# wooden plates... care?



## DKWunlimited (Sep 11, 2006)

I have these awesome big huge wooden plates that my family use to use for BBQs, they are large enough to hold a big t-bone and all the fixuns. They've been handed down to me and are still in good shape as in no cracks or splitting wood, however they are very faded and aged looking.

How can i treat the wood to bring back the radience but still be food safe? I know that Martha Stewart had done a show on old wooden salad bowls, but that was years ago and I didn't take notes.


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## booklover (Jan 22, 2007)

Are you sure they're not chargers used for holding plates? I've never heard of actual plates made of wood. I've heard of wooden slabs for smoking meats or grilling meats, and salad bowls that hold cold foods. Maybe someone else here has an idea, but I can imagine all sorts of issues with sanitation, etc when wood comes in contact with warm foods to be consumed directly off of the wood. Even in the middle ages, they used crusty bread instead of wooden plates for sanitation reasons. Perhaps I'm wrong, but I'd guess they aren't plates at all, but chargers used to carry plates and aren't intended to come into direct contact with hot food. I know that cutting boards are specifically made to resist bacteria and I've never had to particularly take care of them other than warm soapy water and a quick dry.


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## gleanerl (Apr 11, 2003)

wood harbors bacteria.
sooo....... if i wanted to use them (and i would!)... i would wash them in soapy water, rinse well........ let them completely air dry.
then, if no painting or decals are on them, then i'd take very, very fine steel wool, give them a light buffing...
make sure to have all the 'fines' dusted/blown off and put a coat of polyurethane on.
this alone will bring out the grain but will also darken the wood a bit.
let dry.
do this at least 2x more, letting it dry and buffing/dusting, in between coats.
3 coats should do it, but if you're going to use them for years to come, wouldn't hurt to do 5 or 6 coats.
don't run them through the dishwasher, just hand wash.
and if you're worried about contamination, use bleach water solution to disinfect in between, before, each use.
they sound neat and should be perfectly fine.


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## farmergirl (Aug 2, 2005)

Can you use olive oil to buff them with to make them look better?


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## kitaye (Sep 19, 2005)

Olive oil works wonders on wood. The plates can be washed and used several times between coats. I use it on my kitchen island and I dearly love the natural aged look.

Otherwise, there is a food safe oil used for salad bowls available. I can't remember the name of it though.


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## MicheleMomof4 (Jul 17, 2002)

I was just wondering how to keep my new wood salad bowl nice looking and found this post! YEA! Now my DH ran the wood salad servers through the dishwasher and one has a foggy water spot on it. Will the olive oil get that out or is that a birth mark now??
God Bless,
Michele


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## TNHermit (Jul 14, 2005)

The best thing you can do for wooden ware is wash it in a light bleach solution, dry it and rub it liberally with mineral oil. There are other things yo can do but people worry to much about some things. Wooden ware does not harbor anymore bacteria than anything else if its kept taken care of. The wood dries to fast to support it. I think people get that idea from the fungus they see growing on wood in the forest. But they forget that the wood in the forest is constantly damp or wet. And laying close to the ground.
If you don't want to constantly rub them with oil and they are only used occsionally you can coat them with BLO, varnish or lacquer. After they are completely dry (dryers in the finish are gone) they are safe to use for salads and the like. The problems with varnish and lacquer is that when the wood swells and drys over time it will crack the finish. BLO will move with the wood. Another is a mix of Beeswax dissolved in mineral oil and put on warm. It makes a "heavier" finish


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