I am all for keeping my family safe; regularly cleaning the kitchen countertops, the fridge handle; teaching my kids to thoroughly wash their hands when they come home from school and after using the washroom.
I am also aware of the dangers of raw meat, particularly chicken. I am careful to wash my wood cutting board as soon as I am done slicing the chicken for the stir fry. I even got into the habit of cutting my vegetables before my chicken, a way of only dirtying one cutting board per meal.
Although I have heard of the many techniques for disinfecting a wood cutting board, tricks such as spraying the board with vinegar or washing it with bleach, over the years, I have only ever used a rough sponge, hot water, dish soap and some elbow grease. I rinse it and then let it dry. Am I lucky, meticulous, or just careful?
In this day and age of never-ending cleaning products which claim to keep us healthy and save us time, we are constantly bombarded with miraculous sprays and magic brushes. Course, you can only imagine my surprise, disbelief and a bit of, “give me a break”, when I stumbled on the new space saving, “Germ Killing Ultra Violet Cutting Board System” on the Web. The site states that: “After use and cleaning, replacing the board in the base unit bathes the board in germ-killing UV-C light.”( http://www.cnet.com/8301-13553_1-20027806-32.html)
When does cleaning become overkill? Remember those antibacterial soaps that were all the rage until it was revealed that these soaps may actually hinder our body’s ability to fight off everyday germs, not to mention harm the environment. Carefully washing your hands with regular soap and warm water for 30 seconds and then drying with a clean towel, works wonders in eliminating germs!
The next time I reach for my cutting board, I will make it a point to use one side for the vegetables and the other for the raw meat, better yet; I will consider using two cutting boards. When I am done, I will methodically wash them with soap and warm water, rinse them and let them dry. I will even consider spraying my wood cutting boards with vinegar, or even lemon juice, as pictured on the UV cutting board cleaner website. I am confident that my meal time will be yummy, safe and UV ray-free!
If you are looking for quality maple and walnut cutting boards, Cutting Board USA offers a wide selection of shapes and sizes. From cow shaped cutting boards to cutting boards for bread, our wood cutting board are proudly made in Vermont. With some low maintenance care such as proper soap and warm water washing, our wood cutting boards will last a lifetime! Visit Cutting Board USA. For more information on cleaning your cutting boards.
http://www.yankodesign.com/2009/05/04/cutting-board-woes/
http://www.cnet.com/8301-13553_1-20027806-32.html
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