Tips To Properly Clean Wood Cutting Board

Irrespective of how we cook or how often we cook, we all need a cutting board to cut, chop, and slice ingredients. Our cooking begins on a surface for slicing bread, chopping veggies, or deboning all sorts of proteins. In short, all culinary masterpieces rely much on cutting boards.

However, unfortunately, this kitchen essential doesn’t get the love and care it deserves. Our cutting boards need proper upkeep to prevent them from bacteria and unpleasing odors. You don’t need to put in daily effort but should do it at least once weekly. This is because proper cleaning, disinfection, and cutting boards are key to hygienic food. However, adequate cleaning for cutting boards depends on their type.

Types of cutting boards

Cutting boards come in various materials, so first, you need to determine which material is right for your kitchen and how it should be cleaned. There are two types of cutting boards: nonporous and wood.

Nonporous: Nonporous cutting boards are mostly used for cutting up meat, poultry, and seafood, as they are non-absorbent. These are made of plastic, resin, marble, and glass, which are easy to clean.

Wood: Wooden cutting boards look prettiest and are naturally anti-microbial. If rightly treated, they can tolerate all sorts of abuse. However, wooden boards absorb juices from raw and cooked proteins. These are best suited for herbs, vegetables, fruit, bread, and cheese.

Cleaning cutting boards

It is important to properly clean and disinfect the cutting board to remove food residues. The nonporous cutting board can be easily cleaned and sanitized in a dishwasher. However, a wood cutting board should not be washed in the dishwasher, as it will absorb excess water.

Maintaining Wooden Cutting Board

Follow some easy and simple steps to clean and disinfect your wood-cutting board.

1. Wash your cutting board often

It is best to wash your board after every use. But never let your wooden board lie dirty in the sink or submerged in water. It’s best to hand wash it with warm water and dishwashing soap.

2. Lemon, salt, and vinegar to disinfect

You can use some common household materials to clean and disinfect your board. You can scrub the board surface with kosher salt and a half lemon to deep clean, deodorize, sanitize, and remove stains. Moreover, wash your board with vinegar and hot water to get rid of germs and odors.

3. Dry your board vertically

After rinsing, a wooden cutting board should always be dried vertically. If you leave your board flat after cleaning, it will deteriorate and impact your shopping experience.

4. Re-oil wood chopping board

Wood boards are vulnerable to cracking. Therefore, they should be re-oiled monthly. Rub food-grade minerals and other oils over the panel using a paper towel and dry it vertically. The oil penetrates the surface, and the wood soaks it, which helps prevent unwanted liquids from soaking into the board. Apart from oil, some specific creams are also available to create barriers on board cutting surfaces and seal up cracks.

If given proper care, the wood-cutting board stays with you for years. However, like your other kitchen stuff, cutting boards won’t last forever. They will become splintered, warped, grooved, or cracked with time. I hope you find these tips useful in maintaining your cutting board and germ-free kitchen workspace.