John Taylor Food Grade Mineral Oil Cutting Board Oil Wood Conditioner,12oz

The search for the best product and best food safe finish is over. This stuff is unbelievable. It gives the wood a smooth feeling like polly and really brings out the grain. It enhances the natural color of the wood without changing it. We are amazed by the depth of grain in Walnut, maple, Ash, and elm. It has a slight and pleasant honey smell when using it but does not have a smell once dry. To get best results you need to put very little work into it but the results far exceeded the effort. Here is what I did to get the best results and to reduce waste. In short use rubber gloves to hand rub for maximum coverage. Heat up the product for best penetration, seal, and finish. My recommendation for use. Get rubber gloves, hair dryer, and a wide shallow pan. Have a towel and hot pad ready. Place the wide shallow pan on the hot pad on your work surface with the product closed (seal under cap removed) place it laying horizontal in the pan. Use the hair dryer to heat the wood surface or cutting board that you intend to treat. As the water is heating up warm the wood surface on high heat and low blower setting. Before the water boils, leave the hair dryer on and blowing on the cutting board. Take tea kettle off of the stove. Pour water into the shallow pan so that the bottle is at least half way submerged with the lable facing up. Wait a few minutes and continue to warm up your cutting board with the hair dryer. With gloves on, set the hair dryer down and remove the bottle of product and wrap in towel. (Use tongs if water is too hot and use them to place bottle in the towel.) Shake up the bottle while wrapped in towel to prevent water from splashing off the wet bottle. Make sure your finger is holding the top of the lid down to ensure it does not pop open while shaking. Then place the bottle back in the water with the front lable facing down. Wait a few minutes and continue to warm the board with the blow dryer. Remove the bottle of product from the water and wrap in towel and shake well. The product should flow like water now that it is completely warmed, melted, and mixed. Now with right hand pour product on to cutting board while keeping it warm with the blow dryer in your left hand. Close lid on bottle and place back into pan. Use right hand to rub in the product while wearing the gloves. The hot air of the blow dryer should keep the product slick and viscous allowing it to penetrate into wood. Rub in circular motion all around the board and apply more product if needed. Be sure to rub into sides of board. Then rub in straight lines across the board in all directions to ensure even coverage. Use long even passes with the grain and focus on even coverage and try to minimize lines. Flip the board and apply to other side if pressed for time or do only one side at a time and do the other side the next day allowing each side to completely dry. After one hour at room temperature and low humidity, lightly wipe the board with a dry paper towel to remove any streaks as the product has started to set up and excess oil is brought to the surface. After 24 hours wipe off again with fresh paper towel to remove any excess oil on the surface. You will now have a very smooth and sealed surface. You will be so pleased by the expert results, you will feel so satisfied. I have never used a product that finishes so perfectly.

