It’s time to change your cutting board: the experts explained what nuances you need to pay attention to

But like all things, cutting boards don’t last forever and that’s where experts say they need to be changed.

“Plastic cutting boards are perfectly safe if properly sanitized,” says Zahra Mohammad, a microbiology and food safety expert at the University of Houston.

Zahra has led several studies examining the spread of microorganisms from hands, kitchen utensils and food to cutting boards and vice versa. The results showed that 30% of Salmonella, Escherichia coli, Listeria and Staphylococcus aureus can “wander” in both directions.

As Mohammad explains, scratches or grooves that cannot be cleaned are the main danger: bacteria accumulate there and then fall on the food. How to understand that the damage has become critical? It’s simple: if the knife marks on a plastic cutting board remain dark and dirty even after thorough washing, it’s time to change it.

Plastic cutting boards are safer than wooden cutting boards due to the low porosity of the material. However, that doesn’t mean they don’t need a thorough cleaning.

Zahra recommends washing the board in hot soapy water or in the dishwasher after each use, then air drying or patting dry with a paper towel.

If the board has been used on raw fish, meat or poultry, American Cleaning Institute expert Jessica Eck recommends sanitizing it with a bleach solution.

To do this, mix half a tablespoon of a chlorine-free, fragrance-free liquid product with two or three liters of water, pour it over the surface of the board, wait a few minutes, then rinse and dry the board.

Regular maintenance will prolong the life of your cutting board: as Jessica explains, a plastic board can last you at least a year, or even five years if you use it infrequently.

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