Soapbox moment! Every once in a while, I feel the obligation to drop some science like Galileo dropped the orange and dispel a few food misconceptions.
Though on the whole I consider myself a positive person, it took so much willpower not to verbally smack the woman who last week tried to sell me on a new cutting board by extolling the virtues of a “bacteria-repellent” polypropylene model, with the added complaint that wood is too hard on your knives and will dull them swiftly and significantly.
Sigh. So many untruths to take care of in that sentence.
Now, I have been guilty of bad, bad cutting board hygiene in the past, but knowledge is power and I am now well-armed against microbial killers in my kitchen. And you should be too.
Simply, it doesn’t matter whether you use a wood cutting board or a plastic cutting board—what matters is how well you clean it.
If you want to go easy on your knives, the best option is a wooden end-grain cutting board
wooden end-grain board
wooden flat-grain board
When you first acquire your wooden board, season it by coating it liberally with food-safe mineral oil
(not vegetable oil or olive oil, no matter what certain Food Network personalities tell you), and which you can also find at your local drugstore. It’s a laxative, FYI, if you ever need it for… other purposes.
Periodically you’ll have to reapply the oil, and every decade or so, it can’t hurt to sand the board down with fine-grade sandpaper to get rid of any errant deep knife marks, but this is a board that will last as long as your stand mixer (provided neither of them are set on fire).
Plastic, while somewhat harder on knives, has the benefit of being less porous than wood, which makes it the smarter choice for prepping raw meat. And thicker polypropylene boards
note the scarring on this thick plastic cutting board
People love plastic cutting boards because they can be run through the dishwasher, which they believe sanitizes them. However, unless your dishwasher specifically has a “sanitize” function or if you know it reaches at least 190˚ F as part of the regular wash cycle (most max out at 140˚), guess what? Your boards aren’t sanitized and that chicken bacteria is still floating around in the crevices. Not to scare you or anything.
And those grooves that build up from frequent knife use (cut bread on a plastic board with a serrated knife for just a few minutes, then run your hand across the surface and you’ll see what I mean) can become velcro pockets for bacteria. You’ll eventually have to replace the plastic boards when they become too deeply scarred.
For both wood and plastic, constant vigilance through regular sanitizing will keep you in the clear, and you don’t need a dishwasher to do it. 1/2 teaspoon of bleach diluted into 2 cups of water will disinfect your boards. If bleach is not your thing, you can also spray straight white vinegar onto the board—whichever solution you use, spray thoroughly and leave the solution on the board for at least 10 minutes before wiping off with a clean damp washcloth.
And the easiest common sense reminder to keep you from cross-contamination: Buy at least two cutting boards. Designate one of them solely for prepping raw meat. Don’t use it for anything else. Not cheese, not veggies, not bread, not chocolate. Just meat, disinfected after each use.
Next time, we’ll talk about that janky wet sponge on your countertop and the germs it’s harboring. And maybe later we’ll take a field trip to discuss my fear of hotel bedspreads.
{ 7 comments… read them below or add one }
Putting white vinegar on my shopping list for next week. Thanks, Casey!
So, I didn’t know about the wooden cutting boards and their healing themselves. I heard about it, but I didn’t understand the mechanics behind this.
I am so guilty of using the flexible plastic cutting boards. Next trip out for kitchen supplies, I am getting a wooden cutting board.
And then there’s this guy: http://twitter.com/johncmayer/status/8801375330
Stephanie, I know. It’s been a long, painful process to wean myself of the very handy flexi-mats. Sometimes I just put them next to my big heavy wooden cutting board and sweep the ingredients onto them as I chop, so I can still funnel the ingredients into my pots.
And then there is this for funneling ingredients. I looooove it! http://www.momastore.org/museum/moma/ProductDisplay_Folding%20Cutting%20Board_10451_10001_49067_-1_11451_11500____38607
But the thin plastic are so easy to use! I will look into a wooden one.
Oh I know you did not just quote the B-Boys! Have you seen this one?
http://tinyurl.com/y88xz7f
When I was a kid, I used to turn my nose up at my mom’s wooden cutting board, I thought it must be a total germ fest. Then a study came out that wood has natural antibacterial properties and is completely safe as long as it’s washed properly. So I’ve always just used hot water and soap since then and I’ve never had a problem.
All right, time for my mineral oil martini!