Wooden Cutting Board Care

Caring For Wooden Cutting Boards - Sustained Kitchen

Finding the best cutting board to suit your needs, and caring for that cutting board properly, can be a real challenge. In this post, I'll walk you through taking care of your favorite wooden cutting boards.

Why wood?

In terms of sustainability, wooden or bamboo cutting boards have a far lesser impact than plastic cutting boards because all plastic is pretty terrible for the environment. Wood cutting boards are also a lot better for your knives, which can wear out quickly when using plastic. Best of all, if you care for your wooden board properly it can last for many years and perhaps your entire lifetime.

Daily Care

For everyday wooden cutting board care, you just need to follow a few simple steps:

  1. After everyday use, simply wash off your board (do not submerge or soak— just rinse) with hot water and a smidge of soap on both sides. Washing off both sides, rather than just the side where you cut, will ensure that your board doesn't swell and warp unevenly over time.

  2. If you've been cutting raw meat on your board, pour a little 3 percent hydrogen peroxide over the surface, wait a few minutes and wipe the excess off with a dry rag. This will sanitize the board a little more intensely than regular dish soap.

  3. Stand up the cutting board so both of its largest sides face out. Depending on how large your cutting board is, it might be wise to lean it up against a dish rack so it doesn't topple. Let it dry in this position overnight and store gently until next use.

Every Month (or so)

About once every month, you should oil, shine and buff your board. If you cook professionally or use the cutting board all day every day, you may want to do this step every week. If you only cook once in a blue moon you only need to do this step a few times per year, but you definitely shouldn't skip out entirely. Here is how to oil, shine and buff your board:

What you'll need

  • Food grade mineral oil

    • Note: Mineral oil is a petroleum product, which means that it comes from our rapidly diminishing oil reserves. Even though petroleum products are not environmentally friendly and are contributing to climate change, mineral oil really can't be replaced with cooking oils because they will go rancid. Some have speculated that coconut oil could be used on wooden cutting boards, but I have not seen this widely recommended.

  • Beeswax

  • A microfiber rag

What you'll do

  1. If you haven't washed the board recently, thoroughly wash and dry it as you would after everyday use.

  2. Lightly coat all sides, nooks and crannies of the board in food grade mineral oil. After coated in oil, let your cutting board stand upright, as you would after washing, for at least 3 hours.

  3. After your board has absorbed all the oil, you can buff your board using beeswax or a mixture of beeswax and mineral oil. To do this, just use a rag (or your fingies) to apply a light coating of beeswax to all areas of the board. Set the board up on its side and let it sit overnight to absorb.

  4. In the morning, use a dry cloth to polish and shine the board and remove any excess beeswax. To do this, rub all over the board in small circles. By the end of this process, water should bead on the surface of the cutting board, rather than pooling and being absorbed.