7 Things You Should Never Do To Your Cutting Board
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In 2013, I reviewed a gorgeous, sustainably harvested cutting board from Proteak. They’ve recently relaunched their Marine Collection of cutting boards, and asked if I would like to share them with all of you again.
You can read the full review of Proteak and the Proteak Cutting Boards to learn about teak, where the wood is grown and the company’s commitment to environmental stewardship. Since they’ve taken steps to produce a quality produce that lasts, I figured it would be a great idea to share the things you should never do to your cutting board to help it stay beautiful for a lifetime of service.
7 Things You Should Never Do To Your Cutting Board
Adapted from Best Care Practices for Your Proteak Products to Prolong the Beauty of Teak
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- Never let your cutting board get extremely dry, or place on or near excessive heat (such as a stove). They are wood, and can burn. Even if they don’t catch fire, excessive dryness can cause cracking or breakage.
- Never leave your cutting board to soak or sit wet. Extreme humidity can cause the wood to swell, weakening the structure of the board. Putting a wooden cutting board in the dishwasher is just completely and utterly a bad thing.
- Never cut continuously in the same place on your cutting surface. Distribute your cutting over the entire work surface so that it will wear evenly.
- Never use only only one side of the cutting board. Turn your cutting board over periodically to allow even usage to both work surfaces.
- Never use a razor-edged cleaver. This can chip or splinter the wood and produce soft spots. Your cleaver should have a duel sharpened edge for best results.
- Never leave your cutting board sitting dirty after cutting meat. Always wash the block thoroughly in warm, soapy water after cutting fish, red meat or fowl on the work surface and allow to air dry well before storage.
- Never cut off ends, drill holes, make cutouts, or otherwise deface surfaces without refinishing the exposed unfinished wood. Not only would you void your Proteak guarantees, you’d be defacing a work of art.
To learn how to care for your cutting boards, you can visit the post, “Why Wooden Cutting Boards are Best“. With proper seasoning and care, a good quality cutting board can last for years, and may even become a family heirloom. They also make beautiful yet functional gifts.
If you’re curious what you CAN do with your cutting board (besides the obvious), check out 5 Creative Cutting Board Uses – In and Out of the Kitchen.
I love these butcher blocks. Hard to decide which one to choose. I use them for cutting wild game and other meats, cutting veggies. Presentation boards for cheese tray or other appetizers. I could own all of them and still use everyone tons of times. They are simply beautiful in addition to being extremely useful.
I would use one for meat and another for produce.
7 nevers was good information. In reviewing the information on tips on the Teak website it was very helpful to know to clean the cutting board with vinegar and baking soda, salt and lemon or hydrogen peroxide. I never knew that. I believe I have one of their larger cutting boards that I was lucky enough to find at a yard sale for a really good price. I like the idea of purchasing their soaps and oils for keeping all cutting boards in great condition. Good luck to all that entered to win, as I did not.
Number five is an oximoron. “Dull sharpened” are you saying I should purposefully dull my knifes???
Yep, it probably makes more sense now that I changed the “l” to an “e” like it should have been in the first place.
Would love the Gourmet Chopping board or even the Rectangle Edge Grain Cutting Board with Corner Hole and Juice Groove. I love using a wooden cutting board. There is a rare meal that I do not use a cutting board.
I received my cutting board today! It is beautiful. Now I just have to convince myself to actually *use* it, and not just show it off as art, lol!
Yeah!
My favorite is RECTANGLE EDGE GRAIN WITH CORNER HOLE & JUICE GROOVE – I have recently turned to eating fruits and veggies and living alone. Have to have goodies cut in a “quick grab” form or I find junk easier to eat. It would be used for cutting portions of fruits and veggies and preparing for canning. I thing the groove would be great to catch the watermelon (melons juice) for drinking and the fruit for canning or just eating. same with veggies. Thank you for the entry and “great chopping” every one!!
I’ve never heard of Proteak before, but that board is beautiful! Thanks for sharing this!
I would use this board to cut up the vegies from my garden and the fruits too!
