Cooking enthusiasts have been longing for a Hinoki wooden cutting board with its beautiful sleek grain, soft and smooth surface, and natural powers that Hinoki cypress originally has.
Wooden kitchen tools include a Hinoki cutting board, you can’t use a dishwasher, and even bleach.
You may still hesitate to use the Hinoki cutting board because it seems to be difficult to maintain and protect them from bacteria.
Indeed, the kitchen is home to more bacteria than any other room in the house. The moist, unsanitized sponge and a sink…
Cooking utensils are struggling and fighting against those invisible enemies in the kitchen.
I am here to blow your worries away today. Once you started using the Hinoki cypress cutting board, you will no longer go back to plastics.
The Hinoki cutting board, There is a big reason to use it even if you spend time for maintain it.
- Why You Want To Use A Hinoki Cutting Board
- How To Make A Hinoki Cutting Board Last Longer
- Rinse A Hinoki Cutting Board Before Use
- Use A Hinoki Cutting Board With Both Sides Evenly
- Make The Smart Order To Cut Food And Rince Each Time
- How To Wash A Hinoki Cutting Board
- Can You Use A Soap Dish And Bleach To Wooden Cutting Board?
- Sterilize A Hinoki Cutting Board With Boiled Water
- Dry Well
- Can You Use A Dish Washer?
- Comfort First
- Advanced Maintenance
- The Bottom Line
Why You Want To Use A Hinoki Cutting Board
Excellent Water Resistance
A Hinoki cutting board has excellent water resistance, so it dries easily, and it is hard for germs and mold to grow.
Anti-Bacterial Power
One of the strong natural power of Hinoki cypress is the anti-bacterial effect that I tell you about many times in my posts.
When drying a Hinoki cutting board well, there are no worries about mold or stains.
Besides, the Hinoki scent has a deodorizing effect that reduces the odor of food.
Relaxing Power
One of the reasons that you will not go back to using plastic or glass boards once using a Hinoki cutting board- is the gentle and comfortable feeling on your wrist and ears.
You don’t feel like hitting a blade hard like other materials, and the cutting sounds will ease the tensions in your mind. Very comfortable.
In Japanese movies, TV shows, Anime & manga, the sound of cutting vegetables on a wooden board that wakes family and partners up in the morning is often used to express “comfort.”
Gentle For The Wrist
You don’t feel the hard impact from a Hinoki cutting board, it’s really good for your wrist.
I have been bothered by finger and wrist pain and it kept me (I like cooking) away from cooking. However, I don’t feel pain much since using a Hinoki cutting board.
If you like to know more details about the benefits and the best Japanese wooden cutting board for you, read this post.
How To Make A Hinoki Cutting Board Last Longer
To keep using a wooden board for a long time, it is important to know how to properly care for it.
Since Hinoki cypress itself has an antibacterial and bactericidal action, it rarely grows mold or gets stains.
However, daily care is required to use it in good condition for as long as possible.
Rinse A Hinoki Cutting Board Before Use
Before using, rinse lightly a Hinoki cutting board to form a film of water on the surface.
The wooden cutting board is a natural material, it will warp as repeating rinse and dry. To prevent it as much as possible, rinse before each use.
It moistens the surface to prevent color transfer and food odor and is easy to wash off after use.
Also, bacteria will likely difficult to go deep inside of marks and scratches on the surface.
This small step reduces damage chances to a cutting board and will extend its life.
Use A Hinoki Cutting Board With Both Sides Evenly
If you use only one side, the cutting board will likely warp.
Use evenly on each side.
What Wooden Cutting Board Warping Cause?
The wooden cutting board warping will damage the blade, and the cutting board may crack in the worst case.
Make The Smart Order To Cut Food And Rince Each Time
It is not a special tip for only a wooden cutting board use, but consider the food preparation order when cutting multiple ingredients to protect the cutting board from coloring and smelling odor.
Vegetables first and fresh meat is last.
Wait cutting vivid color, strong smell, contain much liquid food, and fresh meat.
Rinse the cutting board for each order, and towel dry lightly before use for the next section.
Rinse Each time After Cutting Food
After cutting vegetables with vivid colors or strong smell, and fresh meat, always wash your cutting board.
Rinse each time after cutting food, it will prevent cross-contamination.
How To Wash A Hinoki Cutting Board
Wash it thoroughly with detergent after use, and then drain it thoroughly.
Note that rinse a Hinoki cutting board with cold water after cutting protein.
Since the protein will coagulate and the dirt will hardly be removed when using warm water first.
