I bet you own a cutting board (afterall, who doesn’t?)
Purists own wood cutting boards.
Less particular people own plastic cutting boards.
Sorry, your granite, quartz or marble countertop does not qualify as a cutting board.
Of course, if you own our teak cutting board you deserve to be applauded for your appreciation of the finer things in life.
No, this isn’t a sales pitch. I’ll save that for another time.
So, let’s jump right into these 6 dumb, and potentially dangerous, cutting board mistakes.
Dangerous Cutting Board Mistake #1:
If your cutting board doesn’t have rubber or silicone feet like ours...
…your thanksgiving turkey could end up on the floor!
Of course that might not happen if you own one of those massive industrial-size cutting boards—the type that weighs 20+ pounds, and is almost the size of Rhode Island.
In that case, it won’t slip around on your countertop, but you’ll need to employ two bodybuilders to lift it, otherwise you’ll risk a hernia.
On the other hand, if you own a light to medium-weight cutting board, you’re constantly re-orienteering it on your countertop as it slips and slides as you cut, slice and chop your meal prep.
Not to mention, wielding a knife against a moving target is an unappetizing recipe for sliced fingers. Oweee!
The remedy:
I read somewhere to place two large rubber bands around the board to keep it from doing the slip and slide.
Well, I think that’s a pretty dumb idea.
First off, where can you find two large heavy-duty rubber bands that won’t snap when lassoing your cutting board?
And if you do find a few, one wayward cut, slice or chop with your knife and snap—you’ll cut the rubber band and it’ll whip your face. Ouch!
Better idea:
Place a damp, nappy towel beneath your cutting board!
OR buy one with silicone feet, especially if it’s time to replace your board (more on that below).
Dangerous Cutting Board Mistake #2:
Using an ity-bity cutting board about the size of a deck of cards, and only big enough, though barely, to slice an apple.
Sure, you’re saving space with a small board. But if you don’t have enough space in your kitchen for a real cutting board—forget the cutting board—remodel your kitchen!
And forget about those boards designed to look like your home state—unless you live in California, Alaska or Texas—and the board is nearly the same size.
Because with those itsy-bitsy, space-saving boards, you’ll also need an itsy-bitsy knife.
And if you are not surgically precise with your cutting—not only will everything you’re cutting fall off the board—you’re gonna need surgery to re-attach your fingertips.
Oh, as for those boards that are half epoxy with pretty blue colors that look like a river runs through it…
...do you really like eating slivers of epoxy with your turkey slices?
Blech!
These are not cutting boards. At best, their serving boards, or decorations to hang on your wall—and never to be take down.
Remedy:
Get a rectangular-shaped cutting board that’s at least one inch thick, and at least 16 inches long and 12 inches wide (like ours!)
That way you’ll feel at ease as you experience the zen of slicing and dicing.
Dangerous Cutting Board Mistake #3:
Glass cutting boards!
Sure, they’re sleek, modern and smart looking—but it’s a dumb idea!
C’mon, what’s the first thing you can think of that makes a glass cutting board dangerous?
Bingo!
They break! They shatter! And the broken glass can cut you—or worse, you’ll be eating slivers of glass in your chopped salad!
Not to mention they’re slippery when wet!
Do you really want to be eating your next meal with 8 fingers instead of 10?
OR, if it slips out of your hands and falls to the floor—how many toes are you willing to lose?
Another “not a benefit.” They will dull your knives exponentially faster than a wood cutting board.
Sure, if you buy your cutlery at the “Dollar Store” it’s not a problem.
But if you buy chef quality knives—you’ll ruin them faster than you can say: Do you know how much my Henckels knives cost me!!
Ok, I’ll give you that glass is more resistant to stains and odors.
Remedy:
Purchase a wood cutting board. Any wood is better and safer than glass.
Excuse me, bamboo is not wood—it’s a grass. And no easier on your knives than glass.
So, click here to read the myriad ways to remove stains and odors from wood cutting boards.
And if you want the best wood—there’s no bester wood than teak.
What diamonds are to precious jewels, gold to precious metals, teak is to precious woods.
