3 Ways to Make Board BUTTER Butcher Block Oil
Making board balm, butter, cream, cutting board oil, butcher block conditioner, etc. is pretty easy. This stuff goes by a ton of names and has a bunch of different possible ingredients, but the core comes down to a mix of mineral oil and wax. In this article, I give you the base recipe and 3 different techniques for combining them.
INGREDIENTS
Mineral Oil: https://amzn.to/3LVCjVH (This is cheaper if purchased at a local big box store or pharmacy)
Beeswax: https://amzn.to/3Ikh1Pg (I haven’t noticed a difference between yellow and white, but flakes or pellets do melt faster)
Optional
Scale: https://amzn.to/36FaTn1 (I’ve had mine for over a decade and love it! It’s mostly used in the kitchen)
Cheaper Scale: https://amzn.to/3LR9NEG (I have this one too, and use it out in my shop)
Carnauba Wax: https://amzn.to/3BNmtb6
Coconut Oil: https://amzn.to/3pdG9Qm
Metal Tins: https://amzn.to/3p90Ixi
Base Recipe
The base recipe is super simple. It is just a 4:1 ratio of mineral oil to bees wax melted together. That’s it, end of article…
Makes about 1/2 cup or 100 grams.
1/3 cup or 80 grams food safe mineral oil
2/3 oz. or 20 grams of beeswax
…..but you can get more fancy than that. If you want to add a little bit more durability you can replace 1/3 of your beeswax with carnauba wax or even do all carnauba wax. Also, you can replace 1/4 of your mineral oil with coconut oil (or replace all of it) which smells really nice and adds a great feel to the wood. My issue with coconut oil is that it will go rancid with time, which gives the product a shelf life, plus, you really don’t want the balm on your beautiful butcher block or bread board to go bad! If you stick with only mineral oil, this won’t be an issue.
If you want a softer board balm like the Boos Butcher Block Board Cream then you can lower the ratio of wax to mineral oil. I think a 10:1 or 8:1 is good.
Cooking Method 1: Microwave
Cooking the board balm in the microwave is by far the easiest method, especially if you are just interested in making a small batch.
Tools
Microwave
Glass Jar: https://amzn.to/3sXG9VK
Add your mineral oil and wax to a microwave safe container. I like glass jars because we have a ton of them around in different sizes, and the balm can be stored in the jar when you are done if you want.
Heat the mix at full power for two minutes, then take a look and give it a quick stir. At this point it will be warm but you likely won’t see much melting just yet. Keep heating it in 1 minute increments until you see the wax begin to melt. Once the wax starts to melt, switch to 30 second increments, making sure to stir in-between each heating. Once all the wax is melted, stop and give it a real good stir for about 30 seconds. Now you can pour it into whatever container you want and let it set up unbothered for a couple of hours.
Cooking Method #2: Double Boiler
Tools
Double Boiler: https://amzn.to/35qLPzh
Thermometer: https://amzn.to/3tM0zSb
Beeswax has a melting point of approximately 62.8°C or 145°F, so you need to get the mixture at least that hot. However, to prevent scorching the beeswax, be sure that the temperature does not go above 80°C or 175°F. Use two pots to setup a double boiler, add just the mineral oil to the top pot, and bring the temperature up to around 73°C or 165°F. After you have your mineral oil up to temperature you can add the beeswax. By heating up the oil separately, you make sure not to overheat your wax and cause it to decompose. This is a good method if you want to fill multiple containers at a time.
Material Safety Data Sheet for Beeswax
Method #3: Sous Vide
Tools
Sous Vide Cooker: https://amzn.to/3pdVbpg
or
Crock Pot: https://amzn.to/3hh5e8J
If you want to avoid the hassle of cleaning oil and wax off your pots, but still want to have a lot of control over the temperature so as to not ruin your ingredients, sous vide is the ticket. Combine both the mineral oil and wax in a glass jar, secure the lid, then place it in a water bath. You don’t need to heat the mineral oil separately because the immersion circulator maintains whatever temperature you set and can’t over cook anything. Set the temperature to 75°C or 170°F and heat the board butter for at least 1 hour. I recommend 2-3 hours. The wax will float to the top as it melts. When the wax is fully melted, stir the mixture up really well, then you can let it set up in the glass jar or pour it into smaller containers. I especially like this method because it is really easy to make a lot of balm all at one time, and it is practically foolproof. If you don’t have an immersion circulator, you can use a crock pot to similar effect. Mine has a thermometer so you can set it and forget it. Super convenient!
Let me know how yours turns out!
