By Amanda Laird of Mise En Place

A cutting board is essential to any kitchen.  Next to your chef’s knife, it’s probably one of the kitchen tools you use most often.  To make sure that you keep your cutting boards in tip-top shape, and free from bacteria, it is important that you take good care of them.

Plastic or wood?

It’s your preference whether you want plastic or wood cutting boards.  Plastic are easy to pop into the dishwasher, but wood can be a beautiful addition to a counter top.

The more the merrier

In order to avoid cross contamination, keep at least two cutting boards in your kitchen.; one for raw meat and fish, the other for everything else.  Since garlic and onions can have strong, lingering odours, you may wish to keep a small cutting board strictly for this purpose.

Keep ‘em clean!

It is essential that you keep your cutting boards clean.  Plastic boards are dishwasher safe, but wood boards can crack, split or even start to develop mold if they are run through the dishwasher.  Instead, clean them with hot water and mild dish soap.  Dry them standing up on their sides and allow them to dry completely before using them again.  Every so often, clean them with coarse salt and the cut side of half a lemon to remove odours and stains. 

Prevent slipping

Placing a damp towel underneath your cutting board will help to prevent slipping while you’re chopping away.

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