For a beautiful finish, Andrew Pearce Bowls uses boiled walnut oil. “This is probably one of the most important parts of our product,” Andrew says. “For years people have been told to use mineral oil. Mineral oil is mined out of the ground. It will never dry. If you put a drop on a plate of glass, it never dries. If you put it on a salad bowl, over the years it leaves a sticky, gummy residue. We use black walnut wood so we take something that’s already in the wood.”

“Walnut oil is very high in acid. It dries in about two days and makes a beautiful matte finish.  It's easy to reapply and it's totally food-safe. When it's boiled down, the protein is taken out [and doesn’t contain allergens.] It's been heat-treated so if you have a nut allergy – don't buy walnut oil at the store. There is no FDA-approved product out there. So it's important to know what you're getting.

“I think you have to question things. If everyone is using mineral oil, I have to ask why. What's best for the wood, is it too expensive, and can the homeowners themselves apply it? In my opinion, boiled walnut oil is the best product for our bowls. A bowl might come from a tree that was 100 years old. If you take care of the bowl, it might last another 100 years.  Walnut oil is a key component to what we do.”