood and harden the surface of the wood as it dries. Giving you a longer lasting, more durable, water resistant surface. Mineral oil NEVER dries. When mineral oil is put on a board, some of it soaks in but any excess can find its way out over time. I hope mineral oil is food safe and safe to consume, because you will be consuming it. However, tung oil, when its fully cured is going to stay on the board and out of your food!
Tung oil is less maintenance for you! Most of the work is done upfront in our shop.
We apply seven coats of the 50/50 tung oil/orange peel oil mix. The tung oil takes several days to partially cure and 30 days to fully cure and dry. After that, you will only need to oil the board once a year and let it fully cure. While you can’t use the board for 30 days, its much less maintenance compared to mineral oil.
Mineral oil must be applied every few weeks on a board that is heavily used. Since mineral oil never dries it’s washed away when you clean your board. Life can be busy, why add another maintenance item to the list? Do you really want to be babysitting your board?
This is why many makers will use mineral oil; they can simply coat or soak it, wipe it off, and ship it out. Leaving you stuck with all the maintenance, all for modest water resistance that lasts a few weeks.
Not your board, if we can help it! Your board will have a long lasting, beautiful finish that requires little maintenance.