Maintenance Guide for Kitchen Chopping & Carving Boards
All our boards are made to be used every day. Many customers say they 'don't dare cut' on the board! But that's the reason for their existence, every cut is a slice of bread of live, shared with friends and family. Each mark is a moment shared; one of the pieces in the jigsaw of life.
We only use the very best and most durable wood. Our boards are made to last. Those first few cuts can be a bit nervewrecking when you see the knife marks made in the beautiful smooth wood, but keep going and over time you will have your very unique boards.
The patina that builds up over time just makes it more and more beautiful for every year that goes. We have constructed them of several pieces of solid oak to help prevent warping and minimise cracking. The kitchen boards will develop their own character over time depending on how the are used and cared for.
Before your board left our workshop it was treated with at least three coats of oil. We advise that you continue to condition the board with a food safe oil, and therefore include a small bottle of White Mineral Oil to start you off with every board. You can buy more White Mineral Oil from your local DIY shop or from our website for £15.
The natural preservative in oak will make sure your boards will be with you for many years. However we have found that with regular application of White Mineral Oil (also known as Butcher Block Oil) the boards are a lot easier to keep clean. It improves the resistance to stains, and oiled wood absorbs less moisture, reducing the risk of the wood cracking.
This was one of the first carving boards we made.
The photographs were sent to us by one of our wonderful customer who clearly knows how to look after their family carving board.
At the time these photographs were taken, the board had been in use for 9 years.
We are not joking when we say that our oak boards are made to last! We love the patina that has developed. The character of this oak board is completely unique. You can see from these photographs how easy it is, and also how beautiful the restored board looks.
Apply a generous amount of oil with a clean rag or kitchen paper.
Leave to absorb for an hour or so.
Work it into the wood with the rag.
Wipe off access. The board is ready for another feast.
Between each use you should scrub it with hot water and soap. Rinse and dry thoroughly. Do not dry it in hot sunshine or close to your oven or cooker. Never submerge cutting boards in a sink of water! Wood is porous and will soak up water causing the cutting board to crack when it dries.
To eliminate garlic, onion or any other smells from your board you can rub it with coarse salt, baking soda, lemon or vinegar, leave for a few minutes and rinse.
Do not leave anything moist on the board for a long time, ie. cheese overnight, as the moisture gets into the wood and stains can develop. If any dark marks should develop on your board (although they shouldn’t if you have been oiling it), you can try rubbing it with fresh rhubarb.
If you have had any major mishaps with your boards, send us a photograph of it and we can give advise. We can arrange for your board to be collected by our courier and brought back to us for some restoration work. We can normally make them as good as new!
Watch the video below to see how we treat our various oak boards
For any other advice about treatments of all types of wood we recommend our own suppliers Wood Finishes Direct. They have the widest selection of top quality products and knowledge for absolutely everything relating to wood. Tell them we said hello, and they will know exactly what you need.