A wooden chopping board is a helpful kitchen appliance to cut meats, fruits, vegetables, or ready-made foods. This is also called cutting board, which comes into various materials made like, plastic, wood, cork or even glass made boards.
Among various types of cutting board, a wooden one is different. You have to take care of it if you want to keep it smooth and suitable for future use. This article is all about how to clean a wooden chopping board.
A wooden chopping board or cutting board is easy to use, and it’s a natural material made with less harmfulness and more comfortability. Its smooth but non-slippery surface gives you a grip to manage the knife and your food.
Let’s take a descriptive look at maintaining a wooden chopping board.
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how to clean a wooden chopping board: Tips and Tricks
The wooden cutting board needs gentle care. Because this cutting board is a natural material-made product, a little bit of carelessness can harm its quality and durability. With proper care, a wooden chopping board can last more than twenty years.
Apply these following steps to clean a wooden chopping board,
Do wash soon after using
After cutting anything into the board, wash it into the water with your hands or sponges. For example, you had sliced garlic or onion and kept your chopping board unwashed. And after a while or the next day, you cut an apple to eat on that dirty board. Then it must be smelled of onion or garlic, which ruined the actual test of the fruit. So, be careful about cleaning after every small use.
Use a sponge or dishcloth to wipe the surface immediately after cutting vegetables, fruits, and other raw foods. To wash it perfectly, you can use liquid dishwashing soap and cold water.
Using hot water or soaking the board on the water is not recommended while cleaning or before cleaning. Because it can cause damage to the board, you can submerge it in water for a moment if needed.
Sanitize it after prepping meat
If you use the wooden cutting board to chop meat or fish, it must disinfect the surface with a minimum of 3% hydrogen peroxide. Use it through a sponge and spread the liquid around, and wait till 3 to 5 minutes. After that, wash it along with wiping the surface with a brush or sponge. Instead of hydrogen peroxide, you can use white vinegar or solution on ½ teaspoons bleach in 1-liter water.
But most of the experts recommend not using wooden chopping boards to chop meat. The possibility of seeping the bacteria into the wood is faster than other boards. Instead of wooden boards, plastic cutting boards are preferable for prepping meats.
Eliminate vapors and stubborn stains
Use lemon extracts or rub a halved lemon around the chopping surface. Keep it not more than five minutes and clean the board with water by hand. You can use a bit of salt with lemon and scrub it gently. The acidity of the lemon helps to eliminate any unpleasant odors from the wooden chopping board.
You can also remove stubborn stains simply with a bit of baking soda on the surface. Mentioned scrubbing technique is also applicable to get rid of stains.
Oil the surface
Wood is a natural material and needs conditioning to keep them shiny and out of bacteria. Oiling on the chopping surface lets it not absorb water which is harmful for the board’s lifetime.
To keep the surface water-resistant, mineral oil is more effective. Moreover, this oil is digestive by humans. So, it’ll not harm us at all. Instead of that, coconut oil is another tool that keeps the wood moisturized and won’t absorb bacteria.
Apply a minimal amount of oil through a damp cloth all around the surface and keep it 2-4 hours. During this time, the wood will absorb the oil slowly. You can wipe the rest of the oil left unabsorbed with a cloth.
When should you replace cutting boards?
A wooden cutting board is a lifetime guaranteed appliance in your kitchen. Following things can reduce the lifetime of a wooden chopping board.
- Soak the board in cold or warm water for a long time.
- Wash it with harsh scrub, which can make the surface scratchy.
- Putting the chopping board into the dishwasher. It contains excessive heat and chemicals, which causes dry, warp, or even crack on the board.
If the board’s surface gets scratchy, wrapped or cracky, it’s time to replace a new cutting board. Moreover, the placement of wood can be separated after long-term uses. So, you have to change that board.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
- Can you cut meat on a wooden chopping board?
A wooden chopping board is ideal for any use. You can use it for cutting meats, raw vegetables, and fruits. Experts say, if possible, it’s good to grab a separate chopping board to cut meat and fish. Because of their long-lasting smells, they can impact your other foods.
- Are wooden chopping boards safe?
Wooden chopping boards are made of natural wood. From materialistic, it’s safer than any other boards. Oppositely, because of needing a bit more care to clean the wooden cutting board, people claim it is less safe than the plastic board.
- Are wooden chopping boards hygienic?
A wooden chopping board is more hygienic than a plastic or glass board. Plastic boards left scratches on their surface, which have the intention to preserve germs and unhygienic things, even after cleaning them properly. So it’s obvious to replace after several days. From that perspective, a wooden chopping board can last a lifetime with its shiny surface.
- Are wooden chopping boards better than plastic?
Wooden chopping boards are a bit tough to clean and sanitize. On the other hand, a plastic one is easier to sanitize, no need to take gentle care of, and lightweight. But, plastic chopping board leaves scratches, which can be a safe house for bacteria; which is not available on wooden chopping boards. So, wood is better than plastic.
Final Words
If you use it roughly without thinking about how to clean a wooden chopping board and keep it shiny, it won’t last for long. A wooden made board is more hygienic and more beautiful instead of a plastic-made one. Take good care of this board and use it for a lifetime without any significant scratches on the surface, dry or crack over time.
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