News — kitchen board maintenance

If your wooden chopping board is warping, it’s almost always because one side is taking on more moisture or heat than the other. In practical terms, that means things like soaking the board, putting it in a dishwasher or leaving one face wet can bend it by 2 to 5 millimetres in as little as a few days. The best way to stop it is to keep both sides treated equally: quick hand washing, drying upright, oiling every 4 to 6 weeks and choosing a board that is at least 1.8 kg and 38 cm long so it stays stable...

No, you shouldn’t put a wooden chopping board in the dishwasher. A single 70 °C dishwasher cycle can warp, crack and strip oil from wood fibres, which can cut the lifespan of a wooden board from 5–10 years of daily use down to less than 1 year. If you want your board to stay flat, food safe and attractive, hand washing and quick drying are essential. Why wooden chopping boards don’t belong in the dishwasher Wood is a natural, porous material. In a dishwasher your board is exposed to three problems at once: high heat, soaking water and strong detergent....

If you want your maple chopping board to last 5 to 10 years without splitting or smelling, the essentials are simple: wash it by hand after every use, dry it within 10 minutes, and oil it every 3 to 4 weeks with a food safe mineral oil or board conditioner. Do those three things and a maple cutting board will stay smooth, safe and attractive for everyday kitchen use. Daily care: cleaning your maple chopping board properly Maple is a close grained hardwood, which means it resists deep staining and knife grooves better than many softer woods. It still needs...

If you want the longest life from a wooden or bamboo chopping board, the best routine is mineral oil every 4 weeks plus board butter every 8 to 12 weeks. On a 45x35cm board this takes about 5 minutes and can add 5 to 10 years to its usable life compared with leaving it untreated. Board butter vs mineral oil: what is actually better for your chopping board? For day to day care of a wooden or bamboo chopping board, food grade mineral oil is the best starting point. It is thin, soaks deep into the fibres and helps stop...