The Best Food Safe Finish | Spoiler: It’s Not Mineral Oil

Video - July 29, 2022

Think you know the best food safe finish? Think again! I tested a few of the most common food safe finishes and you might be surprised at the results. While mineral is the classic go-to food safe finish, I think it’s time we crown a new food safe king, and that’s Tung Oil.

Stuff used in the video:

Don’t feel like mixing your own Tung Oil/Citrus Solvent mixture? Try Half & Half from Real Milk Paint Company.

Discussion

Tim Bacon July 29, 2022 3:17 pm

Nice video, but we were surprised you used the Tried & True varnish oil, which if I read the manufacturer’s website right is more for furniture and is not claimed as food safe. We use the Danish Oil by the gallon for our charcuterie boards, and will try your clever torture test on that to see how it fares.

Thanks for the great content, and please keep it coming.

Tim and Kim

Reply
- Marc Spagnuolo July 31, 2022 7:59 am
  
  It says it’s food safe right on the can. I use it in hopes that the “varnish” will provide a little more protection. I’ve compared their products and generally speaking, I can’t even tell a practical difference between them. But I use the varnish oil since logic dictates that the varnish component will provide a little more protection, while still being safe for food contact. My “conspiracy theory” guess is they now downplay the fact that the varnish oil is food safe because it helps differentiate their product line and gives people a reason to buy more than one can.
  
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  - Tom July 31, 2022 11:12 am
    
    Great video and demonstration. I use a mix of bees wax and mineral oil and it doesn’t last very long. I wonder if, with some surface preparation (sanding and citrus solvent) could I put tung oil over the top? I would hate to damage a beautiful cherry end grain cutting board.
    
    Reply
Keith Barkhau July 31, 2022 9:43 am

Thanks Marc, great video.

I’ve always used Tried and True on my cutting boards too. Going to try the tung oil on the next one. When cut with the citrus solvent, what sort of dry times were you seeing from the tung oil?

Thanks again!

Reply
- Marc Spagnuolo July 31, 2022 12:58 pm
  
  You can apply light coats daily but for a full cure you’re looking at weeks, like most raw oils.
  
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  - ANNE STERN February 14, 2023 8:42 am
    
    Marc, Thank you for responding to my earlier question about the ratio of solvent to oil! Next one, the other web sites I looked at say to soak, wipe, soak and wipe again, let dry overnight and you’re done. Your reply here indicates that it ain’t so easy. Would you be so kind as to outline your finishing technique? I’m also happy to purchase your book if you can provide me with more details on how to purchase it -the pop up for it keeps disappearing before I can get my pencil out!. Again, many thanks – you’re video convinced me to do what you say! Anne
    
    Reply
    - Marc Spagnuolo February 14, 2023 10:00 am
      
      https://thewoodwhisperer.com/v.....-finishes/ <---Just released last week. This will serve you much better than the book for this particular issue.
    - ANNE STERN February 17, 2023 7:57 am
      
      Marc, Again many many thanks for your quick and helpful reply. Both the Hope Tung oil and the citrus solvent have arrived and I’m ready to start! After reading (and rereading) your suggested article, it seems like three applications, 24 hour apart, should be enough (until age and use require another application). If I’m missing something, please let me know. I so appreciate your taking the time to help me with this. Anne
Kevin Kemp July 31, 2022 9:47 am

It’s my understanding that it’s the solvent in the varnish that is not safe. Once the varnish has dried, the solvent is gone and what remains is safe.

Reply
- Marc Spagnuolo July 31, 2022 12:58 pm
  
  That’s what they say and I’ve repeated that same advice. In the end it’s a personal choice. I am at a point in my life where I’d rather start with a non-toxic finish that stays non-toxic instead of using a finish that starts off toxic and eventually becomes non-toxic after 30 days.
  
  Reply
John Kacerosky July 31, 2022 11:03 am

You never did a “cutting up vegetables” as part of the test which would really apply to whether the finish chips and adds little pieces of finish to your food. I agree that the utensils are best served with the tung oil but not sure that a “hardening” product would do well after chopping.

