If you’re looking to invest in a new wooden cutting board for your kitchen or any other type of cutting board there are some maintenance steps that go with them. Oiling a wooden cutting board is important for maintaining its quality and hygiene. Though you do not have to oil a wood cutting board daily, regular maintenance will keep the wood strong so that you can use the wood cutting board for many years to come.
Oiling a wood cutting board is not time-consuming nor complicated. The entire maintenance routine for wood cutting boards is unlikely to take you longer than ten minutes. Read on to find out the simple way of how to maintain wooden cutting boards to keep them smooth, clean and strong.
How to Oil Different Types of Wooden Cutting Boards
Essentially, there is no difference in how to oil and maintain one kind of wood cutting board and another. Even maintaining a bamboo cutting board follows the same steps. The only possible difference is how the wood colors with the type of oil which mostly depends on whether the wood cutting board is seasoned or unseasoned.
With these cutting board tips and tricks, your wooden cutting board will look as good as new. A seasoned wood cutting board is already treated with a food-grade finish and oil so the color won’t change any more. An unseasoned wood cutting board lets you alter the shade of the wood depending on what kind of oil you use.
What Is the Best Oil for Wood Cutting Boards
All oils and waxes that you use on a wood cutting board must be food-safe, meaning that the oil or wax is safe enough for coming into contact with food. There are commercial brands for cutting board oils but you can also use a homemade wood oil recipe or even store-bought distilled coconut oil.
Besides the oil being food-safe, you should also avoid rancidity. Rancidity is when there is a chemical reaction caused by exposure to air or light that gives the oil (and so the cutting board, too) a rancid smell and odor.
Oils that are safe for oiling wood cutting boards and with the least chance of rancidity are food-safe mineral oil, food-safe beeswax, distilled or fractionated coconut oil and food-safe carnauba or Brazil wax.
Some people use olive oil to oil a wood cutting board but this has the potential for rancidity. The only time when you can use olive oil to oil a wood cutting board is when you are wash and oil the cutting board almost daily.
How Often Should You Oil a Wood Cutting Board?
There is no hard rule on how often you should oil or wax a wooden cutting board. It depends on how frequently you use the cutting board and how well it retains the oil.
A wood cutting board should never be left to dry out completely because this makes the wood fibers more sensitive to the impact of your knives. However, moisture is also damaging to the wood so maintaining a layer of oil on the cutting board acts as a protective layer.
Some people choose to oil their wood cutting board every week but once a month or even every three months can still be often enough. It really depends on the quality of the wood and how often you use it.
For the best cutting board advice, check the information provided by the manufacturer of the cutting board for how often the cutting board should be oiled.
How do You Maintain a Wooden Cutting Board?
Step 1: Wash the wood cutting board with warm soapy water. Do not leave it to soak in the water and never place a wood cutting board in the dishwasher.
Immediately dry the wood cutting board after washing. You can also let it air dry in a dish rack for a while.
Step 2: Do a deep clean of the cutting board before oiling it to remove any stains and odors. Pour baking soda over the wood cutting board. Slice a lemon in half and rub it over the cutting board so that the baking soda and lemon juice mix together.
Let the mixture soak in for a few minutes before wiping it clean and dry with a paper towel. Repeat on the other side of the cutting board.
Step 3: Soak up your oil of choice with a clean kitchen towel or paper towel and rub it all over the wood cutting board. Let the wood soak up the oil overnight.
Step 4: The next day, wipe away the excess oil with a paper towel. Do this thoroughly so that you do not leave any oil stains or smears on the wood.
