How To Properly Clean Your Chopping Board?
Spread the love
Did you just realize that you should be maintaining the cutting board? Well, here’s how to properly clean your chopping board.
Your chopping board is one super important kitchen tool that you usually take for granted. Admit it, most of the households, including yours, only have one cutting board in the kitchen yet it sits alone waiting for someone to take care of it.
Cutting boards are essential because they keep your countertops safe and give you angles in chopping meats and vegetables. So, you should maintain them properly and keep them clean.
Why Clean Chopping Board?
You use your chopping board every day, and due to this, it collects bacteria, including the dreaded e-coli and salmonella. They live in between the cuts and waiting for the new material to contaminate. As a result, it may cause food poisoning.
So, you should constantly clean your chopping boards.
Wooden Chopping Boards VS Plastic Ones
Plastic cutting boards are cheap, and you can purchase them for a few bucks without spending much on delivery since they are also light. Also, they are easier to store and won’t consume much space.
Wooden cutting boards, on the other hand, are heavy and will consume too much space. However, the woods have natural antiseptic. Depending on the species of tree the board came they can kill a spectrum of harmful organisms. Also, the cuts and slices caused by the knife are deep enough to catch such germs and leave them to die.
How to Clean Cutting Board?
Maintaining your wooden chopping board is different from the plastic ones.
The plastic chopping boards are non-porous, meaning most of the germs are just sitting on top. So, they are easier to clean. However, non-porous doesn’t mean impenetrable. Some shallow cuts and slices can house the germs. So, there are times that you must also wash them using a sponge and dishwashing liquid before patting them dry.
If you are worried about food contamination but don’t want to throw away your plastic cutting boards, then it’s much better to use them for fruits and vegetables only.
Now, how to clean a wooden cutting board? Though wooden chopping boards are porous, they contain natural substances that kill bacteria and prevent multiplication. However, since they are prone to cracks and deep chops, food residue enters and squeezes through, making wooden chopping boards harder to clean.
A scouring pad is one of the best tools you can use to clean wooden chopping boards.
First, wet the chopping board before putting a significant amount of dishwashing liquid. Then, apply force while running the scouring pad on the board to produce thick foam to eliminate grease. Wash the board with running water before patting it to dry.
How to Deodorize Chopping Board?
Pungent smell and aroma, usually coming from fermented foods, leave an unwanted odor; and sometimes might affect the taste of food. So, deodorizing your chopping board is an important activity.
While using lemon and salt concoction works and will leave a good smell, it may still affect the food. The best deodorize is cheap and always available — it’s the ever-reliable baking soda.
Deodorize wooden cutting board and plastic cutting board by making a paste made from one part water and three parts baking soda. Then, scrub it on the board and leaving it for a few minutes. Rinse well.
Vinegar is also good. Just make sure you rinse the chopping board well.
How to Store Your Chopping Boards?
When keeping your chopping board you should also consider where you will store it. You may put it inside the kitchen cabinet but make sure it’s closed to keep it away from pesky bugs such as cockroaches, mice, and flies.
Before you store your chopping boards, make sure it’s pat dry. Otherwise, molds and fungi might develop, which may also cause food poisoning.
Clean Chopping Boards are Important
Clean chopping boards aren’t just classy, they are safe as well. When they are clean, you are at your peace.
