The Cook’s Kitchen

The Center for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that there are between 60 and 80 million cases of food-borne illnesses caused by Salmonella each year.  And according to statistics from the US Food and Drug Administration, nearly one-third of all food-borne illnesses start in the home.  Of those cases, 36% are due to cross contamination. 

I think I’m pretty good when it comes to food safety, but I discovered a weak spot in my defense when it came to disinfecting cutting boards.  I own both wooden and plastic cutting boards.  Wooden boards are used for carving cooked meats.  I have white plastic ones which are used when working with raw meats or veggies.  And I have a blue plastic one which is used only for chicken.  Okay, so far so good. 

My choice for cleaning is good ‘ol Clorox® brand bleach.  I have a small bottle that lives under the sink *.  I add a few capfuls to some fresh hot dish water for cleaning up cutting boards, knives, scissors etc., then wash and put away.  I know it’s working and is the right strength because that familiar Clorox® smell is kind of strong.  Right??  NO, that is wrong!!

Well, it’s not totally wrong, but my procedure is not completely right.  After a little research, here is what I found out:

Plastic cutting boards:  Wash cutting boards with liquid dishwashing detergent and water. Then soak in a sanitizing solution using 1 tablespoon of Clorox®  bleach per gallon of water. Let them stand in the solution for 2 minutes and then air dry them.

Wooden cutting boards:  Wash, wipe, or rinse the wooden cutting boards with liquid dishwashing detergent and water then use approximately 3 tablespoons of Clorox®  bleach per gallon of water to create a sanitizing solution.  Apply the bleach solution, then let them stand in the solution for 2 minutes and then rinse them.  (Do not soak them overnight).

* Just a general caution here ….. If you have kiddies, you should store ALL cleaning fluids out of their reach. Under the sink is not good enough unless you have some sort of a childproof latch on the cabinet doors.