Wooden chopping boards have been used for centuries, they are an environmentally friendly and beautiful addition to your kitchen.
However, in a world where we so often question the cleanliness and hygiene of everything that we use, is wood a good choice to maintain a healthy kitchen? Especially given that we so often expect that the items we use can be put in a dishwasher and magically hygienically cleaned.
And we should also weigh up the impact of our plastic chopping boards. While a plastic board may be affected less than their wooden counterparts when subjected to a dishwasher round it may perform more poorly in other ways. Damage to a plastic board is irreversible, unlike the way in which wood will heal itself. Plastic damage will lead to small parts that may end up in food, as well as deeper gouges that may harbour bacteria. Wood not only harbours less bacteria it has properties that actively neutralise bacteria.
Wood is an hygienic choice, with those natural properties that neutralise bacteria. The self healing properties that wood has mean it is more hard wearing than plastic alternatives, which can quickly develop cuts and damage that can harbour bacteria. Wood has the added benefit of not adding any microplastics to your food during food preparation. It can also be refurbished and refinished in a way that plastic can’t, lending itself to a long and sustainable life span.
We finish our boards with osmo oil, which is food safe, while adding some protection to the wood and helping to prevent staining. If you find that your wooden board requires refreshing it can be lightly sanded back, and then retreated with osmo oil or equivalent. We have care packages available on request.
Sources:
Hygienic Evaluation of Wooden Cutting Boards: Microbiological Parameters – DOAJ
Exploring the chopping board microbiome- lessons learned.pdf (www.food.gov.uk - Food Standards Agency)
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