Now that you have your one of a kind cutting board, you should take a moment to familiarize yourself with a couple of wooden cutting board basics. Treating cutting boards with care will allow for years of chopping, cutting and slicing pleasure.

Take the time to care for your cutting board, and you will gain years of cutting enjoyment.

1) Periodically (once every several weeks or depending upon the amount of use), apply an even coat of walnut oil to the work surface of your cutting board. You can heat the oil thereby making it easier for the wood to soak up the oil. The oil will act as a protective barrier, and will repel water. If you so desire, you can go a step further by adding some beeswax pieces to your heated mixture (1/3 oil to 2/3 beeswax is appropriate). The beeswax acts as another protective coating, and smells pleasant. See (Walnut Oil and Beeswax)

2) Try not to allow moisture of any type to stand on the block for long periods of time. Don’t let fresh, wet meats lay on the block longer than necessary. Brine, water and blood contain moisture, which soaks into the wood, causing the block to expand, and the wood to soften. Although your cutting board is reinforced and strengthened with dowels, prolonged moisture exposure can also affect the strength of the glued joints.

3) Use a good steel scraper or spatula after use, as necessary, to keep the cutting surface clean and sanitary. Do not use a steel brush on the cutting surface of your block or board.

4) It is not recommended to cut fish or fowl on the work surface of your cutting board, unless you have thoroughly followed the instructions in step #1…as the moisture barrier must be intact prior to cutting any type of fish, seafood, or fowl on the work surface of your cutting board. ALWAYS CLEAN THE BLOCK THOROUGHLY AFTER CUTTING FISH OR FOWL ON THE WORK SURFACE.

5) Distribute your cutting over the entire work surface of the cutting board so that it will wear evenly. DON’T use a razor-edged cleaver. It will chip or splinter the wood and produce soft spots. Your cleaver should have dull sharpened edge for best results.

6) You can clean off the surface of your cutting board with warm water and soap, but abstain from harsh detergents, and never put it in the dishwasher.

7) You should turn your cutting board over periodically to allow even usage to both work surfaces.

This may seem like a lot of work, but once you get used to it, it will become second nature as is the relationship you will build with your character filled cutting board. Happy cutting!