Chopping Board

[chris164]

Can anyone tell me the best way to care/clean a good quailty chopping board.

[WendyS]

I have both wood & plastic/fibre glass ones which I wash in hot soapy water then rinse clean in clear water, letting them drain dry in an upright position. The fibre glass ones can be put in a dishwasher but I've found a very hot wash tends to warp them slightly. Always use separate chopping boards for meat products & vegetables

[nickmo]

Oil once in a while and wipe off excess, do not chop on the board as this willl cause 'soft spots', scrape the surface, wash and dry it off to avoid warping and splitting, do noy use a steel brush on the surface, avoid harsh chemicals, wipe dry after use as most of the spoil on the surface is moisture.

[brachiopod]

"do not chop on the board as this will cause 'soft spots' "

....so what should I use for chopping, if not a chopping board?

[Gef]

Exactly brachi. I chop all veg on a wooden board which has loads of cuts etc. I always wash it in the hootest water I can bear with Fairy Liquid. I always use scissors for meat or chop it on a ceramic plate both of which are washed immediately.

[nickmo]

You don't chop on a chopping board used for food prep as the 'soft spots' encourage bacterial growth. Hot water is no good to clean and remove potential organisms. If it isn't boiling water anyway, you're just giving the bugs a little shower. Non tainting anti-bacterial washes will clean off the surface, but if there are scores etc. this keeps problems below the surface level and will not give a clean surface for prep. So if you wipe the surface to dry it off after use it does help in the hygiene, and if you have good sharp knives as well this means you apply less pressure to the cutting surface and won't have to force the blades through foodstuffs and so score the board deeper as well.

Answered the point as well in that you use a specific surface for certain food prep. Thats why HSE have drawn up codes of conduct for food inc the use of colour coded boards for veg, meat, etc. All surfaces should ideally be washed as soon as they can - don't leave a board for a day or so after use 'til its washed as it will be harder to clean off.

If you regularly 'chop' i.e bones for stock or dressing game, one board regularly maintained and replaced when required is what to use in the home, with a seperate board for other food.

[Gef]

Have I missed something here? A chopping board is used for chopping whether it be veg, fruit, meat etc.

No doubt nickmo will soon be along with another 3 star answer that I don't understand :-)

[nickmo]

Gef - depends on the question!!

Anyway, I was sort of making the distinction between hard 'chopping' up of bones etc and simply slicing food, which is called chopping, like what a food processor does. When it chops. But not on a board.

[Gef]

I agree entirely nick.

[brachiopod]

I use a 'food processor' to do my chopping. My 'food processor' is a knife (my Wusthof Tridents), with which I do my chopping, on a chopping board. So if I don't use my chopping board for chopping, since is difficult to clean, and use a separate chopping board for chopping. How do I clean the separate chopping board I use to chop in order to avoid chopping on my chopping board?