A scrubbing brush is better than a sponge for washing a wooden cutting board.
Can You Use A Soap Dish And Bleach To Wooden Cutting Board?
Regarding whether or not to use dish soap, there are Yes/No opinions.
Since the wood has antibacterial properties especially, Hinoki cypress, Aomori Hiba, and Ginkgo, rinsing the cutting board with only water when just cutting food that doesn’t have color and odor, and drying it well should be OK.
After cutting strong smells like onions and fish on a cutting board, salt washing will remove the slime and make it easier to remove unpleasant odors. (Then, use dish soap.)
However, use dish soap if you are concerned about contamination.
Although the wooden cutting board has antibacterial properties, wash it well with dish soap (or salt or salt&lemon cuts) after cutting fresh meat.
When using dish soap, rinse the cutting board well. The soap may cause discoloring or stain if the rinse is not enough.
If the cutting board gets stains and odors badly, scrub it with salt. A Lemon cut with salt is also effective.
The Salt Power Of Natural Sterilization
Salt can be a bactericidal effect.
Let me rephrase it, the salt itself doesn’t have antibacterial, but it can use with the osmotic pressure action for killing bacteria.
When the bacteria get salted, the water is removed from cells, and can’t be alive. Also, it will not survive without water when the salt works to get rid of the water from the cutting board.
So, we are going to use the salt for cutting board cleaning.
Therefore, If you still feel the cutting board is stinky after cleaning, use salt.
Salt penetrates the scratches on the cutting board and removes dirt and bacteria.
Sterilize A Hinoki Cutting Board With Boiled Water
Black knife marks caused by germs and mold cannot be removed with daily care.
It is also important to sterilize the cutting board with boiled water at 80 to 90C (176-194F) after washing.
Just pour water at 80-90C over the board on each side for 5 seconds.
Hot water can cause distortion or crack, so it’s better to avoid using piping hot water.
Can You Bleach The Wooden Cutting Board?
Bleach is not good for the wooden cutting board since it can discolor the cutting board.
Instead of bleaching, spray the water mixed with vinegar to sterilize it after rinse.
Dry Well
Towel dry and dry it well naturally. Do not dry it under direct sunlight which can cause the wooden chopping board to warp or crack.
If you dry it on a kitchen counter, use a holder rack to dry it effectively and faster.
If you place it on a mat directly, mold will grow on the attaching side. Rotate it sometimes or it is a good idea to use the holder rack to dry the bottom of the cutting board completely.
The tip to dry it faster is to place it vertically along the grain. The water is drained along the fibers.
Can You Use A Dish Washer?
If you use a dishwasher on a wooden cutting board, the cutting board may be deformed or cracked due to drying in a water-containing state.
There are dishwasher-safe wooden cutting board products.
Make sure a dishwasher-compatible product if you like to consider purchasing the wooden cutting board.
Comfort First
Depending on your lifestyle, It is not a bad idea to choose a lightweight and compact size for daily use.
The right size that you can handle (rinse and dry) easily reduces stress and it’s the way to maintain the Hinoki cutting board better and more comfortable you use.
If you get used to maintaining a wooden cutting board, it is recommended to use 2-3 Hinoki cutting boards alternately.
Advanced Maintenance
Oil Finish Before First Use
Before using a new cutting board, the oil finish is recommended for those who want to keep it clean and enhance Hinoki’s beautiful grain.
It’s important to use a “drying oil” such as linseed oil, perilla oil, walnut oil, and sunflower oil.
Apply the drying oil thinly and evenly on the surface with a cloth. Dry the cutting board in a well-ventilated avoiding direct sunlight until complete it is dry.
Sand A Hinoki Cutting Board
No matter how carefully you use the Hinoki cutting board, you can’t avoid stains and scratches, unfortunately.
But, don’t worry about it.
If you find scratches, sand them and align with the grain with fine sandpaper.
The Bottom Line
A Hinoki cutting boards have many benefits, especially for beginners such as excellent water resistance, deodorant effect, kitchen knife-friendly, and wrist-friendly.
To use a wooden cutting board, food hardly slips from your fingers. It’s nice for kids to learn how to cut food safely.
As you use the Hinoki wooden cutting board, you will notice its benefits, and even you will find yourself enjoying using it, and maintaining it.
Mindfulness meditation has been evaluated as to how important to slow down or take a break to spend busy time all day.
Not only looking for convenience and reasonable prices, but it’s also time to reconsider the value of taking care of your favorite things.
Now, if you are hesitant to get a Hinoki cutting board, let’s get it and find the value in yourself and of the time to take care of your favorite things.