Board Butter: Maintain Your Wood Utensils

3/2/2021

Simple recipe for DIY Board Butter

Maintain wood surfaces with homemade wood conditioner

Wood kitchen tools add warmth and texture to your home. They also require some extra love and care to prolong their life and beauty.

Keeping wood in good shape come down to two things: not letting moisture in and not letting moisture out!

Nothing will ruin your butcher block counter tops faster than a small puddle of water gone unnoticed. Ignoring wood by never conditioning those spoons and spatulas leaves them dull, dry and brittle.

Conditioning puts moisture into the wood while creating a water resistant barrier. Neglected wood will be susceptible to water damage.

Most commercial wood oils and conditioners contain petroleum by-products (I'm looking at you mineral oil). The World Health Organization considers highly refined mineral oil not to be suspected of causing cancer but "available information is not sufficient enough to classify them as harmless."

I wanted a board butter that was made with ingredients I wouldn't mind my food touching, ya know, in case we "accidentally" ingested some. Minimal, easy to find ingredients was a plus!

A base of beeswax and fractionated coconut oil(FCO) will not only be safe, but also moisturize and seal. Adding lemon and wild orange essential oils gives the butter antibacterial and antiviral properties. Not to mention it smells good too.

(Learn why I only use dōTERRA essential oils)

It's important to use fractionated coconut oil. In, FCO the long-chain fatty acids have been removed. This creates an odorless coconut oil that stays liquid at room temperature and won't go rancid. FCO is also known as medium-chain triglyceride (MCT) oil.

Board Butter Ingredients:

1 cup fractionated coconut oil (See notes above)
2 ounces beeswax pellets
10-20 drops each lemon and wild orange essential oil

Instructions:

1. Use a double boiler to melt the beeswax into the coconut oil. In lieu of a fancy double boiler, use a small pot with simmering water and a metal bowl on top. This method gently heats and prevents scorching.

Using a double boiler to melt beeswax into coconut oil

2. Once everything has melted together, remove from heat. Allow to cool briefly before adding the essential oils. Just a minute will do it, you don't want it to solidify.

**Side Note: Essential oils and heat do not mix. Slightly cooling the mixture will preserve the benefits and aroma.**

Pouring essential oils into the wax/oil mixture

3. Pour your board butter into a glass jar and let solidify. Condition all the nude wood in your home with this easy board butter recipe! I like to apply it with bare hands. When you're done, your cutting boards and hands will look fabulous.

Don't forget...

Butcher blocks, pastry benches, wood spoons, spatulas, and cutting boards need a monthly application to extend their life and beauty!

This board butter makes an excellent gift paired with a tea towel and wooden spoon! Use a vintage jar for an unexpected, homey touch.