Your new Stærk Chopping Board is a living, breathing thing. Your board wants to grow old with you. Like you, it needs care, compassion, and occasional sustenance to thrive.
Cleaning your board is simple enough. Wipe your board down with mild soapy water, followed by a quick rinse under the faucet, and then wipe dry with a towel. If you’ve cut chicken or meat on the board, wiping the board with a mixture of 1 tsp. of bleach to 1 gallon of water will help kill salmonella and other nasty stuff. Never leave your chopping board soaking in water; the wood can act like a sponge and weaken the integrity of the whole board through expansion.
Your board wants to look it’s best. To maintain it’s youthful, radiant appearance, apply a thin coat of food grade mineral oil usp to the surface once a week if you use the board regularly. You can find food grade mineral oil usp in your grocery store, typically in the section where you will find cough drops, aspirin, Metamucil, etc. Remember, you want food grade oil, NOT baby oil… blech! (And don’t use any type of vegetable oil either; they can become rancid… extra blech!)
With time, constant renewal with food grade mineral oil, and exposure to nourishing sunlight, your board will take on a rich, dark hue.
No Pizza Cutters Never, ever use a pizza cutter directly on your board; the intense pressure focused on a relatively small surface can gouge even the densest of wood, leaving deep gashes all over your board.
No Bread Knives Don’t use a bread knife directly on your board; bread knives are like miniature saws and can deeply scratch the surface of your board. Use a dedicated breadboard or cover your Stærk chopping board with a plastic cutting map (available at any kitchen store).
If the surface becomes worn from general use, a quick session with 200 grit then 400 grit sandpaper (available at any hardware store) will return your board to it’s mirror-smooth glory.