Reply
- Marc Spagnuolo July 31, 2022 12:56 pm
  
  None of the finishes here will chip. They don’t produce films so there’s nothing to chip off. Even the oils that dry are still soft in finishing terms.
  
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Eric July 31, 2022 12:08 pm

Great test Mark!

Curious if the hardening finishes wouldn’t fare as well when tested for knife marks. Though it’s true you have to apply it often, mineral oil and beeswax on end grain boards hide knife marks very well.

Reply
- Marc Spagnuolo July 31, 2022 12:55 pm
  
  I can only speak specifically from my experience in my kitchen and the boards that receive this tung oil treatment seem to look better for a substantially longer period of time. The finish isn’t really hard, per se, so it’s not really a surface film. There won’t be the white marks you see on surfaces that have a full-on film finish.
  
  Reply
Mark July 31, 2022 12:28 pm

Great comparison. I know a couple woodworkers who have been using tung oil on cutting boards for years. They’ve always swore by it. I never actually tried it, but if I ever make another cutting board (doubtful) I may consider it.

Reply
Dane July 31, 2022 2:15 pm

flaxseed oil(from health food store) for spoons and bowls. As near as I can find out it is essentially Linseed Oil without the hardness and chemicals in commercial Boiled Linseed Oil finishes. It ‘sets’ in a few days and is renewable(by reapplying). it seems to perform the same as commercial BLO without the chemical concerns.
Flaxseed Oil is sold as a food product, so my logic says that it should be food safe.
It will not go rancid like vegetable oils and it actually sets, unlike mineral oil.
I first learned of this from Peter Folensbee, just to give him credit.

Reply
- Amanda July 31, 2022 2:44 pm
  
  Flaxseed oil DOES, in fact, go rancid.
  
  Reply
Dean Hummel July 31, 2022 3:30 pm

Just applied a heated tung oil beeswax finish to a cutting board i just made. Ill let you know ho what works out..

Reply
- Shaun Nelson December 10, 2022 7:43 am
  
  Got those results Dean?
  
  Reply
Ron Labrousse July 31, 2022 9:33 pm

If you’ve used Tried and True as much as you claim you have…then you should know that it will days, if not weeks for it to cure…along with more than one coat. I’ll put T&T up against Tung Oil for any purpose anytime over the long haul. T&T just takes a little more time, a little more patience. I have projects older than you, finished with several coats of T&T, that look as good as the day it was applied.

Reply
- Marc Spagnuolo December 10, 2022 8:56 am
  
  It’s weird that you’re being kind of defensive about a finish. If T&T works for you, that’s great. Tung oil works better for me and I showed the reasons why in this video. You’ll have to pardon me for trusting direct observable evidence over your personal opinion.
  
  Reply
Jmorein August 1, 2022 8:03 am

Another great video Marc! I wish you had Odies Oil in the mix. I think I might have to run my own test to try and compare!

Reply
- Marc Spagnuolo August 6, 2022 9:37 am
  
  See my comments about hardwax oils in the video.
  
  Reply
Larry Williams December 2, 2022 9:42 pm

I’m working on an end grain cutting board so I was planning on using the diluted salad bowl finish you have described previously. It seems you have changed to prefer diluted Tung oil. It would be nice if you went back & updated that older post (& maybe I wouldn’t have just spent $45 on some GF salad bowl finish…).

Reply
- Marc Spagnuolo December 5, 2022 8:02 am
  
  Hi Larry. I changed my personal preference. The key word there is personal. Nothing I used in the past is negated by what I use today. My hope with these videos is to arm you with information so that you can make your own personal decision.
  
  Reply
Larry Williams December 6, 2022 3:15 pm

You certainly have the right to change your preference. My point in this case was simply that I think it would be nice to update the old cutting board post with at least a link to this new post. A simple statement at the end of the initial description saying “ Please see my updated post on food safe finishes” would be very useful.

The information you provide will evolve and we (readers) can really benefit from new information (new ideas, preferences, products, etc) but only if we see it. Posting new information without updating old information puts the burden on the reader to find everything & merge it themselves. E.g. If I had done a more general search I would have seen the newer post. No one should expect a complete updating of old posts but a middle ground where old posts get links to new related posts would simplify the process for me anyways.

