DIY Butcher Block Conditioner: Stop Buying Overpriced Goo
DIY Butcher Block Conditioner Recipe. Learn how to make your own wood conditioner using beeswax and mineral oil. Cheaper and better than store-bought.
You are currently paying $15 for a bottle of “Premium Butcher Block Oil.” It contains two ingredients: Mineral Oil (value: $0.50) and Beeswax (value: $0.25). The rest of the price tag is for the plastic bottle and your own ignorance.
We are going to fix that.
Making your own cutting board wax is not “crafting.” It is basic chemistry. It requires no skill, only the ability to follow instructions and a healthy fear of fire.
The Materials: The Sacred 4:1 Ratio
Do not guess. Do not “eyeball it.”
- USP Food Grade Mineral Oil (1 Cup): Do not use baby oil (perfume). Do not use olive oil (rancid).
- Beeswax Pellets (1/4 Cup): Get the pellets. If you buy a block of wax, you will have to grate it. Have you ever tried to clean beeswax out of a cheese grater? It is simpler to move to a new house.
- A Clean Glass Jar: Wide mouth. I use an old pickle jar.
- A Pot of Water: To act as a double boiler.
Phase 1: The Melt (Safety First)
We are melting wax. Wax is a fuel. If you put it directly on a burner, it will reach its flash point and spontaneously ignite.
- The Setup: Put the oil and the wax pellets into the glass jar.
- The Bath: Place the jar into your pot. Fill the pot with water until it reaches halfway up the jar.
- The Heat: Turn the stove to medium. As the water simmers (212°F), it gently heats the contents of the jar. The wax melts at ~145°F.
- The Wait: Watch the wax pellets dissolve into the oil. It is oddly satisfying.
Phase 2: The Fusion
Once the wax is gone, you have a clear golden liquid.
- The Stir: Stir it with a chopstick or a disposable skewer. Do not use your good spoon.
**The Pot Ruiner:** If you melt wax directly in your good saucepan, that pot is now a beeswax pot forever. You will never scrub it all out.
- The Pour: Carefully remove the jar from the water (it is hot, genius). You can pour it into smaller tins if you want to give them as gifts to people you want to impress, or just leave it in the jar.
- The Cool: Let it sit undisturbed. It will turn from a clear liquid into a creamy, opaque paste.
How to Use It
Scoop out a dollop with a clean rag. Rub it into your board. Buff it off.
Your board will glow. It will repel water. And most importantly, you will have the smug satisfaction of knowing you didn’t pay $20 for a quarter-cup of mineral oil.
You board will glow. It will repel water. And most importantly, you will have the smug satisfaction of knowing you didn’t pay $20 for a quarter-cup of mineral oil.
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