What oil is safe to use on knives used on foods?

S

SCWillson

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I know this has probably come up before, but my search didn't turn up anything.

I know many petroleum-based oils are toxic, but it seems equally likely that organic oils can go bad or carry bacteria into foods sliced with a knife which used them.

So are there any "safe" oils for food prep?
 
I use ballistol on everything including knives often used for food prep. Its nontoxic. Id use medicinal grade mineral oil (Ballistols main ingredient) from your local pharmacy for dedicated kitchen/food knives.
 
Also camelia oil (aka tsubaki oil). Non toxic, hypo-allergenic, thinner consistancy than mineral oil. Good on carbon steel.
 
Jaxx said:
Also camelia oil (aka tsubaki oil). Non toxic, hypo-allergenic, thinner consistancy than mineral oil. Good on carbon steel.
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Camelia is the other oil I was trying to think of! The go-to oil in Japan for knives, garden tools, and steel in general. Not sure how they taste/which is more tasteless/cleaner tasting. Think you'd be happy with either. or try both :D
 
The most readily available and cheapest product is the already mentioned plain mineral oil available at any well stocked pharmacy or chemist. Just be sure not to be steered by a store clerk into buying baby oil, which is mineral oil with perfume or fragrance added. Believe me, the scent will clash badly with most foods.

Ballistol and Froglube are advertised as being nontoxic. Trouble is, both have odors that, while they become fainter with time when exposed as a thin film on a knife blade, are again not fragrances that complement most foods.

The samurai sword mainstay, choji oil, is also mostly mineral oil with a bit of oil of cloves added for fragrance. It too, should be food safe if you don't mind the smell of cloves.

Camellia oil, also known as tea seed oil (NOT to be confused with tea TREE oil) is also beloved by some Japanese for preserving carbon steel as well as for cosmetics applications. It too, is food safe. As a matter of interest, some mainland Chinese employ it straight as a cooking oil. Can't expect a much higher recommendation than that.
 
We do use Tsubaki oil (teaseed oil) for tenpura in Japan. It is also more resistant to oxidation as compared to other food oils.


Miso
 
If getting mineral oil is difficult like my experience, baby oil is slightly thicker but essentially the same with 'cute' smell:cool:
It's what I use currently, definitely food (and baby) safe.
 
When Coconut oil goes off, it gets really nasty. I'd stick to mineral oil as it won't oxidize as fast, and doesn't go rancid.
 
Mineral oil.

There are some synthetic food safe oils also, royal purple and white oil 22. They are modified and a little thinner than mineral oil but basically the same thing.
 
miso2 said:
We do use Tsubaki oil (teaseed oil) for tenpura in Japan. It is also more resistant to oxidation as compared to other food oils.


Miso
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Wait,,

Tea seed oil should not be mistaken for tea tree oil (melaleuca oil), an inedible essential oil extracted from the leaves of the paperbark, Melaleuca alternifolia, and used for medicinal purposes. It should also not be mistaken for Camellia oil pressed from seeds of Camellia japonica, also known as Tsubaki oil.
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https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tea_seed_oil


How to Use Japanese Camellia (Tsubaki) Oil

With its golden color and creamy texture, Japanese Camellia oil has been responsible for the classic, legendary beauty of Japanese hair for centuries.
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http://wawaza.com/pages/How-to-Use-Japanese-Camellia-(Tsubaki)-Oil.html




1234,,,:D
 
SCWillson said:
I know this has probably come up before, but my search didn't turn up anything.

I know many petroleum-based oils are toxic, but it seems equally likely that organic oils can go bad or carry bacteria into foods sliced with a knife which used them.

So are there any "safe" oils for food prep?
Click to expand...
Mineral oil. Found almost everywhere on the shelf with the laxatives. It's baby oil without the fragrance added. Consumable but won't go rancid.
 
1234 said:
Wait,,


https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tea_seed_oil


How to Use Japanese Camellia (Tsubaki) Oil


http://wawaza.com/pages/How-to-Use-Japanese-Camellia-(Tsubaki)-Oil.html




1234,,,:D
Click to expand...


I am not sure what you are trying to say, but tsubaki oil is extracted from seeds of Camellia Japonica or Yabu-tsubaki.
The English name of similar oil products in China is teaseed oil, in which Camellia seeds other than Camellia Japonica may be used.
Camellia oil is also a more generic name for oil extracted from similar plants in the same genus.
So I guess tsubaki oil is specific for those using Japanese local camellia Japonica, while teaseed oil and Camellia oil would indicate generic products and are used as English translation of Tsubaki oil.


Miso
 
If you like living on the edge (so to speak) and don't care how it smells and how poor a general-purpose gun oil it is, then go ahead and spray your kitchen and food-prep blades with plain ubiquitous WD-40. At one time it was regarded as safe for use in the commercial poultry processing industry (it said so right on the can). And no, I don't claim the product sold today is the same product sold and used around your Tyson's Chicken back then, and in addition, toxicity and safety standards have evolved over time. Still, if you've got nothing else but a can of WD-40 handy. . .
 
For kitchen knives I always just used plain vegetable oil. Works great.

Sent from my SM-G930V using Tapatalk
 
Pharm-grade Mineral Oil available at any store that has a pharmancy section. It's like $3 a pint.

It's food safe (you can drink it) and it doesn't go rancid or gum up over time. It is also the main ingredient in most cutting board oil treatments.

Any vegetable oil will eventually break down, turn rancid, and gum up. If you wash your knives frequently, like oft used kitchen knives, this is not a problem. Otherwise, you need to be aware of possible risks.
 
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