Consider Regular Oiling And Conditioning
Beyond these simple cleaning hacks, regularly oiling your board will keep the wood in a really good condition, explains Trifiro. The oil soaks into the grain of the wood and helps nourish it and preserve its natural state. This can prevent the wood from cracking or changing shape over time.
How often is regular? Every two weeks to a month, says Trifiro, depending on how often you use your board. If you have a maple cutting board, it will get lighter in color when its ready for an oiling. Other boards will feel dry to the touch.
When your board is due for an oil up, dont just slather any old substance on top. Any kind of food oil is probably going to get rancid over time and cause the board to smell, says Trifiro. Instead, use a highly refined mineral oil or a highly refined coconut oil . We like John Taylors Butcher Block Food-Grade Mineral Oil .
How To Make A Charcuterie Board
Follow these guidelines for making the most epic charcuterie board, with something for everyone.
First: Wood Or Plastic A Personal Choice
I use wooden cutting boards for most of my kitchen prep, which is often very fruit and vegetable-centric. I appreciate wood because its the best choice for maintaining a knife edge and I like the way it looks. I find most plastic boards quite ugly, and they get uglier over time as they stain and get roughed up. Eventually plastic boards need to be tossed in the garbage bin, whereas Ive had some of my wooden cutting boards for more than 10 years. They only get more beautiful with time, especially if well cared for and I often serve food right on my cutting board for a homey, rustic look.
They do take some maintenance, but I dont mind. In fact, I enjoy the opportunity to tend to and take care of my kitchen tools. I use a mixture of mineral oil and beeswax on my boards and I love the scent of honey that rises up as I rub it in.
Also Check: What Sauce Is On Philly Cheese Steak Pizza
Using Wood Aging Boards For Cheese
For centuries, cheese has been placed onto wooden boards while it is aged. The wood shelves we use for aging cheese, are a combination of tight pine boards and ash.
We generally use pine boards for drying cheese, because pine will absorb excess moisture from the cheese.
In addition to cheese boards, we also use plastic boxes, for higher moisture cheese. When needed, these provide an elevated humidity for proper mold development.
Before adding wood boards to a cheese cave, be sure they have been air dried for several seasons. When using pine boards be sure they do not have too many knots or resin spots, because these can stain the cheese surface.
The 3/4 thick shelves we use and the supports are all scaled according to the size and weight of the cheese each shelf holds. These are usually smaller cheeses in the range of 5-10 pounds. The shelf spacing is designed to leave space between the rows of cheese, and also between the cheese and wall, since air circulation is very important.
When cheese is placed too close to the wall or other cheese, mold growth can become a problem, sue to lack of air circulation.
When stacking, we place cheese mats under each cheese, to encourage airflow between the cheese. The only cheese we stack are aged cheese with a very firm and dry rind.
Another option for increasing space in a cheese cave, when aging long aged cheese with hard rinds.
This can be convent when caring for aging cheese, or moving the cheese to a warmer or cooler location.
How To Maintain And How Often
Wooden cutting boards need to be kept clean and daily maintenance is often a good scrub with hot soapy water after using. Do not soak your boards or any other wooden utensils in water or theyll crack and warp! Some people use a very weak bleach solution or hydrogen peroxide to clean their boards after theyve been used for cutting raw meat as a precaution against bacterial contamination.
Depending on how often you use your boards and wooden spoons, you should also give them an oiling to help maintain their surface and keep them from drying out. In my house, this happens about once a month but I know some people who do it once or twice a year and others on a weekly basis.
Also Check: Does Babybel Cheese Need To Be Refrigerated
Tip : Wash The Cheese Board By Hand After Use
Many cheese boards are sensitive to heat and moisture. Certainly, wooden cheese boards will quickly warp in a dishwasher and the glue between the small boards can let go. To keep the quality of your favorite cheese board, it is important that you wash it by hand after use. Rinse the board with warm water and a small dash of detergent. Do not leave it in the washing water for long periods, it is better if it has contact with the water as short as possible.
How To Clean A Plastic Cutting Board
When it comes to nonporous cutting boards, care is simple as can be.
1. Wash your plastic cutting board
Plastic boards are perfectly safe to put in the dishwasher, because they can withstand the water. Simply throw it into the dishwasher and set it to sanitize.