Thanks for all the information you do provide (& all the work that must go into it).

Reply
- Marc Spagnuolo December 6, 2022 7:26 pm
  
  Will do. Thanks Larry.
  
  Reply
AQ December 27, 2022 4:21 pm

What are your thoughts on applying Tung oil to an end grain cutting board that has previously been finished with mineral oil?

Reply
- Marc Spagnuolo January 3, 2023 4:09 pm
  
  You’ll have to try and see. Mineral oil won’t let the tung oil dry. But if the mineral oil is an old application it might be ok.
  
  Reply
  - Suzanne July 1, 2023 2:25 pm
    
    I have that same question, so I’ll add to it. Doesn’t mineral oil “dry out” over time? (Otherwise, why would it need to be renewed so often?) Any “educated guesses” as to how long one should wait between applying a first (and only) mineral oil finish and an attempt at finishing with tung oil? I am looking at purchasing an edge grain maple top (butcher block) that comes “treated with a penetrating mineral oil protectant.” It further states that the top has to retreated every one to two weeks to maintain the finish.
    
    I promise not to hold you responsible if this doesn’t work out for me!
    
    Reply
ANNE February 3, 2023 7:17 pm

Marc, I need to finish several cutting boards in a recently renovated kitchen and I thought your video was thoughtful and very informative. I’m not a woodworker and not very knowledgeable about how to preserve it. But I like the feel of wood in my hand and I look forward to keeping my new boards in good shape. Do you have a suggested ratio for citrus solvent to Tung oil when mixing them together? It looked like you were putting in equal amounts.
P.S. Thanks for noting the update on your recommendation on your prior video! That’s how I found this latest site.

Reply
- Marc Spagnuolo February 6, 2023 12:00 pm
  
  It’s not in stone but I usually aim for 50/50.
  
  Reply
Michelle Buck September 15, 2023 3:57 pm

Hi Marc,
I made a charcuterie board and applied stain and then stenciled acrylic craft paint on it. I am seeking a food safe clear finish that will not ruin the acrylic artwork (smear it). Home Depot product options are Watco Butcher Block oil or an epoxy such as Famowood glaze or Varathane super glaze. I had not intended on applying a thick resin epoxy and am not even sure those products are safe to set food on them. Do you have knowledge on how to safely coat such an item? Thank you for your time!

Reply
- Marc Spagnuolo September 19, 2023 8:58 am
  
  Most wood finishes are food safe once cured, meaning you can place food on them without much concern. In your case i’d look at water-based finishes that will layer a coat on top of your stain and paint, sealing it in and making sure the board can sustain the occasional cleaning. https://amzn.to/46bRR0M
  
  Reply
Honey January 7, 2024 2:52 pm

Wow, great video and comments follow-up. Exactly the information that I needed today. Thanks for your time and insight!

Reply
Adam R February 4, 2024 5:00 pm

Would the tung oil be good for subsequent, maintenance coats? Or is something else preferable?

Reply
- Marc Spagnuolo February 6, 2024 9:00 am
  
  You can really use whatever you like at that point, but subsequent coats of a tung oil mixture should be perfectly fine.
  
  Reply
Jonathan March 13, 2024 7:26 am

Hey Mark,
Nice work. One additional resource to consider. You mentioned in your video that it’s difficult to find out what is in various commercially available finishes. You showed some and said that “a lot of companies will just out-right lie… so avoid things that say Tung oil finish, since it’s probably just diluted varnish.”

To find out most of the ingredients and their relative safety, people can read each product’s Material Safety Data Sheet that is on file with the EPA.

