Proper Kitchen Cutting Board Care

Kitchen Cutting Board Care**

You cook day in and day out everyday of your life. If you are like me you love to cook and of course you love to eat the creations that you make and share them with friends and family alike. The number one thing on your mind is that the food is fresh and flavorful. You make sure that your preparation of the ingredients is meticulously done. Everything has to be just right! As you prepare and cook food everyday, one of the things that gets overlooked by many home chefs is the kitchen cutting board. If you want the food you prepare to be clean and tasteful, then you must make sure that your familiar with cutting board care as well. There are many cutting boards on the market today and they come in a wide variety. Many of the board out there today are made of synthetics and still many are made of natural hard wood. The hardwood kitchen cutting boards are heirloom quality and must be kept in tip top shape. So lets take a look at how to keep a kitchen cutting board in top notch condition so that it will last for years to come.

Cutting Board Care-First Things First**

Cutting board care is not hard at all and it only takes a little bit of time to make a cutting board that is worthy of being passed down through generations. A hard rock maple cutting board is more sanitary than most of the synthetic cutting boards on the market today as reported by The National Sanitary Foundation in 2008. Cutting board care will enhance your cutting boards life expectancy. Just as an aside: One of the things we do not want to do is to have our cutting boards warp. Hard rock maple cutting boards have inherent oils in them that aid preventing warping. DO NOT PUT YOUR KITCHEN CUTTING BOARDS IN THE DISHWASHER! With that being said lets take a look at the first step in cutting board care which is the oiling and seasoning of your kitchen cutting board. This is what will allow your board to last for years and years

Kitchen Cutting Board Care Seasoning Step One

The first thing to do when you get your kitchen cutting board home is to "season" it. Do not even use it yet to cut or chop anything until you get it seasoned for the very first time. This is much like seasoning a cast iron pan, but you are doing it to a wooden cutting board. There are two ways to do this. One way that a lot of people like to use is to get a bottle of food grade mineral oil to do the seasoning with. On the other hand many people including myself prefer to get a bottle of butcher block oil which is food grade Linseed oil. Neither of these oils will spoil or go rancid on your kitchen cutting board so you don't have to worry on that front. Wooden cutting board have their own oils in them and for the most part they are fairly antibacterial. To season a kitchen cutting board is to add another layer of protection to it. The oil will help to seal the pores of the wood and keep out particulates and bacteria as well as help prevent warping.

Kitchen Cutting Board Care Step Two Apply The Oil

The next thing to do in the seasoning of your kitchen cutting board is to put some of the food grade mineral oil or food grade Linseed oil or butcher block oil into a pot and warm it slowly, very slowly. Some people like to use the microwave and since we are talking about oil, I would avoid the microwave for safety reasons when dealing with oils. So warm up a cup or so of either of the two oils and get you a lint free cloth. Now apply a coat of the oil to the board liberally for the first coat. I usually do 10 coats of seasoning the first time I season a kitchen cutting board. I let each layer of oil I apply to dry for at least two hours so this can take a day or two, but believe me in the long run you will be glad that you did this. So take your time and apply those coats even if it takes a day or longer.

Kitchen Cutting Board Care Step Three Wipe The Oil Off

The next thing to do in this seasoning process of your kitchen cutting board is to use a lint free cloth and wipe off the excess oils. OK! We are not done yet! You don't get away that easy! Now, after the seasoning of the board is done you will want to seal in those oils that you have just taken a day or two to apply so that they stay in the wood and prevent warping and drying out. So, what is a cutting board sealant you ask? Well, it is beeswax! Don't worry you don't have to find a beehive to get it as this stuff is available on the market these days. The cost ain't so bad either so you won't get stung! LOL! OK! bad attempt at humor. Just take the beeswax ball or blob that you get and apply it directly to the surface of your cutting board and then there you have it you are done! Just buff off the excess with that lint free cloth of yours. Of course if you want to save some time and skip a step remember when I said to warm your mineral oil or Linseed oil in a pot? Well, at that point you could take a cup of whatever oil you have chosen and added a half teaspoon of the beeswax to the mix and warmed it up slowly on the stove top at the lowest heat possible and then applied this combined mixture to the board and you would have seasoned and sealed your kitchen cutting board in one fell swoop!

Kitchen Cutting Board Care The Final Touches

With your initial seasoning accomplished it is a good idea to do additional seasonings about every two to four weeks. This will keep your cutting board in optimal condition. If your cutting board takes on any odors you can eliminate them by rubbing your cutting board with a cut lemon and baking soda and rinsing it off. Just don't use the same cleaning materials on your cutting boards as you use on your mahogany dining chairs and you should be OK.

Now that you have learned all about cutting board care and finished your first seasoning of your new kitchen cutting board you are ready to go! I would recommend that you do additional seasonings at least once a month of at least 3 coats. Believe me this will keep your cutting board in optimal condition. If in time your cutting board takes on any foul odors you can clean them with a combination of salt and half a lemon and rubbing the board with this concoction. and you will never have foul odors on your board. To learn more about cooking and cutting boards please visit my Youtube channel at MrEZCooking Today!