2. Sanitize your plastic cutting board
Mix up the same bleach solution that you would for wooden cutting boards, but soak the plastic cutting board in the mixture for five minutes. Rinse, stand to dry and youve got a clean board! This step is important to make sure to clean the grooves that come from using the cutting board get clean toobecause although plastic cutting boards are nonporous, the cuts and slices in them can harbor harmful bacteria.
3. Get stains out of your cutting board
If you have pesky stains on your board, try learning how to clean a plastic cutting board with lemon to fix it. Some cooks say that by rubbing a lemon half over a stain, scrubbing with salt, and setting the plastic cutting board to sit in the sun will do the trick to bleach the stain away naturally.
You May Like: Does Babybel Cheese Need To Be Refrigerated
Best Wooden: Magnus Design Modern Walnut Cutting Board
One of the hacks to looking like youre a competent cook is having very nice pots, pans, and other kitchenware so it looks like you put thought and effort into everything that happens in your kitchen. This beautiful walnut cutting board is the perfect board if you want your maybe-not-top-notch cheese to always look pristine. Made in Shell Lake, Wisconsin, this dark, eye-catching board comes treated with oil wax and simply needs a bit of a mineral oil seasoning once in a while. This is a stunning piece that will last you for a long time.
For a versatile cheese board that also makes a great starter set, we recommend the CTFT Cheese Board and Knife Set . Prefer a non-porous cheese slate? Brooklyn Slate’s grey cheese board is for you .
What About Sanitizing Your Board
In most cases, soap and hot water are sufficient for cleaning your board. You dont need to disinfect it unless youre using it to prepare raw meat. But wed recommend that you use a separate plastic board for meat, poultry, or seafood, and a wood board for everything else. Plastic boards can be easily sanitized with a chlorine bleach solution or washed in the dishwasher without damaging them. Using a separate board also helps eliminate the risk of cross-contamination.
The USDA does suggest using a dilute solution of chlorine bleach and water to sanitize boards. However, this method dried out and discolored the wood boards in our tests, so we dont recommend it.
You may also have read about cleaning your board using distilled white vinegar. Its not registered as a disinfectant with the Environmental Protection Agency, though, so vinegar will only remove dirt and debris, but it wont sanitize the surface . A vinegar solution can, however, help remove strong odors from your board, as mentioned above.
Recommended Reading: Provel Cheese Wisconsin
A Wooden Cutting Board Will Last For Years With Proper Care And Conditioning Heres How To Care For It
Wooden cutting boards look great plus, they’re easy on knives, long-lasting, and if you clean them right, more sanitary than a plastic cutting board.
My favorite one is about 45 years old, a hand-me-down from my parents. Its lasted all these years because my mom took good care of it, and now I do, too.
So, whats the best way to clean a wooden cutting board? How do you keep it from cracking? Wooden cutting boards do require a little maintenance, but it all pays off. Here are my tips for how to clean, maintain, and condition your wooden board so itll last for years!
Disinfect After Use With Raw Food
At least monthly or after working with raw meat, fish or poultry, the board should be thoroughly disinfected with a chlorine bleach and water solution. Mix one teaspoon of bleach in one quart of water. Spread half of the solution over one side of the board and let it stand for five minutes. Rinse with hot water and repeat the steps on the other side of the board.
Also Check: What Is In Taco Bell Nacho Cheese
Can You Wash A Wooden Cutting Board With Soap
The short answer is yes: a little bit of dish soap and warm water is the best move for everyday cutting board cleaning.
Like all wooden kitchenwarespoons, salad bowls, cheese plates, the whole shebanga wooden cutting board should never be put through the dishwasher. Your butcher-block slab may look resilient, but it really does require a gentle hand if you hope to own it for many years. Use a basic kitchen sponge, warm water, and your average everyday dish soap to clean your cutting board of any food residue and discoloration. Then rinse the board well.
Follow These Steps And Your Wooden Tools Will Last As Long As Your Cast Iron
Not only are they beautiful additions to any home, wooden cutting boards, spatulas and spoons are practical culinary workhorses for any level of home chef. And, with the proper cleaning and care, they can last as long as your cast iron skillet.
