No, you are NOT being overly cautious, imho!

Yes, I use one special acrylic cutting board for meats and another one designated for veggies. For bread, I cut it on a dinner plate. I clean my acrylic boards in hot, soapy water with bleach. I wouldn't use a wooden one.

Hi Jas

I don't own a wooden cutting board... mine is marble. I cut EVERYTHING on mine.

Why marble?

Well, you see, when my sis first got married, she lived in a condo, where down the street they remodeled an old villa. Every morning when she came home from work, and walked by the construction site, she would pick up a piece of marble and take it home. She had quite a pile, when one morning, while she sat at breakfast she heard a loud noise, and ran outside to see. There was a huge front end loader that just dumped the remaining marble in to a big construction dumpster. She wishes, she would have picked up more... but none the less let her sisters pick out a piece to use as a cutting board.

Love mine.

Moni

I have a big wooden cutting board that fit in a Hoosier cabinet. I don't use it often but I bleach mine to keep it nice. I have a smaller cutting board in the front of a little cabinet, I do the same thing for it. My acrylic ones I run though the dishwasher . They might even be plastic. I use those the most.

Sue

Cutting boards of wood or the white plastic stuff (that are dishwasher safe) seem to be the most popular.

While I know that marble isn't a hard rock, I'd never use anything like that as a cutting board for fear of dulling my good knives. I won't use them to cut food on my granite counters, or on plates or platters for the same reason. If you don't have a multitude of slash marks on any cutting board, it's too hard. Because of the slash marks that a properly soft cutting board accumulates, they need to be replaced periodically.

You need to oil that board. Once it gets seasoned, you can cut anything on it. I keep meats off wood but everything else is cut on the wood board.

I use food safe mineral oil to oil my board. I wash it with hot soapy water, let it air dry and oil it once a week.

"You need to oil that board."

Absolutely! I agree. And...if you can find it at your markets...use walnut oil. It's quite viscus, odorless and will absorb easily into your new board. Crushed walnuts rubbed on the wood will accomplish the same thing...but the oil is much better. I've kept a beautiful dark walnut, 50 year old cutting board looking like new year after year of use employing this method. The grain is so sealed now that I can run it under steaming hot, soapy water and it does not permeate the surface. It cleans and sterilizes the surface but leaves the integrity of the wood alone.

Congratulations on your purchase. A fine cutting board will become a family heirloom. Enjoy!

Anne

The board was oiled when I bought it, and I've oiled it a time or two since, with mineral oil. I don't want it to crack or anything ugly like that.

I didn't know that oiling will help the smells from permeating.

I don't cut my knives on anything hard. I often see glass cutting boards at the second-hand stores and of course I pass them by. And the noise of the knife hitting it! I couldn't stand that.

I use a small acrylic cutting board for onion and garlic, and then I wash it in the dish washer. I scrub down the large wood board with a damp 3M green scrubber and straight dishwashing detergent. I oil it with mineral oil.

I have 2 white plastic cutting boards (different sizes) that can go in the dishwasher to clean/sanitize.

I remember you posting a picture of yours on the "show me thread". I also have wooden cutting boards, 3 of them! All are large! This one is my favorite. I took the woodworkers design and asked to have a double black pinstripe put on either side. Had to wait 2 months to get it tho. The exotic woods are left over from the furniture he makes. I LOVE MINE!!!! All I ever do is put "food grade" mineral oil on it. (Purchased the oil @ Tuesday Morning).

This one is 8 years old....I use it daily....cut anything and everything on it.....it retains no odor. After cutting pork or chicken on it I wash it with bleach & let it sit. It still looks FANTASTIC.....altho the little tiny red squiggly line that weaves down the middle isn't very red any more. It looks white in the picture. :0)

ENJOY!

This post was edited by nicole__ on Sat, Feb 22, 14 at 11:43

Good memory, Nicole!

Yes, mine was custom made as well to my specifications. It was done in less than a week, and it was only $30 which is a steal. The large cutting boards at the restaurant supply store are well over $100.

Mine is walnut and cherry and I love the design.

I'm sure tempted to cut garlic and onion on mine and it means one less cutting board to wash. Although meats will still be on my white plastic/acrylic one.

Anything "custom" and quality is a steal for $30. YOU KILLED IT!

For the custom one, I paid $48 + shipping = $56

This one is from Bed, Bath & Beyond. I paid $25 (24"x18") with a coupon.

I paid $8 for this one hanging on the island end cap...must be 35 years old!

This brings back some memories........:0)

This post was edited by nicole__ on Sat, Feb 22, 14 at 12:46

I've had a wooden cutting board for years, not a high end one, just something I picked up a the supermarket or a discount store. I cut everything on it....meat, garlic, onions, fruits veggies, briead. I wash it with soap and water between uses and have never had food poisoning to my knowledge. I also use it as a landing pad for hot things taken out of the oven or off the stove.

I'm with you, Fran. My mom used her pull-out cutting board for over 40 years for everything, including meats, with no problem. She used her dish rag, warm water and a little dish soap--no bleach. I believe I heard wood has a natural inclination to be antibacterial.

Never cut raw meat on a wood board. It contaminates the board. The micro-cuts become infested with meat particles rendering the board unsafe. Cross contamination will occur to other foods cut on the same board.

I cut everything on mine except chicken and I wash it in hot soapy water and also oil it. Love my wooden cutting board. I asked how to care for mine on the KT years ago when I got it.

jemdandy, your information is not correct. Some years ago the government science department here determined that in fact wood has an antimicrobial property which makes them less contaminated that plastic. In addition the cuts tend to self-heal which also does not happen with plastic. Tests done on plastic vs wooden cutting boards showed the plastic boards to be seething with germs, whereas the wooden boards under the same treatment were not.

colleenoz is correct! A new surge in wooden counter tops has emerged since this announcement. If you've been watching these home remodel shows on cable....which I have....LOL They love "Boos", it's still a top name brand in cutting boards and NOW counter tops! Wooooohooooooooo!

Enjoy your wood cutting boards everyone!!!!!!!