Google the name of a finish followed by the initials MSDS, and you can see the Material Safety Data Sheet that has been filed with the EPA. It will list most, if not all of the ingredients in the finish and describe their toxicities in the uncured state. I looked up the Watco Tung Oil Finish in this video to discover that it does indeed contain a significant amount of Tung oil along with solvent and chemical drying agents. So other than a food safe solvent and drying agents, the formula is very similar to yours. I agree with you that I would prefer the entire formula be food safe rather than trust the curing process to make it so. Also your formula is more environmentally safe since it would have zero VOCs, unlike most commercial finishes. However, for book shelf or a coffee table for example, Watco’s Tung oil finish should perform well, look good and probably be just fine

Reply
- Marc Spagnuolo March 14, 2024 5:06 pm
  
  Thanks Jonathan. I’m definitely familiar with SDSs and have used them for a long time to figure out what’s in a finish. Unfortunately, they are almost never exhaustive. Some things just aren’t required by law to be reported on the SDS. It’s really just a list of specific chemicals on a specific list in quantities requiring reporting. Still, a very good reference for finding out about the chemicals known to be hazardous that might be in the finish. I think what you see there with the Watch Tung Oil would be the exception that proves the rule. Good to know they actually do put some tung oil in there, though with a generous helping of other toxic ingredients. :)
  
  Reply
Diana Nazaroff March 29, 2024 1:12 pm

Hi Marc, I just found your information.
Question for you. I just had some countertops made out of beams from an old warehouse for my kitchen. Heart pine. The contractor used Watco Tung Oil on them and from my research it is not considered food safe. I have some MilkPaint Co. pure tung oil in the house that is supposed to be food safe. Can I use that on top of the Watco and negate the non food safe oil? Or will the solvents and other chemicals cure out? The tops need more oil on them, I believe he only put on one coat, but I wanted to get an experts opinion before I move forward.
Thanks!

Reply
- Marc Spagnuolo April 3, 2024 9:54 am
  
  Most qualified finishers subscribe to the belief that nearly all finishes are food safe once cured. After the solvents flash off and the polymerization occurs, you should be left with inert material on the surface. It’s up to you whether that’s good enough for you and your family, however. As for using pure tung oil over the watco, I don’t believe that’s going to make much difference. The toxic solvents are not going to go away and pure tung oil isn’t going to do anything other than slow down the curing process. Now if using pure tung oil makes you feel more comfortable, I’d say give the first coat at least a week to cure and then proceed with buffing in some coats of pure tung oil. With each application you want to wipe off all the excess so there’s no standing oil on the surface. Wait a few days and if the surface feels dry to the touch, you can apply another coat the same way. And you can keep doing this until you’re satisfied with the appearance. The oil should take about a month to get to full durability so keep that in mind.
  
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Tom Motley July 30, 2024 3:32 pm

You say you can apply light coats daily but that it will take weeks to fully cure. I just finished putting three coats on my teak cutting board. (I did the first two coats with a 2:1 solvent/tung oil ratio because I read somewhere that it works better with woods that have a lot of natural oils, like teak. And then I did a third with 1:1 ratio.) So my question is, How long do I need to wait before using the cutting board? Hopefully not weeks.

Reply
- Marc Spagnuolo July 30, 2024 8:10 pm
  
  it’s likely “safe” to use once you no longer smell any solvent. But if it’s a natural oil, I’d give it at least a week and longer if you can stand it.
  
  Reply
monty balfe October 8, 2024 3:54 am

Marc, I need to finish several cutting boards in a recently renovated kitchen and I thought your video was thoughtful and very informative. I’m not a woodworker and not very knowledgeable about how to preserve it. But I like the feel of wood in my hand and I look forward to keeping my new boards in good shape. Do you have a suggested ratio for citrus solvent to Tung oil when mixing them together? It looked like you were putting in equal amounts.
Very intresting i love freakbob

Reply
- Marc Spagnuolo October 8, 2024 9:06 am
  
  It’s a totally flexible formula. You only want to add enough solvent to make the oil easy to spread. That could be as little as 10% depending on temperature and how you’re applying it. I wouldn’t go more than 50% though.
  
  Reply
Matt C February 21, 2025 3:53 pm

I did three “chaos” cutting boards following this method several months ago, and one of them has become my daily user, and I don’t feel the tung oil has held up as well as the old Behlen’s wood bowl finish/mineral spirits previously recommended. It’s only been five or six months and I’m having to put on cutting board wax to freshen it up about every three weeks, otherwise it looks dry and, well, unprotected.

