I have a cutting board… now what?!

So you just got a beautiful wooden cutting board or charcuterie and you want to maintain that new look, but you’re not quite sure how to? You’re in luck, because it’s not too hard with some basic care.

First, let’s distinguish between a cutting board and a charcuterie board. Cutting boards, are exactly what they say, they are made for cutting! Simple enough right? They are designed for cutting fruits, vegetables, breads, cheeses, and COOKED meats. I have seen people use cutting boards for raw meat, but I wouldn’t. There is significantly more bacteria in raw meats than the juices in cooked meats. Charcuterie boards are not made for cutting. There are charcuterie boards that you can cut on, but they are mostly made to display meats, crackers, cheeses, etc. I would NOT cut on any board that has epoxy on in it. When epoxy is fully cured, it is safe for food contact, however, if you attempt to cut on it, small pieces can chip off. No one wants to eat plastic right?! Now, we can get into different types of cutting boards, but thats for another day… considering this is about how to CARE for your board to last for years.

The biggest problem with wooden cutting/characuterie boards is that it is a natural product. That being said, just like any wood product, they can swell and contract with the weather (think of the doors in your house sticking or not closing properly during different times of the year). We want to keep moisture away from the boards as much as possible. That means when we wash it, they DO NOT go in the dishwasher. The amount of heat and water will ruin the cutting board every time! So how do we wash it? We take a cloth or sponge, and wash it with dish soap and water. We don’t let the cutting board sit in the water in the sink either because it will soak up the water and then begin to warp. When we dry it, we either stand it on end or propped up a little bit so that there is air flow around it. We want the board to dry as evenly as possible.

So now that the cleaning is out of the way, how do we maintain it between uses? At first, it’s a little more work, but as the years go on it becomes easier. We want to keep the wood oiled. When I make the boards, I oil them and finish them with a product called Tung Honey made by Brad’s Workbench out of Texas. He also has a product call Tung Wax which can be used to finish the board after. His products are found on Etsy. You can use any cutting board oil/wax that is made to condition the boards. These can be found on Amazon. I do like Howards Cutting Board Conditioner. Do this once every couple weeks to start, then once a month and before you know it, its every few months. Essentially, Whenever you see the wood starting to look dry or have less color to it. Depending on the type of cutting board, you may be able to go years of use without having to refinish the top. When that happens, just a quick sanding to get rid of the knife marks, and re-oil the board!

If you have any questions, please feel free to send me an email! I know this is pretty long, but I wanted to make sure I covered as much as I could!