A wooden cutting board will last for years with proper care and conditioning. Here’s how to provide the best care for your board!
How to Clean a Wood Cutting Board: Dos and Don’ts
Quick Tips For Everyday Use
DO:
Do wash your cutting board by hand. If you’re just slicing bread, you can simply wipe it off, but for moist, sticky, or pungent foods (which is most of them), you’ll need to wash and rinse it. Washing immediately after use allows for easy removal of food residue.
Do be sure to wet both sides of your cutting board thoroughly when washing. Failure to do so will eventually cause your board to crack and/or warp.
Do use liquid dish soap to wash your cutting board.
Do wipe your clean cutting board dry, and let it finish by air-drying on its side.
DON'T:
Don’t soak a cutting board. You can submerge it in water, but only for a brief time. Soaking can cause the board to warp and/or crack.
Don’t put wooden cutting boards in the dishwasher. The excessive heat and harsh chemicals of the dish detergent will cause the wood to dry out, warp, and/or crack.
Don’t use harsh, concentrated cleaners on your cutting board.
More Tips for Cutting Board Care
As you prep, wipe the surface of the board frequently with a sponge or dishcloth. This will make overall cleanup faster and easier when you have finished.
Wash your cutting board immediately after you’ve finished using it. This prevents liquids, food residue, and odors from penetrating the wood. Have you ever sliced an apple only to discover locked-in garlic from the soup you made the day before has ruined your perfect fruit? Frequently wiping the board as you use it will keep this from happening.
Sanitize your cutting board after prepping raw meat. Use either pure white vinegar or a solution of 1 1/2 teaspoons bleach mixed in 4 cups of water.
To freshen up a board with not so pleasant odors (think residual onion or garlic vapors), gently rub some fine sea salt over the surface with a sliced or halved lemon; let it sit for 1-2 minutes, and then wipe off the board.
To remove any stubborn stains, sprinkle a light dusting of baking soda over the cutting board, rub with a warm, damp cloth, then rinse away any excess baking soda. Remember to dry thoroughly with the board on it's side to keep odors at bay!
If there happens to be caked-on residue, it’s okay to gently use an abrasive scrubbing pad. Be sure to use a lightly abrasive pad, and not a highly abrasive product such as steel wool.
Why You Need to Condition a Wood Cutting Board
Just like how your hair needs regular conditioning, cutting boards need a regular conditioning treatment to keep them shiny and radiant. A properly conditioned wood cutting board is somewhat waterproof, preventing it from absorbing moisture, and therefore fewer odors from food prepped on the surface of the board.
A well conditioned board will also help protect against bacteria buildup and prevent your cutting board from splitting, cracking, splintering and/or warping. Warping will cause your cutting board will wobble when you chop on it, which can be quite dangerous. Cracking and splitting should be avoided because all of those little cracks can and will harbor moisture and built up food gunk, becoming breeding grounds for bacteria.
The Best Products for Conditioning Your Cutting Board
So why use a special oil instead of what you already have in your kitchen? A cutting board is not a cooking pan or a nice spring salad, but it is a tool that needs proper care and maintenance. You should never use cooking oil for conditioning your cutting boards.
The reason you ask? Rancidity. Even very stable oils like coconut or olive oil will eventually go rancid, causing your cutting board to smell quite horrible. If you’re wondering what you could expect to smell and if it's really that bad, go to a thrift store and find an old wooden salad bowl or serving dish and smell it closely. Chances are, it probably stinks horribly and smells like wet cardboard mixed with a closet full of moth balls and decades old clothing. I don't know about you, but that's pretty gross, right? That odor you're imagining right now is the smell of oil that’s penetrated the wood and gone rancid.
However, you do not need to doom your cutting boards to the same fate! Stick to either food-grade mineral oil or a beeswax and mineral oil blend, and you’ll be in good shape. Lavender or lemongrass oils can be added to your conditioning cream for a luxurious touch. You can purchase our Board Conditioner, which is expertly crafted by hand with a blend of food-grade white mineral oil and pure beeswax for easy application and maintenance of your board.
When to Condition Your Cutting Board
There is no magic formula to know exactly how often you should condition your cutting board. Visual inspection will tell you when it is time. Overall it will start to look dried out or have a gray tint to it, with a lighter colored patch in the center. You may also notice the ends of your board becoming rough, or see small splits in the seams of the wood at the ends (think split ends on hair).
If you absolutely need a recipe for when to do it, condition your board once every 1-2 months. I personally condition my boards once per month, and apply oil as needed in between. These boards get a lot of use, and the more you wash your board, the more often you need to oil it. Remember that dish soap is designed to remove oily residues from your dishes, which means that it also slowly removes the protective coating that oils and board conditioners provide.
Climate and humidity are also factors in determining how often to treat your board. You will need to oil your cutting boards more often in the winter, when the house is naturally more dry and the heat is running more often. Conditioner may need to be applied more frequently if you live in a humid area since the moisture can penetrate the wood in your board.
When to Replace Your Cutting Board
Keep in mind, that as much as we all love our cutting boards, if the board is badly splitting, splintering, or deeply cracked, it’s time to replace it. Food and moisture can get into these areas and become a health hazard and breeding ground for bacteria. Typically, wooden cutting boards can last up to 5 years with moderate use if they are cared for properly.
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