The John Taylor Butcher Block Conditioner was a bit of a surprise when I first received it. It is much thicker than similar products, which made me feel confident right away that I had purchased a quality product. Wood, by its absorbant nature, will either last a very long time, or else become cracked, easily scarred, or turn pale, if it gets too dry. Obviously wood used in a kitchen or food prep area is exposed to a fair amount of water, not only from food that is cut, but also from the wood being wiped down, or wiped clean. This seems to be "good" for the surface of a cutting board, but putting water into the board doesn't give it the natural protection that using food grade mineral oil and natural wax provides. Think of the life of a cutting board. First of all, good ones aren't inexpensive. The best are plain, undecorated strips of wood that are glued together under a lot of pressure, and then planed and sanded to a nice smooth finish. By the time a cutting board is constructed, it is quite dry, so the best way to treat a new cutting board is to immediately begin the process of re-moisturizing the wood inside it. This is actually a very slow process that can take several months to a year to complete, depending on the size of the board. Before I ever allow one drop of water to fall on any of my cutting boards, I first oil them several times, at least once or twice a day, for a week or more (again, depending on the size of the board and its thickness). Ever so slowly the cutting board will begin to take on weight and feel like real wood. By the second to fourth week, I begin to use less oil on my cutting board, simply because by that time the top 1/4" or so is pretty saturated with oil, and the goal is to have the oil penetrate deep into the wood, not just sit on top! So, since it has built up quite a layer of oil near the surface of the cutting board, many people think they've done all there is to do, and put away the oil, and that's the end of oiling the cutting board. Unless someone comes along with a comment about the board being too dry or the edges feeling hard or flaky, many owners of cutting boards just quit with the bother, and so the board begins to dry out. Don't make that mistake! You can back off on the amount of oil you use, or how often you apply it, but never just stop oiling your kitchen wood. (This applies to any wooden utensil such as wooden spoons, chop-sticks, serving dishes, etc.). Wood items in your kitchen will absorb liquids unless the wooden item has been treated with shellac, varnish, polyurethane, or even furniture wax. Most of these will seal the wood, making it hard to impossible for the wood to absorb the natural oils and waxes it needs, and also most of these finishes are not food-safe products approved by the FDA -- and they will eventually come off the wood item and into your food, and thus into YOU -- you'll be varnishing your intestines. Not good. So what's the best solution? Buying food-grade oil that is meant for wooden kitchen tools is the minimum. But you must apply it before it can do any good. Apply it generously the first couple of weeks, then use a little less maybe 2-3 times a week, and then after 6 months or so, drop to 1 or 2 applications a week; and so on, until you are down to about 1 application per month. If you are industrious, your cutting board and other wooden items will by that time be permeated through and through with good, food-grade oils and waxes, and will stay sanitary and great looking without ever being put in a dishwasher -- PLEASE never do that! If you have to wash a heavily soiled cutting board, use warm soapy water and lightly swab the wood surface to remove bad "chunks" of dried food. As for stains ... well, unless you are a total perfectionist, try to see your cutting board as a kind of history journal of your kitchen life. A cooking board without stains is, to me, either unused, new, or over-scrubbed. Cooking boards absorb stains faster than oil, so spilled wine or sauces are going to leave their mark. But if you clean up most of the mess with a soapy washcloth, then rinse with a clean one and let the board dry, and then re-apply your trusted John Taylor Butcher Block Conditioner, a bit of stain may always be there to remind you that you're a human being after all, but nothing bad can come of this. Taylor's Conditioner is, as I said in the first sentence of this review, thicker than most Butcher Block (Cutting Board) conditioners you may find. And this is very good. It means that although the conditioner takes longer to soak into the wood, it is a richer material that contains more of the good stuff the wood needs. Yes, wood gets very thirsty too! A tree has a great natural system of keeping every cell moist, and when a tree is harvested and cut up and made into kitchen tools (like a butcher's block or cutting board, or spoons, or even chop-sticks) the pieces of wood will get very dry over time. The only hope they have is YOU, to moisturize them with a quality product that is safe for your body and for the wood. A product like John Taylor's Butcher Block Conditioner. I know this sounds like an ad, and I guess in a way it is, but I promise you, I don't work for the company and have no expectation of any reward or compensation for writing this review. I am impressed with the quality of Taylor's Conditioner, and I think you will be, too. When kitchen tools are properly moisturized they last a long, long time. We're talking decades. Okay, so what if Uncle Cleaver comes over, and whacks your cutting board with his massive arms, while trying to cut a chicken? What if, over time, you notice tiny little cuts, grooves, scars, or "chop lines" in the wood? First, turn the wood over! Use the underside for a while -- like for the next year or two. Second, turn the board around clockwise until you're working on a side that hasn't seen too much action. Do NOT let one little quarter of the cutting board take all the hits (and misses)! The board is incredibly strong, but it needs to be cared for. Otherwise, the one side you always use will simply not work very well. Speaking of which, what IS the purpose of a cutting board, butcher's block, or wooden spoon anyway? Why not use plastic or polymer or some new, chemically constructed tool? Have you ever tried those thin plastic "cutting surfaces" you can get, that come in 3 colors to a package? Nothing wrong with them except: a) they can't be polished, so they always look like cheap plastic, b) they are not all that easy to clean by hand or by using the dish washer, and c) they tend to come in neon colors that fit virtually nobody's kitchen design. These points could be argued, but for my money, natural is always better than man-made, which I refer to as "artificial." That word is connected to the word "artifice," which basically means "cheap imitation passed off to unsuspecting people." Contrast that with wood that is 1 and a half to 2 inches or more thick, will last for decades, and has more character the more it is used. Those small scratches and lines mean you're actually cooking -- a very good thing! They mean you are using your butcher's block or chopping block (pick whatever name suits you), and it is natural to leave some marks over time. Certainly, if good old Uncle Cleaver comes over, don't let him do the cooking -- especially if he's had a nip or two before he starts! If he considers himself a great cook, or the family hails him as the answer to their culinary prayers, then stand nearby and say something like, "Uncle Cleaver, can you show me -- slowly -- how you chop a chicken? And do it the way somebody with my strength might." This could save your cutting board and make Uncle Cleaver feel much appreciated. Not a bad deal, considering... To sum up (if you're still reading this long review, CONGRATS to you!) -- 1) Wood is naturally absorbant 2) Wood is very dry when you first purchase a kitchen tool made from wood 3) Use John Taylor's Butcher Block Conditioner liberally (oops, did I use a bad word? I sure hope not!) at first, and be consistent 4) If you are diligent and mind your kitchen tools they will reward you with many years -- decades, even -- of excellent service 5) Never stop using Taylor's Conditioner. Once the wood is really saturated (not wet, but conditioned through and through), use Taylor's once a month 6) Like anything else, the investment you make in quality products pays off in the long term 7) Don't EVER put wooden tools into a dishwasher! 8) Enjoy your cutting board, spoons, and other wooden kitchen tools, and be proud of the patina, and even of the small scratches, they show 9) A good, thick cutting board will be a little heavier when it is properly oiled, so expect that and don't be surprised 10) Turn your butcher's block over -- it has an entire new life on the other side 11) May all the food you prepare with your wooden tools bless and nourish the people you lovingly cook for 12) Amen! P.S. Amazon.com has the best prices I've found for John Taylor Butcher Block Conditioner. Cheaper oils are available, but they are thin and do not contain all the great stuff that Taylor's adds to their product. And that's the last fact I'll offer you in this very long review. John Taylor Butcher Block Conditioner Food Grade Mineral Oil and Natural Waxes, 12 fl.oz(355ml)