We use our wooden cutting boards for anything and everything. But with everyday use comes everyday wear and tear, so to keep our boards in tip-top shape, we clean them regularly and oil them down every month or so. Heres how.
Also Check: Does String Cheese Need To Be Refrigerated
What Type Of Wood Is Best For A Cheeseboard
You should always select a hardwood like Acacia wood or Hevea which most Wild Wood cheese boards are made of. These woods have natural antibacterial properties and are kind to your knife blade.
They will also last for a lot longer than soft wood cheese boards which are more likely to warp and crack over a short period of time.
We would recommend avoiding boards that have a smell to them or wood that is designed to impart its particular flavour.
For example, Oak boards are not ideal for serving cheese platters on as we all know winemakers use Oak to infuse flavours into the wine. We dont want that for your cheese!
We also would recommend avoiding cheese boards made from Camphor Laurel as it has a strong smell and that may impart onto your cheese!
Oil A Wooden Cutting Board
Besides keeping a wooden cutting board clean, it is also important to keep the wood in top notch condition. We need not go to a running track, a little oil goes a long way. If the wood is saturated with oil, it closes and forms a protective layer on the wood. For oiling a wooden cutting board is best to use an odor-and flavorless oil. Almond or grapeseed oil are good choices. White mineral oil is also suitable, but we recommend the use of cutting board oil. Do not use olive oil because this will become sticky and gross. Of course, that is not what you want.
Recommended Reading: Philly Cheese Steak Pizza Toppings
How Often To Clean Wooden Cutting Boards
A cutting board should be cleaned after every useeven if it is just used to cut a piece of fruit. Skipping a good cleaning can leave yeast and mold spores and bacteria that will continue to grow. Depending upon how often you use the board, it should be thoroughly disinfected at least monthly and after each use with raw meats, poultry, and fish.
- Distilled white vinegar or hydrogen peroxide
- 2teaspoons chlorine bleach
- 1lemon, cut in half
- Food grade mineral oil
How To Disinfect Your Wood Cutting Board
You should always disinfect your wood cutting board after using it with raw meat. There are other times you might want to disinfect it for your peace of mind. Wash it first to remove some of the germs then pick one of the easy disinfection methods below.
Also Check: Babybel Refrigeration
What Shapes And Sizes Of Wooden Cheese Boards Do You Sell
We sell several different sizes and shapes of cheese boards. A cheeseboard can really be any shape or size that you want it to be!
It depends on the kind of presentation that you want to make and the space that you have to fit it. For example, if youve got a long table and you wanted a cheese board in the center of the table, then you would choose a longer and thinner serving platter, which we have in our Barossa range or our Bathurst Paddlerange.
If you were serving on a bench top, then you might select a rectangular board that gives you more room to work with and you can just leave it in place. Otherwise, you may want to use a round paddle board that is light and easy to pick up and put down. This gives you the option of being able to offer your cheeseboard around a group of people.
Cleaning Wood Cutting Boards With Vinegar
If you prefer to use a chemical-free product, mix one part white vinegar to four parts water and soak your cutting board in the solution for a few minutes. Then rinse off and dry.
No matter what you soak your cutting board in, it’s important not to soak it for more than a few minutes to avoid warping or cracking the wood.
Read Also: Does Babybel Cheese Need To Be Refrigerated
When To Get Rid Of Your Cutting Board
Like most often-used kitchen gear, cutting boards wont last foreverno matter the care you give them. When cutting boards become splintered, warped, grooved or cracked, it may be time to get rid of them.
Flaws in the surface may cause knives to slip during chopping chores, which can cause more harm to you those Hasselback potatoes. If it really is time to replace your cutting board, make sure you know the best wood for cutting boards as you shop, or make it easy by opting for one of our picks for the best cutting boards you can buy.
But, when you follow our cutting board care strategies, you wont have to consider when to replace your cutting boards any time soon. These maintenance methods ensure your boards will function fine for years, if not decades, to come. If you take good enough care of your boards, you can use your cutting boards not only for chopping but also as a place to display your charcuterie .
Curious which kitchen tools are actually worth your money? Weve traced out the best cooking items that are worth splurging your money on.