Reply
- Marc Spagnuolo February 22, 2025 3:42 pm
  
  Well, keep in mind you’re not comparing apples to apples. The Tung oil finish recommended here is a simple drying oil. It takes a long time to cure and doesn’t build to a film but it’s food safe and still lets the wood absorb some liquids. Behlen’s Finish, on the other hand, is a varnish. It dries much faster, builds a film, and contains mineral spirits (not something I personally like to use on food items anymore). Generally it’s sold as a bowl finish and not a cutting board finish. So don’t get me wrong, use whatever gives you the results you want. But when you’re comparing finishes, make sure you comparing similar products.
  
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  - Matt C February 22, 2025 7:37 pm
    
    Thanks Marc, just to be clear I was referencing your older video that used either Behlen’s or General Finish’s finish. I understand you’ve changed your opinion on that and now recommend the tung oil/citrus solvent, which is exactly why I tried it. If it didn’t take a month to dry it would be easy to touch up with the tung oil now and then. I suppose it still would be if I just had two boards and one was in use while the other was curing… ;) Any way, it was my intent to share my observations on the new technique vs the old, is all. The finishes are apples and oranges, but the technique in applying them–thinning and not letting a film build on top–is the same.
    
    Another thing I noted is that, even with wiping the tung oil off after each application, there is a thin layer that builds up with repeated applications. I took a fine synthetic sanding pad to the board after a full month of dry time and I definitely saw some build up of white residue in the pad from the dried tung oil–not much, but there was some. I don’t think it’s a problem, honestly, the mineral oil option is going to leave a thin film of mineral oil, too, and at least the tung oil isn’t transferring to your food.
    
    Thanks for all of your videos. You’re a trusted expert.
    
    Reply
    - Marc Spagnuolo February 23, 2025 10:46 am
      
      Thanks Matt. Not to muddy the water further, but have you seen some of the recent info coming out of Fine Woodworking about using no finish at all? https://www.finewoodworking.co.....one-at-all
Greg Hoggins February 25, 2025 9:21 am

Marc,

May I know what your take is on the article of Fine Woodworking that you mentioned? Last week I purchased an end grain cutting board and a bottle of tung oil mixed with citrus solvent. I have not used it yet because I am not sure if I should leave the board unfinished.

Right now, I live in an Asian city in which the relative humidity is in the range of 70% to 90% most of the time. I understand that I have to put the board in a well ventilated environment no matter it is conditioned or not.

Look forward to your comments.

Reply
- Marc Spagnuolo February 27, 2025 11:07 am
  
  I think there’s good logic in the no-finish idea and if it’s backed by scientific analysis, case closed. But the problem comes down to expectations. Most people will not be happy with a dry oil-free board. It retains stains and eventually looks like a piece of driftwood on the countertop. And like they say, you eat with your eyes first. So I think it might come down to a compromise. Applying minimal coats of oil or just a single coat, with a recoat maybe a couple times through the year. The idea being to let the wood still absorb liquids but also helping the board resist staining and look better. But perhaps that’s just the path to getting the worst of both worlds instead of the best of both worlds. I currently have a couple of boards in my kitchen that I’m testing so I can offer real world experience at some point in the future.
  
  Reply
Jo November 12, 2025 12:28 am

Hi Marc, I’m struggling to get my hands on affordable citrus solvent in the UK. Does it just take longer to cure a chopping board using pure tung oil? Do I have to sand between each coat and finally how often would you recommend repeating the entire process?
Thanks so much

Reply
- Marc Spagnuolo November 12, 2025 8:40 am
  
  It’s mostly about application and absorption. The thicker oil alone is harder to spread around and doesn’t absorb into the wood as readily. You can get around this a bit by heating the oil. If you can start with a warm board too, even better. Not “oven warm” but if the shop is nice and warm that day and you heat up the oil itself, you’ll find it much easier to spread. No need to sand between coats unless you feel something rough on the surface. Repeating the entire process depends on usage. Ultimately it might never be necessary if the board holds up well and looks good.
  
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The Best Food Safe Finish | Spoiler: It’s Not Mineral Oil

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