Wooden chopping boards..perfectly ok or a hygiene disaster waiting to happen?

[Houseplanter]

I've always erred on the side of caution and had plastic dishwasher ones, but I'm yearning a beautiful oak one (for my new kitchen ).

What do you use?

3 wood ones
1 general/bread
1 onions/ peppers
1 meat

Wooden boards are much better than plastic.
If I use it for raw meat I pour boiling water over it, making sure no surface is missed, and that sterilises it.
Environmental health practitioners inspecting commercial food premises no longer recommend plastic over wooden. Plastic boards often become grooved and harbour more bacteria than wooden boards do.

Noooo move away from plastic, tefal etc. Not good for you! Wood is far better - can always sand it down if you’re that way inclined!

Why would you not chop raw meat on a wooden chopping board? Just pour boiling water over it in the sink then clean as normal.

I have 2 wooden butchers blocks type ones. Absolutely years old. One for meat the other for everything else. They cleaned every use but about once a month I scrub with lemon and salt and the meat one I wipe over with some Milton. Then about twice a year they get a light sanding and covered in chopping board oil. Wouldn’t have another type.

Wood is better then plastic - it doesn't scratch as easily (scratches in plastic harbour bacteria) and wood has a natural resistance to bacteria.

DH and I still have the wooden chopping board that was one of our first ‘splurges’ when we first got together. Boiling water and fairy to clean it and never had a problem. I do have some plastic ones too but they don’t last as long.

Wooden all the way!

Me too!

All of what they said. Wood all the way.

I use glass chopping boards as they're very easy to clean (dishwasher not necessary) and have pretty pictures on them. 😊

Also, the one by the hob has a useful list of conversions for weights and temperatures.

Glass all the way!

I have had one wooden one since 1989 when I moved into my house. I cut everything on it including meat and chicken and wash it with washing up liquid. We are all absolutely fine. I do have a set of Joseph Joseph ones which look nice in their little rack - which is where they stay because I never use them. I saw my friend's and hers were all sliced to high heaven. That can't be good for you.

I now have several wooden ones of different shapes and sizes according to the size of what I'm cutting up. I love the clunk of the knife on the wood rather than the irritating noise it makes on plastic or glass.

I still have my mums chopping board and that's probably about 75 years old plus I have two wooden ones of my own, one is 42 years old and the other probably 32... they occasionally get boiling water on them if I do something messy but usually a wipe, but I do use plastic for meat

I’ve used a mix of several plastic and wooden ones for years - I think I have two plastic and four wooden. I would only cut meat on the plastic, but pretty sure DH flouts this rule whenever I’m not looking. He wipes it with a tea towel too, but that’s another thread entirely. Absolutely revolting, but we are all still alive

Wood - a relatively cheap butcher's block thing.

Not killed me yet.

Wood is naturally antibiotic, and you can wash it obviously.

Plastic but that's purely because my husband does the dishes and it can go in the dishwasher. I prefer wood. My mum used a wooden one all our lives/over 50 years and we're all fine! Not the same board for 50 years that said but I think she used the same one every day for over 20 years.

Wood here.

Have you read about micro plastics?

Thanks to this thread I am now considering a glass one for meat. But wood has been fine; they're not called a butcher's block for no reason!

I never cut raw meat on my wooden board but everything else I do

Wooden boards of all different sizes. Plastic ones always look as if they’re harbouring grot in the scratches.

😆😆😆

I just dust my breadboard down

Wooden is far more hygienic than plastic. And you don’t end up with micro pieces of plastic in your food.

Wood is antimicrobial so it's fine.

Do you use a wooden spoon? If so, why not a wooden chopping board? Arguably the plastic ones harbour bacteria in the scratches which might not be completely washed out.

I do put my wooden one in the dishwasher and if they split then I replace them, but I have only had to do this once. The one I have now is at least 11 years old, but I think it might be from the house before that which would make it nearly 16.