Mineral oil from drugstore.

Same here—mineral oil.

Is that also what I should use for an antique bread board I recently aquired?

Yep

My bottle says: "Food safe" Mineral oil by the brand Tree Safe(purchased @ Bed, Bath & Beyond).

Quote from an online expert:

The oil you use for your wooden cutting boards and utensils should be food grade and not prone to rancidity. Mineral oil is an inexpensive and popular choice, and you can easily find bottles in most kitchen supply stores. Personally, I like to use a homemade mixture of beeswax and mineral oil.

Thank you so much. I don't know where to buy beeswax, but will find out.

Mineral oil, all the way.

Body oil, just from my hands.

Eewww, Jim.

Mineral oil, and buy it at the drug store or grocery store. They sell the same mineral oil at cook stores, etc. at a huge mark up.

Interesting that you asked this today since I just researched this question for myself last week! I read a few things and ended up buying and using coconut oil which worked fine. I also read that walnut oil is very good. https://traditionalcookingschool.com/food-preparation/how-to-care-for-wood-cutting-boards-utensils-aw068/

Here is another link that has good info, I think, but it recommends against walnut oil because it will go rancid. Looks like coconut oil should be specially treated (refined) to avoid it turning rancid, as well.

https://www.cuttingboard.com/blog/what-type-of-oils-are-safe-to-use-on-your-cutting-board/

I would do food grade mineral oil. And if it needs a lot of work, combine it with food grade beeswax (warm until melted in a jar sitting in a pot of water on your range/cooktop, stir in the mineral oil). When it cools down but not yet re-solidified, use it. (I got small amounts of both items from Amazon.)

Vegetable oils WILL go rancid.

Thanks for this thread - I never knew what to use either. I have two very nice, very old cutting boards and a bread board that I inherited from my great grandmother. Can you use mineral oil on cast iron?

skibby.....I wouldn't. Mineral oil is ingested for constipation. Olive oil burns easily when heated really hot. Sooooooo.....every oil has a purpose. Flaxseed oil is a drying oil. It creates a film, for seasoning iron. But....be warned....it can create an uneven film, where half your pan is perfect and half isn't....yeah....I've had some experience with it.

Marilyn....says, to quote her...."Hi Marilyn!" She puts her cast iron over a fire...outdoors in a firepit...and burns off all the old seasoning, then starts fresh.

Thanks Nicole - good to know.

As many have said, food grade mineral oil.

I have several rock maple cutting boards. I never soak them or do more than damp cloth wipe them. I seldom oil them. I have a very large sugar maple board that I use as a pastry board. I never oil it. I bench scrape it and damp wipe it.

I mostly use my wooden cutting boards for prepping, chopping, slicing vegetables. I wipe it with a damp cloth and never allow freshly washed vegetables to soak it. Drain the veggies first, or wash after prepping.

There is a property to wood (that's not gummed up with a lot of oil or wax) to dry out and inhibit bacteria.

I used poly - plastic chopping boards for meat, chicken or fish. Then I wash well, especially after putting notoriously bacteria-laden chicken on them. HOT WATER, some bleach, scrub, rinse or dishwasher.

If you do use oil, only a light coat. Remove excess. Also, despite any marketing hype, understand that you will not be "feeding" the wood. The wood is not alive. Not gonna be hungry or feed on anything.

I love the sound of a knife or utensil on wood. Oh, and with a lot of knife work, you don't have to slice through and go into the wood. Slicing bread? Just go easy at the bottom of the slice, lift the bread up just a bit. Have fun.