All around the sink and along the front edges were looking worn and the wood was bare and dried out. My first coat I covered the whole counter top and left it for several hours.I wiped the excess off then repeated several more coats on just the worn areas.Final coat was left overnight.The worn spots now totally blend with the rest of the counter! It was so easy I decided to apply to my decorative cutting boards. They look fantastic! I suggest wearing rubber gloves.The product is oily.Also there is no strong odors to deal with! Worth every penny

After a major kitchen remodel I had to make a decision: replace my beat up old butcher block table (oak parquet design) or fix it up. I confess I really neglected that table over the years. I am pretty sure I knew I should put oil on it from time to time, but I can't remember the last time I did. My kids grew up around that table and it was the victim of various abuse including being used as a work bench for carpentry and school projects. It was faded from sitting out on my deck for 3 months during the kitchen remodel (it doesn't rain during the Summer where I live), and stained with who knows what from spills over the years. I made the right decision to buy this product based on the excellent reviews and refinish the table. Here's what I did. I used a de-greaser to remove the crud that had built up along the sides, and, to some extent, on the top. Dried it thoroughly. Then I used medium sand paper to rub out most of the stains and some of the shallower scratches. Finished up with extra fine sandpaper using an orbital sander. Fortunately, it must have been a really well made table top because, through all the abuse and clean up, all the oak pieces remained firmly attached and didn't start separating, warping or shrinking. When I finished this cleaning, I applied the heated Conditioner liberally. About 15 minutes later I could see that the wood had soaked up a lot of it, so I applied another slathering and repeated this process a couple more times. Then I polished it off with a soft cloth. I now have a beautiful table with a golden color. I wish I had taken before and after pictures to post. It still has some patina and you can tell it's not new, but it really looks great. The only complaint I have is with the packaging. The flippy top broke off the first time I opened it and now I can't reliably close the bottle top. Also the bottle itself tips over very easily because it has a small somewhat rounded bottom. I had to prop the bottle up in another container for storage because I didn't want to have it fall over in the new cabinet under the sink and leave a puddle of oil. I'm still giving it 5 stars, because the product itself is so good, but if the maker reads this, they might want to consider improving the bottle design.

This was easy to apply and requires nothing more than a few soft clean cloths. It left a smooth finish after several coats. It appears to be quite water resistant. It was good value. Some others have mentioned a nice smell, I think it has no smell at all. It hasn't left a particular sheen, but I also haven't tried to buff it properly. As I was hoping for some kind of luster, I give it 4 out of 5 stars. I used this on an untreated Ikea butcher block counter that was quite cheap. All I want is to protect it from water. The countertop doesn't get much use, and I am not sure how it would hold up to heavy use, but I think it will be good for my purpose. I applied the product two weeks ago, and I used quite a lot, about three applications. There is no sticky residue, the top is smooth and not greasy at all. This is a good product. Probably if used exactly as directed you will get a superior result.

