Cleaning cutting boards

amother

Mon, Jun 05 2023, 1:13 pm

My cutting boards all get terribly stained, like the first time I use them.
I cut a butternut squash or carrots, stained orange.
I cut a brisket in tomato-stained.

I scrub them with Pamolive and then put them in the dishwasher, but they still look gross.

Should I be bleaching with Clorox (1/100?)

I am a terrible cleaner. Please advise

(Posting anonymously because I am embarrassed that I am over 30 and still am a terrible housekeeper)

amother

Wallflower

Mon, Jun 05 2023, 2:07 pm

I have glass cutting boards and I find them the best for cleaning. They wipe off so easily and they don't end up so scratching from cutting. When I tried both wood and plastic, they both stained from butternut squash or similar, and I didn't like how they looked so scratched so fast.

amother

Darkblue

Mon, Jun 05 2023, 2:09 pm

Are you asking from an aesthetic standpoint or a food safety one? From a safety perspective, you do not need to bleach a cutting board if you've washed it well in hot water and detergent. The stains are merely cosmetic, not hazardous. If they don't offend you, leave them as is. If you're offended, go ahead and bleach, or pour on a little lemon juice and leave them in strong sunlight for a few hours.

I usually leave them be. Once in a blue moon I get ambitious and bleach, but some stains penetrate deep and after a while don't come out. Meh. I'm not going to ditch a perfectly good cutting board just because it's not as pretty as it used to be. (Who is?) Those stains are a badge of honor attesting to the fact that somebody's been cooking food from scratch.

Now if it's a wooden cutting board and it's splintering, that's a horse of a different color. But even then it could probably be sanded smooth if you wanted to put in that much effort.

Amarante

Mon, Jun 05 2023, 2:17 pm

amother Wallflower wrote:

Glass cutting board is absolutely terrible for your knives.

As to original question, I use wood for vegetables and fruit ad they have never stained even after years of use.

I use plastic for meat and chicken because I want to sanitize in the dishwasher and they also aren’t stained. They might become a bit scratched because the surface is soft and so it can show knife scratches but nit stained even with tomato

YounginBP

Mon, Jun 05 2023, 2:22 pm

Amarante wrote:

Mine are from Amazing Savings and are definitely stained. The vegetable ones more than the fruit.
But that might be because I cut veggies daily, but fruit more like weekly.

Supermom#1

Mon, Jun 05 2023, 3:37 pm

amother Wallflower wrote:

I second this! tempered glass is absolutely the best for cutting boards. I got so sick of those gross wood and plastic ones. Once I tried glass, I could never go back to wood or plastic. I always recommend it to people and everyone thanks me for it.
For some reason, local stores don't all sell it so they can be gotten on Amazon, Walmart, Ebay. etc

ra_mom

Tue, Jun 06 2023, 12:32 am

amother OP wrote:

White plastic like these

Place it in the sink and spray it with bleach spray. Let is sit for an hour or two and then come back and wash it with some scrubbing. Should be restored quite easily (I do this with a similar plastic type board).

I bought a cheap one for pesach one year with plans to throw it out after, but I really enjoyed it and kept it all year. I replace each pesach and use often during the year as well (we like to slice meat on it, on shabbos).

Iymnok

Tue, Jun 06 2023, 2:12 am

Only use glass if you like replacing your knives regularly.
Wood is very nice to use. Seasonit with oil whenever it looks dry. Even you’ll get a velvety surface after regular use.

amother

Wallflower

Tue, Jun 06 2023, 3:01 am

Iymnok wrote:

Only use glass if you like replacing your knives regularly.
Wood is very nice to use. Seasonit with oil whenever it looks dry. Even you’ll get a velvety surface after regular use.

I'm forever replacing my knives as I keep losing them. I lost 2 just before pesach and thought I'll find them when I pesach clean. Nope, so off I went to buy some more. So I guess I haven't noticed my knives getting dull. LOL

Iymnok

Tue, Jun 06 2023, 3:05 am

amother Wallflower wrote:

It must be your glass cutting board taking them! LOL

amother

DarkPurple

Tue, Jun 06 2023, 4:17 am

I buy the cheapest plastic ones. They dont stain but they do get cut marks. The good thing about getting it cheap is that I throw them out the second they get too worn out. I get the 5 in a pack ones they usually last a year or more

WitchKitty

Tue, Jun 06 2023, 4:43 am

First, don't get white ones...
I love my wooden cutting boards. They don't get stained. I've also noticed that glass ruins the knives- and I have good knives I would hate to ruin. If you change knives every month anyway so go ahead and buy a glass one.
The plastic also gets scratched.

Amarante

Tue, Jun 06 2023, 8:41 am

If you have knives that you seriously don't mind damaging or replacing frequently you are making prepping much more difficult because a good quality knife makes everything easier.

Also a poor knife OR one that isn't sharpened regularly OR one that has the cutting edge damaged is also dangerous. Dull knives cause injury because they don't cut through like butter and so you have to force with pressure which often means that the knife slips.

Once you have cut something with a really good knife that is sharp, you can't go back because the difference is so strong.

Last edited by Amarante on Tue, Jun 06 2023, 12:36 pm; edited 1 time in total

Busybee5

Tue, Jun 06 2023, 8:52 am

I wouldn't use glass, I used to but it was slippery and hard to cut with.
I use dark coloured boards and wash well after use. It has cut marks but no unsightly stains. Or you could buy a new one twice a year or so.