Cleaning Wooden Chopping Board

organic_wanabe

I must admit that I'm a bit paranoid about wooden chopping boards and only use mine for bread (and use the plastic ones for other things - but they don't feel as good). That's why I couldn't believe that lemon and salt would work - and I quite often have a half lemon left over (I've been told that a squeeze of it over food lowers the GI count). Please don't anyone say slice and freeze the leftover for your G&T - I've got about a half of a fridge drawer full of slices of lemon and never get around to a G&T - find that wine helps me concentrate on my cooking as well as being useful in many of the dishes. Hope I don't sound like an alcoholic - two glasses and I fall asleep.

Angelina-M

I only use wooden chopping boards as I dont want to ruin my expensive knives! I just swoosh a bit of bleach on them once a week and the rest of the time they get washed with a bit of stardrops and a microfibre cloth.

I wonder whether vinegar would be as good as the lemon juice... its certainly cheaper!

I also read that wooden boards are more hygenic because the wood kills anything through suffocation.

lil_me

Why not freeze the left over for more cleaning. I go for the plastic or glass boards personally aswell.

kingmonkey

marksward wrote: »

oil the board with sunnflower oil or similar every few weeks. Do both sides. Make sure you use both sides of the board in order to keep it flat. Every mnths or so give it a light doing with sandpaper and re-oil. They will last 'forever' if kept oiled as this stops water/fluids soaking in and prevent the wood drying and cracking. TO oil it simply pour on some oil and spread it round with kitchen paper and let it soak in.

I heard that you need to oil your board, but I didn't know which oil.

I've had suggestions of using paraffin oil since vegetable oils can go off colour?

What is the opinion of the OS'ers?

suzy_g

i just wash mine with the washing up every time i use it, its lasted years and hasnt cracked

Quasar

Yes wooden boards, kept clean of course, will generally dispose of bacteria. The salt (alkali) and vinegar (acid) treatment is perhaps good insurance, as these are two good all-purpose, natural disinfectants because all bacteria need a certain PH balance in order to survive, and excess alkali or acid in their enviroment will kill them off.

Incidentally, salt makes an excellent wound disinfectant in emergencies - but it hurts like hell.

Seakay

kingmonkey wrote: »

I heard that you need to oil your board, but I didn't know which oil.

I've had suggestions of using paraffin oil since vegetable oils can go off colour?

What is the opinion of the OS'ers?

I'm not sure that paraffin oil would be a good combination with food. Vegetable oil should be fine as although it soaks in you will continue to clean your boards as well, and the very fact that you are advised to oil your boards on a regular basis suggests that the oil does not have time to go rancid.

TenerC_2

the only meat we eat and would chop is chicken, so one day i asked at the stall where we get it from (only sells poultry) how does he clean his board and was told "hot water and mild bleach scrub then wash down with hot water" nobody has died yet from his food, so he must know what he`s talking about.

and also if you think about it 90% of butchers use wooden chopping boards, so they must be better then glass/plastic

we don`t use bleach, but use milton, it does the same, just doesn`t smell as bad.

Penelope_Penguin

I was once advised to use bicarbonate of soda, made into a thick paste with water, to scrub wooden chopping boards. I'll definitely try the salt and lemon trick (tequila anyone :rotfl: ).

Parrafin oil :eek: :eek: :eek: :eek: :eek: Just found some OOD walnut oil - might try that.

I always choosed wood. I have a chunky board that was a wedding present, and has a lovely old feel to it now. Also 2 smaller cheap boards from Ikea - great bargains as after about 4 years they've not cracked or warped. I think they were about £1 for 2 :T I have a small board in the shape of a garlic clove for onions. I always thought that plastic actually is less hygenic than wood, and it scratches so easily, and glass feels so bad on my knives.

Will go and investigate the bicarb recipe..........

Sharra

Just a thought (I've never tried it) would putting a wooden chopping board in the freezer periodically kill anything on there? I heard it works for trainers