Things to know about solid wood chopping boards
1 General information:
There are a few things to bear in mind when handling solid, naturally treated wooden chopping boards, even if the products treated with our linseed oil varnish are characterised by their resistance to dirt, moisture and temperature fluctuations.
Wooden kitchen boards are subject to heavy use. Therefore, it cannot be ruled out that deformation and cracking may occur in the course of use, for which we cannot accept any liability.
2. care of the chopping boards:
It is often sufficient to wipe the chopping boards with a damp cloth or rinse them under running water without detergent. When doing so, you should always ensure that the front and back are moistened so that no tension occurs during drying, which is why the boards should be placed upright to dry so that the air can circulate around the board.
Please never leave the cutting boards in standing water or clean them in the dishwasher!
Soaking, aggressive cleaning agents and the high temperatures in the dishwasher would damage the chopping boards.
For maintenance, you can oil the cutting boards from time to time with clean cooking oil when dry.
Tip: Before working with strong-smelling or strongly coloured food, please rinse the chopping board briefly with cold water. Rinse with cold water immediately after use.
3. after oiling:
Oiled wooden surfaces should be re-treated regularly. An oiled surface wears over time due to mechanical and physical stress. Particularly in the early stages, the wood can only be "saturated" by regular re-oiling.
We recommend that you lightly re-oil the wood regularly at the beginning, depending on how much the chopping boards are used. Incidentally, you cannot oil your chopping boards too much, as long as the oil is absorbed evenly into the surface, it saturates the surface and protects the wood from the inside.
To re-oil, apply a little linseed oil varnish or vegetable oil to a cloth and rub it evenly over the surface in the direction of the fibres. After applying the oil, wait a few minutes and then pull the cloth evenly over the oiled surface in the direction of the fibres to remove the excess. Leave the oil to work overnight and polish briefly the following day.
4. repairing damaged areas
After the first use of the chopping board and subsequent cleaning, the surface may become slightly rough due to the wood fibres standing up. The board has been soaked once during manufacture to minimise this effect. If it does occur, the surface can simply be carefully sanded briefly in the direction of the fibres (with the enclosed sandpaper), carefully dedusted and then oiled as described above.
Slightly soiled areas on the surface are rubbed out in the direction of the grain with the enclosed sandpaper and carefully dedusted. Then re-oil as described above.
Deeper cut marks must first be sanded out with coarser sandpaper (80 grit) in the direction of the grain, then sanded with fine sandpaper (240 grit) and carefully dedusted. Then oil as described above.
Finally, it should be mentioned that you should not treat wooden furniture with vegetable oil. Ecologically this is absolutely harmless, but food oils remain soft and become rancid over time, these oils do not dry out.
However, vegetable oils are safe to use for utensils such as wooden cooking spoons and chopping boards. Frequent use and regular rinsing prevent this effect.
5 mistakes you should avoid at all costs:
Mistake no.1: You get your board too wet!
Never leave your board in water, wet rags on it or anything similar. After washing it off, you should wipe it dry straight away and stand it upright so that air can circulate around the board. Your board is glued waterproof, but if the water penetrates too deeply into your board, it will lead to tension in the wood, which may cause the wood to crack.
Mistake no. 2: You only wash one side of your board!
When you wash your chopping board, make sure that you always get it wet on both sides. If the board only gets wet on one side, the wood will only "work" on the wet side and will warp sooner or later. If you always wash it on both sides, both sides can work equally and your board will stay straight!
Mistake no. 3: You don't oil your board!
Oil is by far the most important thing your board needs. It ensures that water cannot penetrate your board and prevents tension in the wood. The oil penetrates deep into the wood, hardens there and forms a protective layer against moisture. You must maintain your chopping board, the more oil the wood has absorbed, the better. As soon as your board loses colour, this is a sign that it urgently needs oil. It is better to oil your board once more than too little! Use a food-safe linseed oil varnish for this, but normal cooking oil is also okay.
Mistake no. 4: Direct sunlight or storage with one side closed off
If you have your board on the worktop, avoid direct sunlight. This will also cause your board to work on one side and only allow one side to breathe, it will warp. Ideally, you should store your board on edge or in a holder for chopping boards when not in use. My boards usually have non-slip rubber feet, which prevent direct contact with the worktop and allow the chopping board to work.
Mistake no.5: NEVER put your chopping board in the dishwasher!
This is DEAD for your chopping board! Just a few minutes in the dishwasher and the glue lines and wood will crack! The heat and the permanent water over a long period of time will destroy every glue joint.
Now I wish you lots of fun and enjoyment with your new chopping board! Take good care of it and look after your board regularly, then you will enjoy it for a long time, if not for generations.
With this in mind,
Best wishes from the Bretta manufactory