Cooking Nice

A butcher block is a kitchen must-have but it is important to keep it clean and safe. Here are a few ideas to keep your butcher block as good as new.

It doesn’t matter what kind of butcher block you use (e.g. solid wood butcher block, maple butcher block, cutting board) they should all be kept sanitized and washed regularly.

There are a variety of different techniques that you can use to keep your butcher block clean, but which one is the best? Here are some examples for you to choose from:

·         The simplest method of cleaning a butcher block is to wash it with soapy water and then rinse the soap off and dry. It is important, however, to realize that a butcher block should never be completely submerged in the water as the wood could crack when it dries.

·         Another easy way to clean your butcher block is to use the household product of vinegar. An excellent disinfectant is full strength vinegar - and it works well for people who are allergic to other store bought cleansers.

·         If vinegar is not enough then you can always use hydrogen peroxide on your butcher block. Using 3% hydrogen peroxide will kill germs and bacteria and is easy to wipe off with a paper towel.

One of the most important tips for maintaining your butcher block is to keep it dry at all times when not in use.  Moisture is what keeps germs alive on your kitchen equipment, without it they cannot survive, and you want your solid wood butcher block to be clean and fresh for all the family.

Eliminating smells from your solid wood butcher block, maple butcher block or cutting board:

·         An easy way to eliminate strong smells is to rub the butcher block with coarse salt or baking soda. You can then wipe this off easily with a paper towel.

·         Onion and garlic odours can be very pungent so try using lemon juice all over the block to neutralize the smell. Again all you have to do is wipe it off when you are finished.

·         Again, vinegar can be used to neutralise odours (undiluted is best).

Other tips for maintaining wooden butcher blocks:

·         Rather than using a steel brush (as these can damage the surface of the block) invest in a good metal scraper to remove moisture and add new life to a butcher block.

Seal the wood against bacteria by oiling/re-seasoning it once a week.