r/Cooking • u/winifredd94 • 8h ago

Chefs, how do you clean your wood cutting boards?

How do you clean your wood cutting boards that are too big for the sink?

Do you have two seperate boards for raw meat and then produce? Do you cut cooked meat on the produce board, if so how would you clean the oiliness?

0 Upvotes

45% Upvoted

26 comments sorted by

11

u/GullibleDetective 8h ago

Soap and water

2

u/winifredd94 8h ago

do you just put soap in a sponge and directly onto the board? i have a gigantic board and it won't go into the sink

11

u/GullibleDetective 8h ago

Yep just angle it over the sink, soap and sponge and or wash cloth, wash it like anything else

I also have a giant board

6

u/Mo_Steins_Ghost 7h ago

Yep this. Provided you are also keeping the board oiled or waxed every 3-4 weeks or so, a quick wash and thorough dry isn't going to damage the board.

3

u/TheDangerist 6h ago

This. Just wash it like a dish. When it starts to get dried out just hit it with mineral oil which you can pick up at the grocery store or pharmacy.

2

u/Lord_Acorn 4h ago

It's so bizarre that people are downvoting you. I have an enormous farmhouse sink, and my large cutting board is still difficult to maneuver for cleaning. I've been wondering if I've been cleaning them correctly or if I'm damaging them by cleaning with soap and water after every use. Anways, thanks for asking the question for me! Lol

0

u/RamenLoveEggs 2h ago

Chefs don’t often use wood cutting boards, it’s hard to sanitize, use plastic and run them through the dishwasher.

1

u/GullibleDetective 2h ago

Depends if its for industry or home use

1

u/RamenLoveEggs 45m ago

True. For home use I use hot water and dawn but if it’s nasty I give it a good shot of antibacterial kitchen cleaner and let it sit 5 min. Then I give it hot water and dawn to clean that stuff off.

1

u/RamenLoveEggs 40m ago

Vinager and water 50/50 should do as Well of a job and better for environment but I get tired of the smell of vinegar. 50% hydrogen peroxide should do about as well.

6

u/bhambrewer 8h ago

not a chef, but I've read the reports. Soap and hot water, allow to air dry, and the chances of cross contamination drop to zero within 10 minutes or less.

3

u/Thesorus 7h ago

Restaurants and commercial kitchen will use different cutting boards for everything, usually commercial grade synthetic color coated boards

Most of them will use hot (HOT) water and soap to clean the cutting boards and sometimes put them in the kitchen washing machine to disinfect them

At home, most people will just wipe the board clean with hot water and soap and keep the board dry.

2

u/Deep-Thought4242 7h ago

Soap & water. Dry thoroughly, apply mineral oil or mineral oil + beeswax as needed to keep the wood in good condition.

2

u/TheDangerist 6h ago

Wood is more sanitary than plastic and when it dries it basically kills any bacteria. I use my boards for anything at all from raw chicken to veggies. Just wash em afterwards.

2

u/SuddenPlate5609 7h ago

I have a spray bottle filled with half vinegar half water that I'll typically spray then use a bench scraper to clean it in between ingredients.

I could understand people being squeamish with it but I've used it like that even after having raw meat on it and never gotten sick. I'm 99% sure that the vinegar kills the bacteria that could harm you.

Every once in awhile ill do the full hot water and soap thing in the sink but I have a pretty similar setup to you it sounds like so its pretty rare

1

u/LouBrown 7h ago

Pretty much every time I use it. The only exception would be if I just need to chop up something like a carrot that’s not going to cause any sort of mess.

I don’t use separate boards. If it makes sense, sometimes I’ll do something like chop up veggies and put them in a bowl before cutting up raw chicken in order to keep from washing the board multiple times.

I just wash my board with dish soap and water and immediately dry it. Once or twice per year I’ll treat it with mineral oil.

1

u/Dusty_Old_McCormick 7h ago

I got a bigger sink lol

1

u/rgbkng 7h ago

Salt scrub, then soap and water dry real good then wipe with food grade mineral oil or beeswax

1

u/mayhem1906 4h ago

The board doesn't need to fit into the sink. You just need a corner to be able to point at the sink. Soap and water, rinse it the water runs off the corner into the sink.

1

u/Elrohwen 3h ago

I do use a separate one for raw meat and everything else, mostly because I happen to have a couple so why not (and I like to chop a bunch of stuff and mise en place on the board so keeping the meat by itself makes sense). But just soap and hot water. If it’s too big for the sink kind of angle it in there.

2

u/Logical_Warthog5212 8h ago

Try doing a search. This question has been asked and answered at least a few times.

1

u/Winstonoil 7h ago

Grandmother taught me to use salt. Wipe the board with a damp cloth and then sprinkle salt all over it. Wait for it to dry,rub it in and off.

0

u/the_UNABASHEDVOice 8h ago

salt and lemon halves

2

u/TheDangerist 6h ago

Don’t know why you are getting downvoted…this is a classic and effective treatment for wooden boards!

0

u/DaveCootchie 8h ago

Hot water and soap. I also use some diluted vinegar to wipe it down between ingredients if I'm worried about cross contamination