PrintGetting garlic/onion odors out of wooden cutting boards?
Last year for a holiday gift I got a huge, beautiful wooden cutting board that I adore. Problem is, garlic/onion odors have taken up residence. I can no longer use the board for fruits or any vegetables that I don't want to taste like onion. Can anyone help? I have tried salt and lemon juice/vinegar to no avail.
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9 Comments:
A lemon and kosher salt sprinkle the salt on the lemon and rub. 1 part bleach and 3 parts water. Wipe dry then air dry. Coat your boards with mineral oil to seal them after they are good and dry. I use Boos Mystery Oil. Another thing to do is buy a small plastic board for just cutting those things. One you can throw in the dishwasher.
JerzeeTomato at 12:53PM on 12/04/07
second the lemon and rock salt suggestion.
protest at 1:23PM on 12/04/07
I would suggest sanding the board with a belt sander beginning with 120 grit and working your way to a finer one until the board is smooth. You will want to take about an eighth of an inch off. Then sanitize with a bleach or iodine solution. Finally, apply mineral oil.
Or buy a new one and don't use it for garlic, onions, beets, etc.
zapatista at 1:43PM on 12/04/07
I agree with the salt/lemon paste. I've had even better success with a heavy paste of baking soda. Scrub it really well with a green Scotch-brite scrubber, dishsoap and hot running water (as hot as you can stand). Let sit 10 minutes or so. Then scrub again under running water to remove the soap. Then, scrub again with baking soda to form a heavy paste. Let sit until dry. Scrub off the soda. Saturate the entire board with undiluted white vinegar. Let dry completely.
I'd be shocked if this didn't work. The added benefit of this ritual is disinfecting. If the smell is gone, coat well with mineral oil.
Also, if it's small enough, you can get it good and wet and then microwave it until it's dry. This disinfects the board and might remove the odors.
Bleach might get out the odors, but it's not guaranteed as the organic structure of the wood nullifies the effect of the bleach (which is also why it doesn't work very well for disinfecting wood boards).
If it still smells, I agree with zapatista -- just get a new one. Ideally, get one made from end-cut maple, the largest, heaviest one you can handle. Not only are they self-healing and non-splintering, but I've never had mine retain any odors or stains.
LoCo at 2:00PM on 12/04/07
Thanks everyone! I'll be giving your suggestions a try. And if something works I'll definitely get an acrylic board to use for garlic and onions from now on!
But getting a new board isn't really feasible--mine actually is huge, heavy, and end-cut maple. That's why I thought I didn't have to worry about odors, especially since I always make sure to keep up with the mineral oil.
AgaLover at 8:56AM on 12/05/07
i have a separate very inexpensive board that i use just for cutting fruit and nuts.
cybercita at 12:56AM on 12/06/07
I scrub with steel wool (such as chore boy), dish soap, and rinse with screaming hot water. I cut everything on all my boards because I take great pains to keep them clean and sanitary. I don't have any problems with cross-aromas or contamination.
chiff0nade at 8:51AM on 12/07/07
Chiff0, same thing here. Lots of hot water, no odors, etc. Although I usually do meat on a separate board, primarily for convenience (I can have two boards going at once, and leave the cut meat on the board until it's time to cook). With added benefit of not worrying about cross-contam.
Cybercita made me think of something. I have three different sized bamboo cutting boards (Costco), all relatively small, that I use primarily for serving cheese, etc. But when daughter-in-law need a place to cut fruit while my "real" chopping block was in use, I gave her the largest bamboo board. The one I seldom use. These bamboo boards are really gorgeous (thus the cheese duty), very inexpensive, clean up beautifully, and are quite durable. I think they'd make a dandy "spare" board.
LoCo at 9:57AM on 12/07/07
First make sure you clean the board well...the Kosher salt and lemon is actually a good start...the salt does 2 things...it acts as an abbrasive and it draws moisture out of the block. The lemon is actually naturally anti microbial. There is an oil called Emmets elixir which actually contains lemon and rosemary extracts...supposed to be because it kills the bad guys but I like it because it smell so good.
Butch at 12:28PM on 12/18/07