How often to change cutting boards

Cutting boards are one of the most necessary items in any, even the most modest, kitchen. Over time, they are scratched, clogged with food particles, fibers of washing napkins and become hazardous to the health of households. Therefore, cutting boards need to be changed. How often? Specialists and cooks - at least once a year. This is required by sanitary standards. Approximately the same terms should be followed by housewives who cook regularly.

Number of boards

Once a year, it is enough to change the boards, if there are several of them, at least 3-4 pieces:

• for meat;
• fish;
• of bread;
• foods that are eaten raw.

It is logical that the less often each individual board is used, the longer it remains usable. If there are one or two boards, it becomes clogged with dirt as quickly as possible and becomes the dwelling of pathogenic bacteria, which I quite easily get to eat.

Board Materials

In addition, it is important to consider the softness of the board. The higher it is, the easier it is to damage the surface and fill it faster with particles.

Most popular cutting board materials:

• wood,
• plastic,
• glass.

Wooden

Wood is the most common and, one might say, classical material for the manufacture of cutting boards. But also the most frequently criticized for unhygienic. Here it’s worth explaining: it all depends on the type of wood. Pine, birch and other soft boards are the cheapest and quickly lose their appearance and suitability for work.

If you take a quality board made of oak or beech, for example, it will serve the full term.

Important

purity.bigbadmole.com/en/ strongly discourages soaking wooden cutting boards and even just leaving them in the sink. Wood is a porous material that is prone to swelling. When dried, microcracks inevitably appear in it, in which bacteria love to settle and get stuck.

Board care.The best option is to immediately scrape off the top layer of the wood with a knife immediately after use, then rinse thoroughly with detergent and dry it with boiling water, dry it with a towel or napkin.

Plastic

With the development of modern technology, plastic cutting boards have firmly entered into use. They are relatively cheap, and their choice is very large and varied. It is better to change such a board as soon as its surface ceased to be smooth and “wiped”. The benefit on plastic is always noticeable.

You should also be careful when choosing cheap plastic boards. Because some can be processed or manufactured using toxic chemicals that are hazardous to health. Of course, you can’t recognize this for sure, but you can be safe and not buy the cheapest of them.

Glass

The most wear-resistant and most hygienic cutting boards are glass. Although such a board can be changed much less frequently than the two previous types, glass has very specific features. The most uncomfortable of them - it is slippery enough. The second not very pleasant feature is the sound from the contact of the knife and the surface of the board. And the third - knives are blunt faster.

How to extend the service life

How to sanitize boards so that they stay fit a little longer:

1. Rub with mineral oil and / or wax.The main thing, the advice relates to wooden boards. This method will help to avoid the absorption of odors into the surface and prevent it from drying out. It is important to remember that it is necessary to use mineral oil, and in no case vegetable or technical oil. Vaseline is perfect for these purposes.
2. Treat with disinfectants. To extend the life of a cutting board, it is worth periodically sanitizing it.

Disinfection is carried out with special compounds:

• weak chlorine solution;
• hydrogen peroxide;
• chlorhexidine.

If chemistry is not desirable, then improvised home remedies:

• lemon
• acetic acid;
• soda;
• with salt.

High-quality, solid boards, provided that there are at least three of them in the kitchen, are ideally replaced once a year. If a cutting board is used infrequently, it quietly serves two years or even longer. In any case, after each use, wash it with the product, using a sponge first, then a brush, and periodically disinfect. Then the utensils will always look good and will remain safe for health.