[foodpump]

Originally Posted by KYHeirloomer

Interesting point, Chris. But the fact is, poor sanitation is poor sanitation.

A big "AMEN!" from the pews!

In regards to the original poster, all of the advice you have recieved has been good.

You have now several options of sanitizing the wood board.

You have the option of getting a nylon board for only raw meats and tossing that in the d/w.

The third option is the one I use at home, and has been discussed already:
I'm too lazy to go out and get another cutting board for at home, so when I cook, I cut any fruit first, and put it back in the fridge, then vegetables, then at last, meats. End of cutting session, board can now sanitized.

Beeswax/mineral oil has been around for quite some time, and usually for furniture. Several centuries ago wax was used as a finsh for furniture because it was cheap and plentiful, and also because it didn't darken or tint the colour and figure of the wood. Not an ideal or durable finish for furniture, but cheap and plentiful. The wax provides a film of protection, and this wears off quickly. Beeswax is perfectly edible, but still, not something you'd need or want trace amounts of in your food. That being said, I use beewax/mineral oil on a weekly basis at work on two 6' maple bakers tables. It does a bit to stop staining and abrasion from daily duties, but one of my golden rules in my kitchen is that the table is NOT a cutting surface--I have plenty of cutting boards for this. A film finish--polyurethane or varnish would eventually flake or crack off and end up in food, so baker's tables are bare wood treated with oil or wax.

[bughut]

>To sanitize use a mild mixture of Clorox and water, the formula is on the back of the Clorox bottle, or use a 1:1 mixture of vinegar and water. Flush the cutting surface with water afterwards, dry and oil if necessary. Or as an alternative for boards that use raw meats exclusively, coat the surface with table salt and let it sit overnight. The salt will kill the bacteria and wick any moisture out of the board. This is what the old time butchers did and it is about the "greenest" solution I know of.<


I use salt on all my boards.

I have Burma teak imbedded in my work top for everyday stuff and another hardwood one for raw meat. Cheapo Pine one for sweet stuff.
A butcher told me years ago to salt my boards after washing down and antibac'ing. I never really knew the value of salting, just did it, so thanks for that. I dont leave overnight, i Simply scrub, leave for an hour or so and wash off. Neither do i oil them. but i will now

[phatch]

I just have a bunch of cheap nylon boards I can cycle through. There's usually two or three in every load for the dishwasher.

Very simple, very sanitary.

[oldschool1982]

So many have already provided....quite well...... the yes or no answer and some of the reasons why so there's no reason to repeat what has been said.

I would like to add that we keep 4 wood boards in our home kitchen. Each side of the board has a specific purpose or product with chicken getting it's own board. I do have one poly-vinyl board but it's a pain to wash given it size. It gets used when woking with larger pices of meats and seafood.

One board is used for vegeies only, one board for chicken only one board is beef/veal on one side and pok/lamb on the other. The last board is seafood on one side and onions and garlic on the other. I've found that the onlions and garlic create a strong odor after the fact and a poor flavor.

All our boards get treated well..... All are scrubbed with scotch brite and the ones that are used for meat get salted and then oiled.....the veggies just get oiled.

[hippysandy]

Originally Posted by French Fries

So I just purchased a nice wooden board, end grain maple butcher's block type, and I intend to take good care of it (beeswax+mineral oil)!!

Question: is it really a big no-no to cut raw chicken, fish or meat on that board? Or is it ok? I've cut chicken on wooden boards for as long as I can remember, but now that I'm getting nice tools I want to make sure I do the "right" thing - if there's such a thing.

What are your opinions? Should I get a non-wood board for cutting my raw chicken? And if yes - which one would you recommend?

I think wooden board is good in cutting raw meat. It does not have toxins that are possibly present in plastic board. However, you have to make sure that you clean the board well before and after using because bacteria may thrive there.

[French Fries]

Guys, thanks to all for your feedback. I'm now comfortable working with only one board, wooden. I obviously will clean it after each use, even if it wasn't chicken. OK maybe if I just cut bread on it I won't wash it - just - don't tell anyone ok?

[JuanGuady]

Amen to that one brother! I worked in a restaurant in Colorado and they go written up for using a wooden board with meat! Watch out for the wooden boards.