How to care for wooden cutting boards
All wooden cutting boards require maintenance over time (we shared some of our best tips right here: https://food52.com/blog...). We’d love to know how you’re caring for your board: what’s working best for you? And what lessons have you learned along the way?
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One thing I know is that the Japanese do not use mineral oil or other coatings on their wooden cutting boards. They moisten their cutting boards (including the wood counters in their restaurants) before and during use which helps minimize staining. Wipe messes promptly with a wet cloth.
Amusingly high-quality wood cutting boards in Japan are very affordably priced and are plentiful in restaurant supply shops. I bought one on my travels and lugged it back in my suitcase because the ones sold here are about 5-6x the price (priced similar to premium Western-style cutting boards).
There are really cheap ones in the local Japanese dollar shops (in my part of the USA), about five bucks. I'd rather buy a couple of these and replace them every ten years than spend $100+ for some fussy, hardwood Western-style wood cutting board.
It's also a single plank of wood, not one of the composite boards with a bunch of pieces glued together. Even a quality composite board like a Boos Blocks will start to show signs of separation in a few years (I won one of these in a contest).
A single plank of wood is a better cutting board. Cleanup is quick and simple.
I do know that untreated wood has natural antibacterial properties (trees need this to protect themselves). There are also aesthetic considerations in terms of appearance as well as aroma.
Wet hinoki has a rather pleasant aroma that does not carry strongly over to the food when used in quick contact during preparation. Westerners use wood barrels to impart flavors to things like wine and distilled spirits so this is not specific to their food culture.
As far as I can tell, this is not specific to a specific type of wood or item. Japanese use untreated wood in all manners of use (including building materials, furniture, etc.) and future replacement is a given. They don't seem to be compelled to slap on a couple of coats of polyurethane sealant onto something so it can look brand new five years later.
They seem to have a nuanced appreciation that everything has its season. New wood becomes old wood in time, the natural way.
If they want wood to last, they lacquer it. But that's a different aesthetic where the lacquer is the primary focus, not the wood itself. Carefully maintained lacquerware can last decades, even centuries. But I'm digressing...