No:)

I had a butcher block island for many years. I never prepared raw meat in that area and kept a cutting board handy for anyone who might want to make a sandwich or cut up meat and cheese. I used the food safe oil on the wood to "seal" it, and water and spills just beaded up and I wiped them away. Also, there are apparently some naturally antimicrobial properties to some wood.

I grew up with my mom slicing juicy roast beef on the same wood cutting board for years.

Butcher block countertops are made from wood, which is porous, so technically, any liquid can be absorbed into the counter. That being said, pretty much everyone seals their counters to prevent this from happening. You can seal it with a chemical, or you can seal it with natural oils. I'd probably do the latter if you plan on using it for food prep. The concept behind sealing with oil is that you saturate the wood's pores with oil to the point where nothing else can seep in. If a butcher block counter top has been well oiled/ sealed, any juices will bead on top of it and not be absorbed, then you can wipe them off and wipe the counter down with soap.

So to answer your wife's question, no she does not need to worry about prepping meat on an well sealed butcher block counter top. Just make sure to re-oil the counters every now and then to keep them fully saturated.

Thanks!

A wood counter top is not automatically a butcher block. There are several differences between an actual “butcher block” top and most wood tops being used in kitchens today. Actual butcher block is end grain wood, usually maple. It’s only ever finished with food safe mineral oil. The end grain is self healing if you cut on it. Place food on this top all you want.

Most wood tops being used in kitchens today have a permanant film forming coating on them, like an acrylic polyurethane. They are not designed to be direct work surfaces with a knife. You need to protect them and use a cutting board with them. They are usually face grain or edge grain tops. Some wood tops shouldn’t be used for food contact surfaces. Like Purple Heart. They are meant to be decorative only.

I only ever use polypropylene cutting boards with meat, so they can go in the DW.

Thanks eam44. I didn’t know this. Out to get a B.B. cutting board now. Had bamboo and plastic. The bamboo once went in the dw without my knowledge, ruined! You are a biologist who also is an expert in tile!!! Cool :-)

I notice people want butcher block on islands or full countertops a lot. So are you saying B.B. cutting boards are good because you can wash them in a sink and let them dry? The countertops can handle the meat germs, etc...but it will look like a chopped and sliced up ugly cutting board which you wouldn’t do to an expensive counter?

Aw...(blushing)... afficianado perhaps....

Yes, rebunky, that’s it exactly. That part isn’t science it’s personal preference, but I’ve seen bb counters that have been chopped on, and those that were kept pristine, and the chopped on counters end up looking not great over time. The knife marks darken, small divots form, and this is natural for well used bb, but it’s not a great look for a counter - unless that’s what you’re going for. Also, the use tends to happen in certain spots, so one preferred cutting zone will age faster than another, the front of the counter will darken before the rear. You can, of course, refinish true bb tops by sanding and oiling them, but it’s a heck of a job, and they just don’t wear evenly.

Wood absorbs anything liquid. (So does porous stone.) It’s what wood does. On a traditional butcher block, any microbes don’t survive cleaning, sanitizing, and drying.

What is sold in stores isn’t real butcher block though. And most people would not want real butcher block as a counter surface. Nor would they want to undergo restaurant level cleaning and sanitizing procedures at the end of every day. Most don’t have the floor drains and stainless work tables that can deal with the bleach runoff.

Wow great info! I guess i should have said then "wood countertop". So, no cutting on it then.

Well they will be your counters. Do as you wish, but that’s what cutting boards are for... If it makes you feel better, you can’t cut on marble either

eam44, thank you, thank you, thank you for the article! Seems I've received a lot of misinformation over time. Those darned plastic cutting boards were killing my knives when taking apart birds, cutting meats. Happy camper here!

Happy to help!

I have to wonder once again how we as a human race have survived our filth and bacteria.

Butcher shops (hence the name) have used butcher blocks for centuries. Some of those butcher blocks are still in existence, even still in use! Some are just treasured for an antique.

Sanitation and cleanliness are the key to anything safe in the kitchen.

How does the OPs wife think meat is actually cut? At least while she was probably grown up! :)

How does the OPs wife think meat is actually cut? To my understanding, the OP wasn't asking about cutting meat on it, but rather meat juices absorbed by a countertop made of wood, which are often referred to as butcher block countertops.

I place all kinds of things on my current countertops... raw meats included. But it's laminate now, so I've no concerns regarding cleaning up. Now, if we go with granite for our reno... that's another animal altogether! Just as well-poly'd wood countertops are another animal, with different absorption properties.

Yeah the concern was mostly about setting some piece of fish or meat or onion on there and then being stuck with a countertop that forever smells like fish or onions.

Cut. Set. Split Hairs.

If she's concerned about onions, keep her away from the garlic. God forbid she had an Italian or Korean kitchen forever! LOL!

I made my own butcherblock. Maple endgrain. One of the things I'm most proud of making. Being a lazy cook when I actually cook, stuff sits there until I darn well get around to dealing with it. Nothing a little soap and scrubbie doesn't take care of. Add a little mineral oil and BOOM! Gorgeous again.

If there isn't any rush, why don't you pick up one of those giant cutting boards and live with it for awhile? Make it big enough to feel like a countertop, though, so it actually gets used. See if she experiences any troubles. Trouble to one person can be a little soap and water.