I've had varying luck with wooden cutting boards over the years and keeping them properly seasoned using regular mineral oil. I found this on Amazon and have been really impressed with it. The bee's wax adds some viscosity, which makes it more visible and easier to apply to the board. For the first week I bought it, I used it daily on my new Boos Block cutting board (with a quick shot in the microwave to warm it up, as per the instructions). It coats evenly and was drawn up by the wood, leaving a consistent, even, "slightly damp" look that you want in a well-seasoned board. When I chop vegetables on it, I can see the small amount of juices beading on the board, easily wiping clean. I've since gone back and used it on my other cutting board (as well as a wooden serving board and carving board that I had thought long-gone--both were restored to a much healthier look and feel immediately). Not only does it protect the cutting board really well, but the added viscosity of the bee's wax means that it doesn't soak into the towel that I use to apply it, and it doesn't end up dripping out of the bottle (and onto my hand and countertop) the way that regular mineral oil does. Because of this, I find myself leaving it on my countertop next to the cutting boards, and end up using it much more frequently (and liberally) than the regular mineral oils I've used in the past. 5/5 will buy again, would recommend for others to buy, and would include a bottle if I were to make a gift of a cutting board to someone else. I might even look for an old, poorly-maintained cutting board to buy second-hand and use this to restore it.

This is an absolutely wonderful product. I initially bought it to use on some unfinished, cheap IKEA wood cutting boards. Even after the first coat, the wood took on a beautiful hue as it was conditioned. For those unfinished pieces, I put on five coats initially, waiting anywhere between an hour and a day between coats (just depended on my mood and how busy I was). I warmed up the oil for about 30-40 seconds in the microwave and rubbed it on with a tightly woven kitchen towel. I did not wipe off the excess on the first four coats—I just gave it time to fully soak into the wood. Once I saw how nicely it worked, on a whim I decided to use it on some old, heirloom bowls that have been in my family for generations (they are at least 100 years old at this point). These bowls probably haven't had a drop of oil added to them in AT LEAST 30-40 years and had been shamefully neglected. Even with the first pass of this butcher block conditioner, the bowls took on a colour and life I didn't even knew they possessed (see photos for the before and after). I've since gone on to use this formula on the wooden legs of a chair I'm restoring as well as some mid-century cheese boards. In short: every wooden item in the house is being conditioned with it! I like that it is food grade so I have less worries if a curious dog or cat licks the finish. The smell is also lovely—it has a nice honey scent without being overpowering, so those that are sensitive to chemical smells shouldn't have any concerns. I don't leave many reviews, but I was impressed enough with this product that I feel it deserves it. Can I compare it to other butcher block oils? No. But I'm happy enough with it that I also don't feel the need to seek out alternatives.

I ordered this product based on all 5 star reviews, and everyone who commented was correct. This is by far the best cutting board conditioner I have ever used. I warmed up the conditioner like the directions stated, and it went on beautifully. I left it on about an hour then wiped off any excess and buffed it to the most gorgeous luster and shine. I will continue to re-order in the future. I would highly recommend this product to help your cutting board last a lifetime. P.S. I just saw a video on the internet (don't remember what site) it stated to use a plastic grocery bag when applying the conditioner, this way there is no waste as with using a cloth, wait several hours, I know the instructions state 20 minutes, then buff to a nice sheen. I tried this and there is absolutely no waste as with using a cloth. Just thought I would pass this on. 5/2/13: I just ordered and received 2 more bottles of the John Taylor Butcher Block Conditioner. I cannot say enough great things about this product. When I'm not sure about a product I always rely on the reviews, and this product has the highest number of reviews of any cutting board product, and once again the reviews have not let me down. I have tried other conditioners, but none of them had the outstanding performance of this product. Water will actually bead up on the cutting board rather than soak into the wood; but, don't let any water set too long on your board. I have used this on cutting boards, wooden utensils, and wooden handled knives, and all of them look better than they ever have. You spent a lot of money on your wooden cutting boards, so to protect them and help them last a lifetime I would highly recommend this product.

Got the product yesterday. Applied 3 coats to the teak cutting board I made. It seems to be very good. A little bit of use will deliver the final verdict. Therefore 4 stars.

Love it for our kitchen island's walnut counter. Lasts about a month before it starts to look dull and we wipe that surface with a water soaked cloth multiple times a day after preparing food on it. Goes on easily and goes far (I keep a rag saturated in the oil so I waste less).

Had to wait longer for the product than I'd hoped, the first parcel was lost in transit, but it was definitely worth waiting for. The product was easy to use and gave a beautiful finish to my solid teak chopping board that had not been looked after as it should have been. We re-sanded the board to smooth out all the years of use and then treated the new surface with the block conditioner and the board is now as beautiful as it was when we received it as a wedding present in 1986.

First class product and service will use again

Does a great job.