1. Give Your Cutting Board a Bath
Every busy kitchen has at least one cutting board. It's important to keep the cutting boards clean and sanitized after every use to avoid illness. Scrape off any excess residue from the meat such as fat, bones or skin into the trash. Wash the cutting board in the sink using hot water and antibacterial soap or detergent. Be very thorough to clean down into any crevice on the cutting board. Dry the cutting board with a clean towel.
2. Grooves in the Wood Can Hide Bacteria
Wooden cutting boards present more of a challenge to clean and sanitize after meat preparation. The wood cutting board can absorb the juices from the meat down into the wood, making the conditions right for bacteria to form, germs to hide or illnesses to develop such as E. coli. Scrape and wash the wood cutting board as thoroughly as possible making sure to clean every crevice. Use hot water, antibacterial soap or detergent to wash the cutting board several times to make sure that it's sanitized for the next use. Allow the wood cutting board to air dry. Wooden cutting boards can be treated from time to time with mineral oil to preserve the wood.
3. Let Your Dishwasher Do the Sanitizing For You
The best way to sanitize a cutting board is to scrape off the residue, wash it off and then wash the cutting board in the dishwasher on a sanitizing option. Most cutting boards are dishwasher safe including plastic, acrylic, glass and even some specially treated wood cutting boards.
4. Bleach Comes to the Rescue
If in doubt that a cutting board used for meat preparation is sanitized, use a solution of household bleach to do the job. Scrape and wash the cutting board first. Then use a solution of one teaspoon to one tablespoon of bleach mixed in two quarts of water. It's important not to douse the cutting board in straight bleach, but rather use a tiny amount diluted in water to kill the possible bacteria and germs on the cutting board. Rinse and rewash the cutting board thoroughly and dry (or air dry if it's a wooden cutting board).
5. More Than One Cutting Board
To help in the effort of keeping cutting boards sanitized, it's a good idea to have several cutting boards on hand. This will guard against cross contamination. Have one or more cutting boards that are for meat preparation only. These should be made of a nonporous material and be dishwasher safe. Use another cutting board specifically for cutting vegetables and other food items.
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