Using a wooden butcher block

"AL" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
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Quoted message said:

I want a giant butcher block like the one Jacques Pepin has. If I cut raw
meat and then want to cut vegetables which will be eaten raw, how do I
clean the surface? I currently use a thin plastic cutting board which I
can wash in the sink but it is too small.

When I worked in a grocery store with a butcher, we cleaned the blocks every
night. First we scraped them using a wire brush that had wide blades, maybe
1/4", to get the top fat or whatever off. They we washed them down with a
bleach solution. Everything was sanitized with a bleach solution. No, we
did not finish them with any oils to make them look pretty, they were tools
to be used, not decorations to impress the neighbors.

"AL" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

I want a giant butcher block like the one Jacques Pepin has. If I cut
raw meat and then want to cut vegetables which will be eaten raw, how
do I clean the surface? I currently use a thin plastic cutting board
which I can wash in the sink but it is too small.

Can the butcher's block be flipped? Afterwards you''ll have to clean
the meat side of the board, but you at least don't have to do so in the
middle of preparation. Don't put wood in the dishwasher, but you can use
soap and water. Just be sure to dry it off..

Or you could cut the veggies first, then clean the block later.

-T

"AL" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

I want a giant butcher block like the one Jacques
Pepin has. If I cut raw meat and then want to cut
vegetables which will be eaten raw, how do I clean
the surface? I currently use a thin plastic cutting
board which I can wash in the sink but it is too small.

You're going to be better off with something you can at least partially fit
in the sink, so it can be properly scrubbed with hot, soapy water. You
don't have to get hyper about it (if you can't trust your food supply to the
point you have to be hyper, you're better off purchasing different food),
but you should wash the board directly after cutting meat. Douse it with a
mild bleach solution afterwards, if you particularly want to and leave the
board to air dry. If you're going to do the bleach thing, you should
definitely consider conditioning your wooden boards, as the bleach can
over-dry the wood.

I generally cut the vegetables first (from mild to pungent), then cut the
meat, then wash the board. And I generally don't leave prepped, uncooked
food sitting around on the board for more than five or ten minutes at a
time -- that's what plates are for.

Basically, be sensible.
-j

jacqui{JB} said:

"AL" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

I want a giant butcher block like the one Jacques
Pepin has. If I cut raw meat and then want to cut
vegetables which will be eaten raw, how do I clean
the surface? I currently use a thin plastic cutting
board which I can wash in the sink but it is too small.

You're going to be better off with something you can at least partially fit
in the sink, so it can be properly scrubbed with hot, soapy water. You
don't have to get hyper about it (if you can't trust your food supply to the
point you have to be hyper, you're better off purchasing different food),
but you should wash the board directly after cutting meat. Douse it with a
mild bleach solution afterwards, if you particularly want to and leave the
board to air dry. If you're going to do the bleach thing, you should
definitely consider conditioning your wooden boards, as the bleach can
over-dry the wood.

I generally cut the vegetables first (from mild to pungent), then cut the
meat, then wash the board. And I generally don't leave prepped, uncooked
food sitting around on the board for more than five or ten minutes at a
time -- that's what plates are for.

Basically, be sensible.
-j

I've bought a package of 2 flexible cutting sheets at the Dollarama
just to try. I like them. For a couple of dollars you have several and
can use a fresh one for each job. They wash up nice and while not as
pretty as a butcher block, I find them better for my needs.....Sharon