Wood cutting board... question??

Our wood cutting board is starting to stink, even after cleaning it numerous times. We cooked a lot with onions and garlic this last week and when I went into the kitchen this morning and passed by it on the counter it stunk like food and I know we cleaned it several times already.

I was never a fan of wood cutting boards for this reason, but DH loves them. How do you get that smell out?

Re: Wood cutting board... question??

you can try and clean it with bleach but that might ruin the cutting board.

I usually throw mine out if they get too bad. Try getting a bamboo one. They last longer and are better than the regular wood ones.

Re: Wood cutting board... question??

Re: Wood cutting board... question??

Try white vinegar and then lemon juice. That may cut the smell.

Re: Wood cutting board... question??

Re: Wood cutting board... question??

Re: Wood cutting board... question??

Posted by Lisa

Posted by JldDolphin

Posted by Elbee

Try white vinegar and then lemon juice. That may cut the smell.

ITA!

This is why I love my glass cutting board. As much as I love the look of the bamboo or wood cutting boards, they just keep the smells and maybe even bacteria. Have you tried putting it through the dishwasher? Can you do that with wood ones? Just a thought.

dont put it in the dishwasher....it will crack and break apart. Take it from me, who did that!! I ended up with many little cutting boards after I out my big one in the dishwasher.

I would check if your cutting board is bamboo or not. Bamboo is harder than regular wood and can not be cut into like regular wood, therefore will not harper any bacteria or smells.

here is some info I found online

The Advantages of Bamboo Cutting Boards

Bamboo cutting boards combine the timeless beauty of natural wood with the increasingly important and necessary benefits of sustainability. While it may take hardwood decades, or even hundreds of years to grow, bamboo is one of the fastest growing -and easiest to maintain- plants on the planet. Some species of bamboo are able to grow at a rate of one foot per day. Wow!




Depending on the way it is cut and glued, bamboo also has the potential to be visually stunning. The various whorls, spots, and cross-grains of bamboo provide a fascinating combination of light and dark textures.




Aside from the beauty and sustainability of bamboo cutting boards (as if that wasn't enough!), bamboo also offer a number of additional advantages over traditional hardwood cutting boards.




Bamboo absorbs very little moisture. This means that any cutting board made from bamboo is far less prone to warping and cracking than boards made from traditional woods.

Bamboo does not harbor bacteria easily. Because Bamboo is hard and non-porous, there is little chance of bacteria entering the wood along with water or other fluids.

Bamboo is more durable than hardwood. While bamboo is technically a grass, the wood that is harvested from the massive shoots -which may reach up to 120 feet tall and 8 foot wide!- is in fact harder than maple or oak. This means that even the sharpest cooking knives will not easily scar it.

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Message edited 3/4/2010 9:50:03 PM.

Re: Wood cutting board... question??

i only have the plastic ones, they are cheap like 9.99 and if they break i just get a new one

Re: Wood cutting board... question??

I saw this on Rachele Ray once and thought it was helpful. She uses salt and water. Here is the clip

clip

Re: Wood cutting board... question??

I also heard that you are supposed to oil down your cutting board so it doesn't crack... not sure if that's for wood or for bamboo...

Re: Wood cutting board... question??

I use a plastic cutting board for meats and veggies. anything remotely wet.

I really only use my wood cutting board for bread, for precisely this reason.

wood is porous, and unless you seal it (ala butcher block counter) I would be weirded out that "fragrances" and juices and food particles were seeping in.

and yes, you should oil down your cutting board every so often.

Re: Wood cutting board... question??

Thanks for all the info and suggestions!

Re: Wood cutting board... question??

I think I heard lemon juice from someone, and I see someone else suggested it. Worth a shot!

Re: Wood cutting board... question??

I would do salt and water, then oil it up. Bamboo needs to oiled once in awhile. We have a huge bamboo cutting board and i cut everything but cooked/raw meat on it and it still looks brand new.

Re: Wood cutting board... question??

I'd toss it if it smells. Pick up a bamboo one or a plastic one.