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How to Clean Your Cutting Boards
By Cait Johnson, inspired by the work of Annie B. Bond.
The holidays are prime time for those of us who love to cook, and our cutting boards usually get quite a workout. But we don’t want to risk food poisoning from lurking bacteria!
Here is Annie’s wise advice for keeping your cutting boards clean, and you and your family safe.
* Don’t use a cutting board to cut meat, unless you can put it in the dishwasher. Annie recommends using a dishwasher-safe plate instead.
To clean cutting boards that are used for produce, try one of these three options.
Option One: The Environmental Protection Agency notes that soap and water kills bacteria. Wash the cutting board with soap and water (note: be sure to use real liquid soap, such as Dr. Bronner’s). Scrub with a sturdy scrub brush, to get into all the nooks and crannies.
Option Two: Wash with 3 percent hydrogen peroxide alternating with straight white distilled vinegar. Let each material rest on the cutting board for 10 minutes or so before rinsing.
Option Three: If you like the smell of lavender, make an antibacterial spray by mixing about 10 drops of the pure essential oil of lavender to 1 cup of water in a spray bottle. Shake to blend. Spray on the cutting board and don’t rinse.
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1 comment
add your comment »Yes, according to a study conducted by VPI, the combination of peroxide and vinegar is more powerful that chlorine bleach. I use it all the time and love it. Here's a cite: By itself, vinegar is not a disinfectant, but when used with hydrogen peroxide, it kills bacteria more effectively than any commercial cleaner.
Susan Sumner, a food scientist at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State
University (VPI) in Blacksburg, Virginia, published the following formula in Science News. Purchase a bottle of 3 percent hydrogen peroxide and a bottle of plain white or apple cider vinegar. Pour each liquid into its
own spray bottle. Spritz the item to be disinfected with both the vinegar
and the hydrogen peroxide, then rinse with water.
Using one mist right after the other is ten times more effective than usually spray by itself and more effective than mixing the vinegar and hydrogen peroxide in one spray bottle. Tests at VPI found the tow sprays
used together killed virtually all Salmonella, Shigella, or E. coli bacteria on heavily contaminated food and surfaces; this spray combination is more effective than chlorine bleach.
It doesn't matter if you spray with the vinegar first, then the hydrogen peroxide, or vice versa. There is no lingering taste of vinegar or hydrogen peroxide, and neither is toxic if any reside remains. This combination works exceptionally well for sanitizing counters and other food preparation surfaces, including wood cutting boards. Natural Home magazine, Jan 2002
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why is this inappropriate?