Bought Butter Board Fever? Here is The right way to Correctly Clear Your Slicing Board After Use

The butter board craze is off and operating. If this tasty observe hasn’t come throughout your TikTok feed but, it is fairly easy: People are smearing softened butter on slicing boards, topping that butter with herbs, flaky salt, honey, jams and citrus zest and serving it up with toasted bread or crackers. Enhanced butter is nothing new however this viral TikTok butter board development makes for a extra photogenic model of the basic appetizer unfold. 

@cakeshak Butter board meets cheese board #fyp#foryoupage#foryou#butterboards#foodtok#butter#butterboard#cakeshak#charcuterieboard♬ CUFF IT – Beyoncé

No, a butter board in all probability will not wreck your wood slicing board and, frankly, I am behind the social media phenomenon — actually greater than that one the place individuals are cooking rooster in Nyquil (please do not try this.) However should you’re making a great deal of butter boards this fall, you will wish to be sure to’re cleansing your wood block or slicing board completely and correctly after every use. 

The excellent news is that cleansing your favourite ash or maple slicing board and maintaining it in nice form is fast and straightforward, even when it is being usually coated with oily butter and different toppings. Under is a information to caring on your finest wood blocks and boards so that they last more and look nicer.

However first…

Wooden vs. plastic slicing boards: Which is best?

A spirited dialog about plastic slicing boards versus wood ones is not new, and there are salient arguments for each. Plastic boards are cheaper, lighter and require virtually no care, however the case for wooden is stronger should you ask me. For one, wooden boards are extra sanitary. Again in 1993, a microbiologist found that wooden boards have been, actually, higher at killing micro organism than plastic. Additional examine reveals it could be as a result of plastic boards are extra prone to knife cuts, which function tiny properties for bacterial progress.

Past causes of a hygienic nature, wooden boards are merely nicer to have a look at. I really like watching them age over time and so they do double responsibility as vessels to serve cheese and appetizers. Plastic slicing boards may also uninteresting your knives faster, particularly should you do not sharpen the blades usually.

I preserve a couple of of each sorts in my kitchen however I am a fan of my wooden slicing boards. Whereas they’ll inevitably age, they’ll and will final you a long time if you take care of them correctly. 

Here is how.

Wash and dry your wooden slicing board nicely

Like several piece of cookware that touches meals, your slicing board wants a wash after use particularly if it has been saturated in butter.  However by no means clear it within the dishwasher or submerge it within the sink. That a lot water will deeply penetrate the wooden, making it tougher to dry. Having water trapped in or sitting on a wooden board for an prolonged time frame is the quickest option to develop mildew or trigger it to separate. Simply scrape it as clear as doable with a plastic spatula and scrub it down gently with a sponge, heat water and a little bit cleaning soap.

Subsequent comes the essential half. Dry it instantly with a rag. Wipe it down till there isn’t a visible moisture on the floor and it feels dry to the contact. Attempt to not stuff it again within the cabinet both, since it will probably press up in opposition to the opposite boards and fail to dry as quick or as utterly.

Air-dry it on its aspect

That is the step that I think doomed my aforementioned slicing board. After you’ve got washed and hand-dried your board, it ought to be positioned on its aspect with either side of the board uncovered so it could air-dry the remainder of the way in which. 

If it’s good to wash your board and do extra chopping, solely wash the highest and depart that aspect as much as end your prep. Even 45 minutes or so with a moist board going through down can start to wreck the wooden’s integrity. 

Deal with your board with mineral oil a couple of occasions monthly

Conserving a bottle of mineral oil readily available and utilizing it a couple of occasions monthly is one other option to prolong the lifetime of your finest boards. To deal with your wooden slicing board, use a dry, clear rag and rub sufficient oil to coat the board’s floor on all sides (not simply the highest and backside). 

Set it on its aspect (identical to for drying) and let it sit for an hour. If it is a new board or appears significantly dry, repeat with a second coat after an hour. And if it is a significantly thick slicing board or butcher block, use not less than two coats and rub it in vigorously so the oil penetrates the middle. 

I take advantage of Howard mineral oil since it is not terribly costly and works nicely. Past your slicing boards, mineral oil can be used to deal with different wooden in your kitchen and residential together with spoons and spatulas, desks, dressers, moldings and flooring. 

Do not use olive oil to deal with a slicing board

You would possibly assume any pure oil will work to deal with a wooden board. You would be fallacious. Cooking oils will spoil and may trigger micro organism and decay on or contained in the wooden.

Lemon juice and salt to take away smells

Typically wooden boards will maintain the scent of pungent meals, together with garlic and onion. Whereas these smells will probably dissipate finally, they’ll permeate different meals within the meantime. To scrub a smelly board, squeeze the juice of 1 lemon over the slicing board. Coat the board with kosher salt and rub it vigorously to include. Let it sit for about an hour till the salt dries, then scrape it off with a dough scraper or sturdy steel flat-ended spatula.

The most effective wooden for slicing boards

Some woods are more durable than others. Whereas hardwoods comparable to oak and olivewood could final a bit longer, they’re going to do extra harm to the blades of your knives. Maple, beech and acacia are well-liked woods for slicing boards. Bamboo — technically a tough grass — is one other because it’s robust, low-cost to supply and extra eco-friendly (renewable) than different woods. 

A number of slicing boards I like

John Boos

This is a superb primary slicing board. Maple is sturdy sufficient to final years if you take care of it but in addition mild sufficient to deal with with ease. 

Fab Slab

Camphor is a more durable wooden with stunning grain patterns, making this one a favourite for serving meals. Camphor additionally has fragrant oils giving it a beautiful pure scent.

Viking

This stately 20-inch acacia slicing board is lighter than it appears. The carved-out troughs are excellent for housing chopped substances as you progress via recipe prep. 

Stella Falone

In order for you an actual showstopper of a board and chopping block, feast your eyes on the Stella Falone. It is constructed from West African ebony; the identical wooden used to make Taylor guitars. Within the spirit of leaving Earth higher than they discovered it, Founder Bob Taylor and his crew have planted over 15,000 ebony bushes in West Africa since 2016 — many greater than they’ve used to make guitars and slicing boards. 

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