Caring for a Wood or Bamboo Cutting Board

Cutting boards are household staples. Our selection of bamboo and wood cutting boards include various shapes, like a fish, and sizes. Some of our cutting boards come with handles, which allows this board to be hung up for display or convenience. Any foreign material should first be removed. The cutting board can then be disinfected with vinegar (or in extreme cases, bleach). Next, allow the board to dry well, air drying is best.

If your cutting board includes the checkered butcher's block pattern pictured above, then proper care of a butcher block is important for longevity of the checkered pattern. If wood or bamboo butcher block is regularly exposed to water and not well cleaned, then mold can form. The seams where the wood is joined can buckle as the wood expands and contracts.

To prevent cracking, cutting boards can be treated when they start looking dry. A standard recommendation is 5–7 times a year, or as needed. Light food-grade mineral oil is a good preservative for bamboo or wooden cutting boards, as it helps keep water from seeping into the grain. Alternatively, one may also use a food-grade drying oil such as poppyseed oil, tung oil or linseed oil. The first two dry much faster than linseed.

Most commercially available linseed and tung oils are not “food grade”, as they contain metallic driers. In general, edible savory vegetable or olive oils are not recommended because they tend to go rancid, causing the board to smell and food to pick up the rancid taste. When heavily or deeply scored, wooden boards need to be resurfaced as scoring can harbour bacteria. Boards can be easily resurfaced with various woodworking tools, such as scrapers or planes, even sandpaper

To remove odors, the board can be rinsed and then rubbed with coarse salt and left to stand for several minutes before being wiped and rinsed clean. In a bamboo or wooden board, this procedure may also smooth out minor imperfections on the surface.

Follow these tips, and your cutting board should provide the lasting use and protection to help prepare and serve hundreds of delicious meals for family, friends, and customers.