--Anonymous
Dangerous Cutting Board Mistake #4:
There’s plenty of research showing that wood, and teak in particular, is less likely to harbor bacteria compared to plastic boards.
Nonetheless, plastic boards are still considered safe as long as they're thoroughly, and I mean thoroughly cleaned.
And, if we’re talking bacteria here, though I’m sure you heard it before, but it bears repeating, over and over, and over again.
Do not share your cutting board with those “other” foods.
In other words, prepping your meat on your cutting board and then using the same board for your vegetables is verboten (that's German for prohibido, which is Spanish for don't do it!) even if you dedicate one side for meat and one side for vegetables.
Ignore this warning and you risk cross-contamination, the technical term for transferring bacteria to other foods.
Which should be avoided at all costs.
Bottom line:
Raw meat, poultry, and fish should never come into contact with any other ingredients.
Why? Because raw meat, poultry, and fish can harbor bacteria like E. coli and Salmonella, which can make you deathly sick.
So when you use just one cutting board for both meat and veggies, the juice from the former is more likely to contaminate the latter.
The only time it is okay for raw meat and raw vegetables or grains to come into contact with each other is when they are cooked together.
Even then, most one-pot recipes call for the meat to be cooked before the other ingredients are added.
Cross-contamination can also happen when you're prepping food for someone with an allergy.
Because even when a cutting board looks clean it could still harbor traces of an allergenic food, peanuts for example.
And then, when you use that same board on which you diced peanuts to then cut food for the person with a peanut allergy, peanut traces could transfer to the food they're eating.
Remedy:
Keep at least two cutting boards handy—one for meat, fish, and poultry, and one for vegetables, grains and fruit—and if necessary, a third for someone with food allergies.
Dangerous Cutting Board Mistake #5:
Not saying good-bye to an old and trusted friend when it’s time to part ways.
Look, even the best cutting boards do not last forever.
If you're using an old cutting board with deep grooves from chopping and cutting, it's time to retire it.
Especially if it has really deep, Grand Canyon-size, grooves that can’t be easily cleaned.
Because if the grooves are so deep that tiny specs of food can’t be easily removed—bacteria will grow there.
And then the bacteria will transfer onto the foods you're cutting.
This could then put you or others at risk of food poisoning.
Remedy:
Don’t be sentimental. Stop using a cutting board with deep grooves for food prep.
If you can’t bear to toss it—hang it on the wall and admire it from afar.
Dangerous Cutting Board Mistake #6:
Not sanitizing your cutting board.
Scrubbing your cutting board after each use with soap and water is correct, proper and smart.
But occasionally you need to do more.
Remedy:
Bring on the bleach!
Bleach will kill all bacteria, and any other living organism, i.e., mold and mildew, that’s found a welcoming home on your cutting board.
Step 1:
Pour one gallon of water in your kitchen sink (with the stopper down).
Step 2:
Pour in one tablespoon of chlorine bleach.
Step 3:
Soak your cutting board in the diluted bleach solution for about three to five minutes.
This will be enough time for the bleach to kill any bacteria on the board.
Step 4:
Drain the water, and wash your board using hot water and dish soap like Dawn dishwashing soap to be sure all the bleach and its corresponding odor have been cleared off.
Step 5:
Dry your board with a towel, and stand it on end to completely dry out.
Step 6:
Season your board with food-grade mineral oil—exactly like you did when you first bought it, and every month thereafter.
And I mean really slather it on, and then let it sit for a few minutes to absorb the oil. Then wipe off the excess.
DO NOT wash a wooden cutting board in the dishwasher!
It's fine to put a plastic cutting board in the dishwasher, but the high heat and high moisture in a dishwasher will cause wooden boards to warp and or crack.
However, it’s perfectly acceptable and even advisable to place your cutting board in the dishwasher (with the door open) to allow air to circulate and dry your cutting board on all sides.
Remember, bacteria thrive in dark and damp conditions.
Also, your cutting board won't thoroughly dry if you lay it flat on your counter.
For a more detailed understanding of how to care for your cutting board I highly recommend you read our teak cutting board care guide.
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