{"id":2337,"date":"2025-01-26T14:40:29","date_gmt":"2025-01-26T14:40:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/movewithnicole.com.au\/blog\/5-tips-tricks-for-caring-for-your-wood-cutting-board.html"},"modified":"2025-01-26T14:40:29","modified_gmt":"2025-01-26T14:40:29","slug":"5-tips-tricks-for-caring-for-your-wood-cutting-board","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ozhelp.org.au\/blog\/health\/5-tips-tricks-for-caring-for-your-wood-cutting-board.html","title":{"rendered":"5 Tips &#038; Tricks for Caring for Your Wood Cutting Board"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Wood cutting boards are crucial tools for food prep and cooking, whether you\u2019re chopping up some DIY carrot and celery sticks to snack on with hummus, making\u00a0skinny beef stroganoff\u00a0for dinner, or getting fancy with some\u00a0fresh pineapple.<\/p>\n<p>Many people prefer wood cutting boards because they won\u2019t dull your knives as quickly as \u2014 or get nicked as easily as \u2014 plastic cutting boards.<\/p>\n<p>However, there are some critical tips for wood cutting board care.\u00a0For example, wood cutting boards and dishwashers don\u2019t mix.<\/p>\n<p>Instead, there\u2019s special wood cutting board care you should follow.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDon\u2019t put wooden cutting boards in the dishwasher!\u201d warns\u00a0Leah Barron, a New York City-based registered dietitian. \u201cThe high heat and extended time in water can lead to cracks in the wood that can harbor bacteria.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>To keep your chopping surface in prime chopping condition, here\u2019s how to take care of a wooden cutting board.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n<h2>1. Wash<\/h2>\n<p>First, wipe or rinse off any crumbs or leftover food bits and then wash your board in warm soapy water, recommends Barron.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWash both sides even if you didn\u2019t use the other side because you never know what contaminants are on the countertop,\u201d she adds.<\/p>\n<p>Washing both sides also prevents uneven warping and a wobbly board.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cPay extra attention to any areas on the board with knife cuts or cracks and give those spots an extra scrub,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n<p>Wood cutting boards are less vulnerable to scratches than plastic cutting boards.<\/p>\n<p>According to the USDA, bamboo wood cutting boards are\u00a0harder and more resistant to bacteria\u00a0than other wood types.<\/p>\n<h2>2. Disinfect<\/h2>\n<p>\u201cIf you\u2019re using the board to cut raw meat or poultry, this is especially important,\u201d says Barron.<\/p>\n<p>She recommends one of the following cleaning mixtures:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>One-part white vinegar to four-parts water.<\/li>\n<li>A tablespoon of bleach in a gallon of water.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>\u201cLet the board soak for around five minutes, and then rinse well and dry thoroughly,\u201d Barron says.<\/p>\n<p>The\u00a0UDSA also recommends a diluted bleach-water solution, but some studies suggest\u00a0an ammonia-based cleaner is better for wood boards.<\/p>\n<p>As an extra precaution, the USDA recommends having\u00a0a dedicated board for meat and seafood, and another board for fruits, veggies, nuts, cheeses, and breads.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDon\u2019t leave the board to soak in water or disinfecting solution for more than a few minutes because the wood will start to warp,\u201d says Barron.<\/p>\n<h2>3. Dry<\/h2>\n<p>After washing, thoroughly dry your wood cutting board with a clean towel and allow it to air dry standing upright in a dish rack.<\/p>\n<p>Drying is the most vital step for preventing your board from warping or cracking.<\/p>\n<p><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-133597\" src=\"https:\/\/bod-blog-assets.prod.cd.beachbodyondemand.com\/bod-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/Wood-Cutting-Board-Care.600.jpg\" alt=\"Man cutting vegetables on wood cutting board\" width=\"600\" height=\"400\" title=\"\"><\/p>\n<h2>4. Condition<\/h2>\n<p>\u201cTo help maintain the quality of your wooden cutting boards, oil the board at least once a month with a cutting board oil or food-grade mineral oil,\u201d recommends Barron. \u201cThis helps to avoid drying, cracking, and warping.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>You can easily purchase food-grade mineral oil, such as\u00a0Thirteen Chefs Food-Grade Mineral Oil\u00a0or\u00a0Clark\u2019s Cutting Board Oil enriched with orange and lemon extracts, online.<\/p>\n<p>When you oil your board, make sure it\u2019s completely dry \u2014 ideally after sitting overnight or several hours.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDon\u2019t use cooking oils such as olive oil or avocado oil on the boards because the fats in these oils will go rancid and cause the board to smell,\u201d says Barron.<\/p>\n<p>Spread a thin layer of oil on the board and allow it to soak for a few hours. Then wipe the board with a dry cloth or paper towel.<\/p>\n<h2>5. Know When to Hold \u2018Em, Know When to Fold \u2018Em<\/h2>\n<p>These tips can extend your wood cutting board\u2019s lifespan, but you need to replace all cutting boards eventually.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDon\u2019t continue to use wooden cutting boards that have deep knife cuts that are difficult to clean thoroughly,\u201d says Barron.<\/p>\n<p>The USDA also recommends\u00a0discarding both plastic and wood cutting boards with deep grooves.<\/p>\n<p>\t<script async src=\"\/\/www.instagram.com\/embed.js\"><\/script><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Wood cutting boards are crucial tools for food prep and cooking, whether you\u2019re chopping up some DIY carrot and celery sticks to snack on with hummus, making\u00a0skinny beef stroganoff\u00a0for dinner, or getting fancy with some\u00a0fresh pineapple. Many people prefer wood cutting boards because they won\u2019t dull your knives as quickly as \u2014 or get nicked [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2338,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2337","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-health"],"blocksy_meta":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/ozhelp.org.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2337","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/ozhelp.org.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/ozhelp.org.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ozhelp.org.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ozhelp.org.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2337"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/ozhelp.org.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2337\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ozhelp.org.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2338"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/ozhelp.org.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2337"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ozhelp.org.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2337"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ozhelp.org.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2337"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}