The Most Dangerous Thing You Can Do With Your Cutting Board

In the kitchen, a cutting board is as common as a pot or pan. We all need one if we expect to cook anything. If we are dicing, chopping, or slicing, it’s happening on this essential kitchen tool. They take the brunt of the prep work—but over time, cutting boards can show wear and tear, developing grooves or deep cut marks after repeated use. 

While this is normal, a well-worn cutting board is more likely to contain bacteria on its surface. Whether you’re preparing fruits, vegetables, or meat, all food carries some level of bacteria, which can contaminate your work surface and hide within the grooves and ridges caused by your knife. 

Proper cleaning is key to sanitizing away all the bacteria, but there is one thing you might be doing that is making the problem worse—and potentially dangerous.

The Most Dangerous Way to Use Your Cutting Board

There’s one thing you should never do with your cutting board: prep meat on the same surface as fruits, vegetables, and bread.

Whether you choose to cook beef, chicken, fish, or pork, raw meat should be prepared on its own cutting board—a rule followed by restaurants. The lingering bacteria can be a key problem that leads to cross contamination. This bacteria can be cooked off once you bake, sauté, or pan fry your meat, but the same can’t be said for fresh produce like a head of cabbage you plan to use in a salad or other uncooked dishes.

It is smart to use a different cutting board for each type of meat, an extra step restaurants take. While owning five cutting boards may be too much for a home cook, raw meat should be treated carefully when it’s around other foods.

Washing your cutting board will mitigate the risks of cross contamination, but might not kill off all the bacteria. The indents and knife marks are harder to keep clean because they can hold pathogens. So your cutting board still might not be safe to use after you wash away all the juices from cutting raw meat. 

To mitigate the danger, two cutting boards are better than one. Prep raw meat on its own cutting board and reserve the other for the rest of your foods.

Tips for Keeping Your Cutting Board Clean

Whether your cutting boards are plastic or wood, here are ways to minimize cross contamination.

• Clean after every use. Without this, pathogens can build up and contaminate your next meal, especially if you’re cutting foods.
• Mark which cutting boards are for meat, so you do not get them mixed up. A piece of tape or a Sharpie does the trick.
• Throw your plastic cutting board in the dishwasher. Most plastic cutting boards can go in the dishwasher without harming their long-term integrity (unlike wood ones). They may still warp over time, though, so check the manufacturers’ directions before putting them in your machine. 
• Wash wood cutting boards with warm water and dish soap. Make sure to scrub all the crevices to eliminate any bacteria. If you want to deep clean your wood board, a mixture of baking powder and white vinegar can help clean and remove any stains from the surface.