Food safe timber

[andersonec]

What would be a suitable timber to serve food on? these would be for use in a restaurant so would get frequent use and would have to handle being washed.

Andy

 

[Aden30mm]

Beech IMO is one of the best wood that come into contact with foodstuffs.

 

[AndyT]

Sycamore is a traditional choice and was used for dairy equipment as it gives no taint to food.

 

[blackrodd]

As Andy says, traditional butter tools, for instance were made of either Beech or Sycamore including the cutting board.
Beech mainly in the meat trade as in Butchers block, as it was quite tough on the end grain.
Regards Rodders

 

[Sheffield Tony]

What would be a suitable timber to serve food on?

Timber that has been shaped to resemble a plate or bowl ! They work rather better than a rough slice of tree or a roof slate. Why can I not have my food served on one when I dine out ?

[Sorry for the rant]

Lots of woods are safe enough really. Some are a bit porous so more questionably hygenic. Beech and Sycamore are traditional, but I'm sure a lot of fruit woods would be fine too. I have a chopping board in cherry wood - I don't think it's done me any harm yet ...

 

[Penny]

Olive wood, and it's gorgeous.

 

[andersonec]

Thanks for all the replies, I think I am going to put them off using wood, doesn't make much sense to me because I can see the stuff being no good after a week of continuous use and washing, the cutting action with knives would soon cause large scoring in the wood and make places where bacteria and microbes would thrive.

Came across this whilst trying to do a bit of research.

https://www.facebook.com/WeWantPlates

Andy

 

[marcros]

Thanks for all the replies, I think I am going to put them off using wood, doesn't make much sense to me because I can see the stuff being no good after a week of continuous use and washing, the cutting action with knives would soon cause large scoring in the wood and make places where bacteria and microbes would thrive.

Came across this whilst trying to do a bit of research.

https://www.facebook.com/WeWantPlates

Andy

group joined. too right!

 

[Phil Pascoe]

+ 1. Slate and flowerpots are worse than boards imo. I find them quite unhygenic, and I'm surprised they're allowed. I made scores of boards years ago and I used iroko - it was the only thing that would survive being put under a grill without splitting. There's undoubtedly good reasons for not using it though. I'm surprised that top end places don't pay a couple of quid for cheap breadboards and throw them away after use if a board is deemed that important.

 

[marcros]

i want my steak juices to remain available to dip my chips in, not be soaked up by the serving platter!

 

[Doris]

Is ash foodsafe?

 

[Phil Pascoe]

Whether a timber is food safe or whether it's wise to use it are probably two different questions. As a breadboard, fine, but you wouldn't usually use something coarse grained where the food would/could soak in to it. You can (apparently) use ash for smoking food, so I would think yes.

 

[andersonec]

Whether a timber is food safe or whether it's wise to use it are probably two different questions. As a breadboard, fine, but you wouldn't usually use something coarse grained where the food would/could soak in to it. You can (apparently) use ash for smoking food, so I would think yes.

Timber breadboards and chopping boards have been around a long time but sellers are now looking for something different to personalise and sell. I came across this site selling boards (around 60 squids) complete with bark and also using 'pippy' timber, now if that is not a haven for food to collect and rot then I don't know what is and no prizes for guessing the obvious outcome.

http://www.naturallycreated.co.uk/index.php

Andy

 

[heimlaga]

Birch is the traditional totally safe choice for spoons and plates and cups and cutting boards and any other wooden kitchen utensils up here where beech doesn't grow.

Spruce (norway spruce) was used for herring firkins and flour barrels and water buckets and beer kegs in the old days with no known ill effects but it has never been considered suitable for warm food.

 

[Doris]

Whether a timber is food safe or whether it's wise to use it are probably two different questions. As a breadboard, fine, but you wouldn't usually use something coarse grained where the food would/could soak in to it. You can (apparently) use ash for smoking food, so I would think yes.

So a no for spoon carving in ash? I was hoping to make a couple of wooden spoons to cook with from it.

 

[Phil Pascoe]

Up to you. Commercial kitchens don't use wood at all, not even beech.

 

[andersonec]

Whether a timber is food safe or whether it's wise to use it are probably two different questions. As a breadboard, fine, but you wouldn't usually use something coarse grained where the food would/could soak in to it. You can (apparently) use ash for smoking food, so I would think yes.

So a no for spoon carving in ash? I was hoping to make a couple of wooden spoons to cook with from it.

The three wooden spoons 'er indoors have are all made from Beech.

Andy