Wood for Condiments

[Shultzy]

My wife has just shown me something she would like me to make, "what a surprise"!!

She has watched tonight's episode of "Mary Berry Cooks". On the table were two blocks of wood, with circular depressions, containing salt and pepper. The question is "which species of wood is suitable". It looked like teak but I'm sure it isn't. Any ideas?

 

[nev]

Heres half a dozen suggestions most particularly Heathers...

http://www.quest42.co.uk/woodwork/forum ... ec2013.htm

 

[Shultzy]

Thanks Nev, plenty of choices for the wood. I have just spotted a bowl blank in hornbeam I have waiting for a project, so I could put 3 depressions in with a bit of offset turning. I've never done any offset turning so it would be a good project to practice.

I wonder if I finishedthe hornbeam in liquid paraffin it would be food safe?

I've used Aquacote for the finish on my kitchen units, I wonder if that would also be a suitable finish?

 

[chipmunk]

Hi Shultzy,
Hornbeam with liquid paraffin would be food safe.

I also saw Mary Berry's two dishes for S&P and wonder whether there would be an advantage of having separate dishes so if one gets contaminated they are easier to sort out? Just a thought.

Jon

 

[nev]

I shall have to bow to Jon's superior knowledge on food safe finish (i go by what it says on the (Chestnut) tins )

 

[chipmunk]

Well I'm not sure about superior knowledge but Chestnut food safe oil is... "Based on medicinal grade liquid paraffin" to quote the Axminster catalogue and most liquid paraffin we buy is either for human or horse consumption.

HTH
Jon

 

[Shultzy]

Jon, I think you might be right about keeping the dishes separate especially as you can wash them one at a time. The blank is 8" dia so I should be able to get three dishes out of it.