It’d be great to replace my plastic cutting board with one of these. I’d even clean fish on it.
This would be a welcome addition to my kitchen. I could renovate the entire thing all around this board. 🙂
I am impressed with the look, quality and price of the boards they have!
Both my husband and I use cutting boards daily: he when he makes his breakfast, and I when I am making dinner, so I guess my best answer would be that I would use it for chopping whenever I cook!
I make absolutely everything from scratch. Love to cook, garden. Love everything about food and the kitchen and garden. I think if I won this one, I might dedicate it strictly to meat.
There are SO many ways to use this.
Chopping peppers for ‘Cowboy Caviar’
I would use the cutting board for all the nice fruits and veggies I get from my garden.
I never have enough cutting boards.
Great product! ready to buy one
Beautiful cutting boards! Would have to display this between uses. Would love to win!
I’ve never own your product and would love to. It is what it is, I have bought so many “cheap” cutting boards, it would be nice to have a good quality one! I only use my cutting boards for cooking/baking. Cutting veggies, prepping meats, making bread dough and pie crust, etc. Thank you for this opportunity!
The one pictured in this post is gorgeous!!! From their website I love the “RECTANGLE EDGE GRAIN CUTTING BOARD WITH CORNER HOLE AND JUICE GROOVE”.
I would use this cutting board for everything! It’s gorgeous. I currently have a plastic one that the works well enough but I’ve been wishing for a quality wooden one for quite a while now.
I love the RECTANGLE EDGE GRAIN CUTTING BOARD WITH CORNER HOLE AND JUICE GROOVE 18 X 14 X .75 especially because of the grooves for juices dripping and the hole for hanging, plus it’s a nice, large size.
I cut a lot of meats and have destroyed many a cutting board, but after reading your rules I see what I’ve done horribly wrong all these years. And yes, I even caught one on fire.
I hope to redeem myself with a new cutting board, possibly as a winner in your contest!
My mom scorched a cutting board I made in junior high school. It was shaped like a pig, and she gave it a brand on its backside with the stove burner.
Such an attractive cutting board…I would leave on the counter for all to see!
Can you tell me if this brand of cutting board is nontoxic? I was reading about how wood boards are held together with toxic glues and sometimes have a oil finish that isnt healthy. Ive been looking for one that is as nontoxic as possible. These boards are beautiful, but i have a very sick child and have to be very diligent with all things when it comes to toxins. Thanks!
I can double check with the manufacturers, but I can’t imagine they would go through such care to produce the wood only to bind it together with toxic glues. The surest way you could guarantee what your getting would be to buy a solid piece of wood from someone you trust and cut it to the size you need. I still have the cutting board I made in junior high school.
I like gourmet or rectangular edge grain. I would use it for making dinner.
i always coat my wood utensils and boards with walnut oil, brings out the beauty and protects them.
Would love this cutting board. I use a plastic one 🙁
I’d cut a lot of vegetables on it
I would use this board to cut up the fruits and veggies that I’m trying to eat more of 🙂
Love the gourmet board!
Karen U
I like the Gourmet Chopping Board with the handle so I could transfer the chopped food easily. I would use this in my kitchen for making soups and lots of other food. 🙂
GOURMET BOARD
I have been wanting one of these!
like it, goodto no
I would use it for my fruits and veggies to make delicious vegan meals.
such a gorgeous cutting board!!
My favorite is the Rectangle Edge Grain Cutting Board with Corner Hole and Juice Groove
It’s so pretty, I would serve fruit, crackers, and cheeses on it!
This board would get lots of love in my kitchen! It would be perfect for cutting up fruits and veggies. Love wood! I like the chop and slide board in the Marine collection.
I would use this beautiful board as a cheese platter.
Wow. Thanks for the tips!
I would give one of these to my husband. He is the hottest cook!
What a beautiful cutting board! And great tips! I think #3 is the hardest for me!
I would use it to encourage my daughters to help more in the kitchen and learn more about cooking.
I love my Proteak cutting boards.
Bought two to give one away and they love it as well.