No matter your preferences, Cupps and Baraghani agree that whereas three boards is the dream—a smaller one for jobs like slicing cheese or crushing garlic after which two giant ones to maintain meat and greens from fraternizing—a minimal of two is good. And if you happen to actually can’t bear to disappoint Aunt Mabel, use your glass slicing board as a serving board for snack platters, an onion galette (presliced!), hunks of this tacky apple crumb bar, or pre-topped tinga tostadas with bacon-y black beans.
Methods to Wash Your Reducing Boards
As we talked about, plastic slicing boards are usually the bottom upkeep possibility as you may merely pop them within the dishwasher. Even nonetheless, if you happen to’re slicing meat or fish, you would possibly wish to take into account scraping off any remnant bits beneath cool water earlier than throwing it in. In restaurant kitchens, folks usually have a metallic scraper that appears a bit like a palette knife for this; your pastry scraper also can work. It prevents the proteins from being cooked into the board’s nooks and crannies in sizzling water.
Use that very same cold-water scraping method whenever you wash your rubber board, then comply with with a sizzling, sudsy cleaning soap up. Each rubber and plastic boards may be left to air-dry since they aren’t vulnerable to warping.
The high-maintenance board is your wooden board–however it’s additionally stunning, long-lasting, and smooth in your chef’s knife. Consider it this manner: The time you spend sustaining your slicing board will likely be made up for since you’ll should sharpen your chef’s knife much less. Because you’re utilizing your plastic or rubber board for uncooked meat (proper?), a scrape down adopted by a heat, soapy hand-wash is normally sufficient for picket boards. Simply don’t overlook the underside. For those who continually get just one aspect of the board moist, you’re erratically hydrating the wooden. Maintain that very same concept in thoughts when slicing: In case your board is reversible, attempt to use each side of it. If not, chop in several zones of your board to maintain the floor evenly worn. Which may sound further, however if you happen to chop in the identical two-inch quadrant every day, the angle in your board will rapidly change, which might trigger knife dulling and slippage. Drying is the final, essential step. With a clear dish towel, dry your board as totally as attainable. Then prop it up on its aspect till bone dry to additional guard towards warping.
Methods to Take care of Your Reducing Boards
Plastic slicing boards, in addition to rubber slicing boards, don’t require oiling or any particular care. A picket board must be handled with some TLC, nevertheless. Step proper this manner for an in-depth explainer on methods to clear and take care of it, however right here’s the gist: At the very least as soon as a month, pull out a clear microfiber fabric, a food-grade impartial oil like mineral oil, and a board sealant, which mixes oil with a protecting beeswax.
Rub a small little bit of the oil onto each floor of your clear, dry board. (You need the board to be actually dry earlier than you do that, in order to not seal in moisture.) Comply with with the balm, which is able to buff right into a creamy consistency. Don’t wipe that away simply but. Depart your board to deep-condition in a single day, after which within the morning, gently wipe away any further with a fabric or paper towel.
