5 Sustainable Wooden Cutting Board Options for a Non-Toxic Kitchen

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Final Up to date on September 12, 2024

I spend numerous time within the kitchen experimenting with scraptastic recipes and filming those I like. In reality, my new cookbook 101 Tips For a Zero Waste Kitchen is on the market for buy now!

I can’t inform you the period of time I spent chopping meals up on chopping boards. The typical American spends roughly 400 hours a year within the kitchen, and I could have beat that stat.

5 Sustainable Wooden Cutting Board Options for a Non-Toxic Kitchen

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However I converse from expertise once I say not each chopping board is created equal. As somebody who remodeled 90 scrappy recipes for a cookbook, I wanted one thing that might not solely maintain up, but in addition not launch microplastics each time I chopped into it.

Should you personal a chopping board made from plastic, or a wood one with a plastic coating, it’s possible you’ll be ingesting a notable quantity of microplastics out of your chopping board alone (extra on that later).

That’s why I like to recommend switching to a wood chopping board that’s made with out plastic coatings or glues.

Getting a sturdy stable slab of wooden is an funding that pays off on your well being, and the planet. You simply want to verify the model is sourcing the wooden sustainably and that there aren’t any probably questionable coatings, glues or finishings used.

Listed below are a few of the finest wood chopping board manufacturers in the marketplace.

must you cease utilizing plastic chopping boards?

When you’ve got a plastic chopping board, it’s possible you’ll wish to contemplate switching to a wood chopping board. Plastic chopping boards shed microplastics launched throughout chopping on them.

In accordance with a recent study, two sorts of plastic chopping boards (polyethylene and polypropylene) had been studied for releasing microplastics into human meals.

The examine discovered a per-person annual publicity of seven.4–50.7 g of microplastics from a polyethylene chopping board and 49.5 g of microplastics from a polypropylene chopping board. In different phrases, each had been releasing microplastics – although polypropylene was confirmed to launch extra.

These microplastics find yourself in our meals, and ultimately us. Microplastics have just lately been present in human blood, feces, placentas, and even brains. Whereas the well being results of microplastic consumption are nonetheless being researched, it might’t be good.

Whereas it could be unattainable to keep away from microplastics completely, decreasing the quantity we’re uncovered to every day is an efficient place to start out.

You are able to do this by switching to a wood chopping board that doesn’t have any plastic resin or coating.

Listed below are another methods to keep away from microplastics:

Select pure materials every time potential (reminiscent of cotton, hemp and linen) for clothes and bedsheets.

Mud and vacuum incessantly (microplastics can linger in mud, inflicting us to inadvertently breathe them in).

Swap to plastic-free tea luggage which are labeled compostable on the packaging (Yogi and Pukka are nice examples). You too can assist Arbor Teas, which has an assortment of loose-leaf tea in compostable packaging. Or get free leaf tea package-free at your native bulk meals retailer.

what to make use of as a substitute of plastic chopping boards?

As a substitute of plastic chopping boards, you need to use wood, glass or stone chopping boards. Picket is my private most popular methodology.

Nevertheless, be suggested not all wood chopping boards are created equal. Many wood chopping boards have glues and resins on them.

Some wood chopping boards are crafted from a single block of wooden, however as a rule they comprise items of wooden which are glued collectively.

Slicing board supplies fall beneath the FDA “food contact substances” and “oblique meals components” rules since any a part of a chopping board can contact your meals.

The FDA considers meals contact substances like glue resins/polymers meals secure when they’re utterly cured (completely dried).

Nevertheless, some permitted substances like melamine-formaldehyde resins can launch dangerous gases and trigger different points for human and environmental well being alike.

For that reason, it’s finest to keep away from wood chopping boards formulated with any glue resins or polymers. You are able to do this by on the lookout for stable slabs of wooden: Many typical wood chopping boards are simply numerous items of lumber glued collectively.

This stated, it may be laborious to discover a wood chopping board that’s glue-free. Should you’re not sure, remember to attain out to the model and ask.

Should you actually can not keep away from glue in wood chopping boards, for reference, Titebond III and Gorilla Wooden Glue are each thought-about safer for meals contact.

Additionally, be aware that petroleum-derived wooden preservatives like parafin wax and petroleum hydrocarbon resin are generally used as finishes. In search of boards with beeswax coatings, or none in any respect, is preferable.

what’s the finest wooden for a chopping board?

