8 Cutting Board Hacks Every Home Cook Needs To Know
Updated: Feb. 10, 2023Chop chop! These cutting board hacks will have you rushing to the kitchen to get set for meal prep.
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Set Your Cutting Board on a Drawer
Ever think your counter looks just a little too full during prep time? This is a great hack to create some more room, especially for small kitchens. Just pull out a drawer and set a cutting board on top to create more counter space.
Use Rubber Bands to Prevent Slips
Despite our best efforts, we’ve all gotten nicked at least a couple of times thanks to a cutting board that slid at just the wrong moment. Luckily, there’s an easy fix for this. Just slip a rubber band on either end of your chopping board, and you’ll never be caught looking for a Band-Aid in the middle of prep time again.
And keep that box of rubber bands handy for more kitchen hacks.
Know When to Use a Plastic Board…
…and when to use a wooden one. Most of the time, a wooden board is your best bet — they’re sturdy, won’t dull your knives as quickly and keep food from sliding around.
However, when it comes to meat and fish you might want to switch to non-porous plastic, since wooden boards can trap bacteria from raw meat and seafood.
You Can Display Your Charcuterie
Have a Pinterest-worthy cheese board ready for the holidays or any time of the year by laying out Brie, crackers and grapes on your trusty wooden cutting board. Just make sure it’s clean, stain-free and dry.
Remove Stains from a Wooden Cutting Board with Lemon
Have a dark stain on your cutting board from prepping beets or pomegranates? Just grab a lemon wedge, sprinkle some kosher salt on and rub it into the stain. Add some cleaning powder with baking soda, then rinse and dry to reveal a good-as-new wooden board.
P.S.: You can use lemons to clean more things around the house, too.
Maintain Your Board with Oil or Beeswax
To make your wooden cutting board last longer, set aside five minutes a month and polish it up. Clean it using lemon juice and salt, apply a thin coat of food-grade mineral oil or beeswax, let it soak overnight and then wipe it down with a clean, dry cloth or paper towel the next morning for a sleek-looking cutting board.
Fix Small Cracks with Wood Glue
Despite your best efforts, your wooden board may develop some cracks over time. Instead of heading to the store for a new one, invest in some quality food-safe wood glue and extra-fine grit sandpaper.
Fill in the crack using the wood glue (try a plastic syringe to really get it in there), sand down the board until the filled seam is level and then finish up by rubbing in mineral oil. Don’t forget to wear a respirator and goggles while sanding.
Use Potato or Apple to Banish Odors
Garlic might be one of our go-to ingredients, but we’re definitely not fans of the odor it leaves behind. While baking soda might remove some of the smell, we’ve found a surefire way to get rid of that sulfurous stink — grab a fresh potato or apple, finely grate a few tablespoons over the area, then wash it off.
Make sure to grate it to release the enzyme that removes the odor. Chopping won’t work as well.
