Care instructions for wooden cutting boards
At Butch Shop, you will find a wide selection of wooden cutting boards, chopping blocks, and serving boards.
Our brand manufacturers such as Boos Blocks, Jack & Lucy, and Noyer use only high-quality woods for production and guarantee you - with proper use and care - long-lasting, if not lifelong, enjoyment of your cutting board. However, even the best type of wood is a natural product and therefore needs a little attention.
Cleaning
First and foremost, the most important no-go: wooden boards MUST NOT be put in the dishwasher. No wood can withstand being exposed to hot water, steam, and aggressive cleaning agents for the duration of a wash cycle. The wood would swell, warp, and make it impossible to work with. The same applies to the sink: please DO NOT soak the board.
For cleaning, we recommend rinsing the board under hot running water and cleaning it with a sponge and mild dish soap. Non-scratching scouring pads suitable for sensitive surfaces such as glass are allowed. If your cutting board already has deeper cutting grooves due to frequent use, a brush is recommended. Please do not use steel wool or stainless steel pot cleaners!
Drying
After cleaning, dry your cutting board with a dish towel and let it air dry completely. To do this, it's best to stand the board upright on a dish towel. Good drying after cleaning is immensely important, as otherwise unsightly stains or even mold can form. In addition, with damp boards, the "self-cleaning" process through tannic acid cannot begin.
For labels like Noyer, a small wooden stand is already included for this purpose. Some also use the stand for decorative presentation of the wooden board in the kitchen.
Care
Frequent use and frequent washing can wear out the wood. Therefore, we recommend treating the cutting boards from time to time with suitable oil or care products. You can find good wood care products - as it should be - here in the Butch Shop: Cleaning & Care.
Oils and so-called care creams restore the wood's elasticity and shine. They preserve the wood, protect it against fading, drying out, and cracking, and ensure a long service life of the cutting board. Simply apply the care product to the cleaned board and rub it in well until the surface is completely covered.
We at Butch recommend letting the oil soak in overnight. For this purpose, you leave the board standing upright in a well-ventilated place. The next day, you wipe off the excess oil with a kitchen towel - done.
Tips for use
Most cutting boards have a comfortable format for working. One should pay a little attention not to always cut in the same place. Use the size and distribute the cuts on the surface of the board. A tip: Use one side of the board for cutting and the other for serving. This way, no cut marks will interfere when serving food on the wooden board.
Speaking of cut marks: No matter how high the quality of your cutting board is - there will always be marks from cutting and working. And it should be that way! Because it is visible proof that a good wooden cutting board protects your precious knives. When producing really high-quality kitchen boards, no too hard wood is used, instead, they have a balanced combination of hardness and flexibility. This way, the blade penetrates the wood surface a little when cutting food. In contrast to materials such as hard plastic, glass, or marble. They dull knife blades because they are harder than the knife steel.
Refurbishing
After very long and intensive use, it may be that you dislike the signs of wear and want to remove the worst flaws. This is also advisable, because residues can otherwise accumulate in the cut marks. The best repair result is achieved by your trusted carpenter.
If the scratches are not too deep, you can try it yourself. To do this, carefully sand the surface with sandpaper of the "medium" grain. Then you should polish the board smooth with a fine grain. Finally, the wooden board must be treated with oil or care cream, as described under "Care".
Keyword "Hygiene"
Finally, we would like to dispel a prejudice: Many people consider plastic cutting boards to be more hygienic than wooden boards. This is not correct! Manufacturer-independent tests have shown that wooden boards perform better (note the double meaning!) than plastic boards when it comes to the hygienic properties of the material. Provided that they are high-quality wooden cutting boards and are cleaned and maintained properly. Our brand manufacturers also use wood species whose high tannin content inhibits the formation of germs, such as maple, oak or walnut.
Conclusion: The most important thing for your cutting board is proper cleaning and care. Regularly cleaned and well-maintained wooden boards meet the highest hygiene requirements.
If you give your wooden cutting boards some attention, as described here, they will thank you and accompany you as loyal and diligent kitchen helpers for a long time.