One of the best wooden for a chopping board are hardwoods, reminiscent of maple, walnut and birch. It is because they’re extra sturdy and proof against moisture absorption.

Ideally it is best to search for Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) licensed wood chopping boards, as this ensures the wooden comes from a sustainably managed forest.

Nevertheless, bamboo is one other wood-like choice: Whereas technically not categorized as a “wooden” however a grass, it has related properties to hardwoods.

Moreover, bamboo grows again faster than hardwood timber, making it extra renewable. For that reason, I’ve chosen to incorporate some bamboo chopping board choices alongside conventional wood ones on this roundup.

look after a wood chopping board

One draw back to wood chopping boards is that they’re liable to warping and drying out. However that is all preventable! You simply must deal with them with care and all the time hand wash them (keep away from the dishwasher in any respect prices!).

It’s additionally a good suggestion to grease your boards frequently. It will guarantee your wood chopping board lasts for years to come back.

to wash your wood chopping board:

Handwash utilizing a wood dish brush and delicate dish cleaning soap (bar cleaning soap or liquid cleaning soap will do). Let it air dry utterly earlier than placing it away.

For powerful stains, sprinkle some baking soda and scrub away.

In case your board is smelly, use salt and a lemon to deodorize your board.

for oiling your wood chopping board:

Should you discover your board changing into brittle and dry, it’s time to grease and wax it! This plant-based cutting board oil from Actual Milk Paint is mineral-oil free and non-toxic. Simply add somewhat to your board, then let the oil sit on the floor for at least 10-Quarter-hour, or as much as 24 hours at most. Buff the floor with a clear, lint-free material to take away extra and create sheen.

Should you’d like, you may observe it up with some Real Milk Paint wood wax as nicely. Utilizing a clear rag, apply the wooden wax, letting it stay on the floor for 10-Quarter-hour, then buff off the surplus with one other clear material. Make sure to wait 5 to 7 days earlier than calmly utilizing your chopping board. Needless to say Wooden Wax by the Actual Milk Paint Co. takes 15 to 30 days to totally remedy, so plan your tasks accordingly.

Oiling and waxing your board all relies on when the board begins to look thirsty (aka dried out).

Doing an oiling each month is good, however right here’s one surefire option to inform if it wants it: Should you sprinkle a number of drops of water on the board together with your fingertips, and it beads up, your board is sufficiently oiled. Nevertheless, if the water disperses or soaks into the wooden, your board wants extra oil.

gzw permitted wood chopping boards

Listed below are some manufacturers that promote wood chopping boards and get the Going Zero Waste seal of approval. Plenty of these manufacturers make the most of FSC licensed wooden, and plenty of are handmade from one slab of wooden (as a substitute of varied items glued collectively).

I’ve gone forward and highlighted some key options of every model, nevertheless it isn’t an exhaustive record. Make sure to take a look at their web sites for extra info.

1. caraway

Constructed from FSC-certified birch wooden
4-piece board set (small, medium, massive)
Storage organizer included
Mineral oil + wax end

Whereas I haven’t tried out Caraway’s chopping boards, I’ve tried out their cookware and bakeware. I can attest to their high-quality merchandise, so I’ve little doubt their chopping boards are equally sound.

2. bambu

Constructed from FSC-certified bamboo
Medium + massive measurement choices
Constructed utilizing a water-based, food-grade adhesive imported from Europe that incorporates no formaldehyde
Hand completed with food-safe wooden oil
USDA Licensed Biobased
No lacquer coating
B company

I’ve tried their chopping board earlier than and liked it! I’ve a small one. I’ve been utilizing it for a few 12 months now and it has held up very well. It’s surprisingly sturdy and nonetheless appears to be like actually nice! I even have their wooden and bamboo oil which does a terrific job upkeeping the board.

3. made trade

Constructed from sustainably harvested Teak wooden
Small + massive measurement choices
Handcrafted in Panama by the expert artisans of Trasto

4. treeboard

Sustainably sourced maple and oak wood chopping boards
Made with out glue or petroleum merchandise
Reduce from a stable block of wooden of their Maryland workshop
Hand completed with natural uncooked linseed oil and their very own board balm.
Every board comes with a complimentary tin of their very own plant-based board balm