Chopping Boards

The news that wooden chopping boards may indeed be safer than plastic boards once the latter have been scarred does not amuse restaurateurs or chefs who have been forced by environmental health regulations to ban wooden surfaces from the professional kitchen and wholesale junking of hugely expensive butchers’ blocks.

The most important factor in this aspect of good food hygiene is scrubbing the surface vigorously after use. There are anti-bacterial cleaning agents available that do not leave any taint on the wood, and malt vinegar is also an excellent disinfectant (and particularly good for wiping the insides of a fridge).