Don’t Balk The Block

I feel I’m safe to say that butcher blocks, AKA cutting boards, are valuable necessities to all kitchens, whether you cook a lot or not.  All kitchens have them of one size or another.  And you must take care of them as they are privy to a lot of food prep.  In other words, don’t balk the block!

Butcher blocks need to be cleaned after every use with warm, soapy water, and maintained and preserved with an oil that is safe for food preparation surfaces.  I use a product called Mystery Oil produced by Boos Block.

 before sanding

But after a while, even with the best care of our butcher blocks and cutting boards, they need detailed attention, like a light sanding.

So that’s what I decided to do today.  Why not.  It’s a job that should be done outside because of all the dust, and being that it is a balmy 18 degrees in my neck of the woods, and I’m a glutton for punishment, I hauled that prep table outside and started sanding.

I used a 100 grit sand paper and I sanded the surface lightly, running the sander evenly over the top of the table.  Then, I wiped the surface with a few damp paper towels, getting up as much dust as I could.

Sean helped me bring it back inside, and I ran a warm, soapy sponge over the top to clean and get up the rest of the dust.  Once dry, I rubbed a generous amount of oil on the surface.  I let the oil soak in, and whatever patches that didn’t get soaked in after 15 minutes, I wiped with a soft cloth.

Now, it’s ready to cut on again.  Fresh and fancy.

Another rule of thumb when cleaning your butcher block after cutting onions and garlic, is to sprinkle Kosher salt on the surface, then slice a lemon in half and rub the lemon over the salt.  This will not only clean the surface, but will also eliminate those pungent smells.

So, don’t balk the block.  Take care of the block.  Like everything, the better you take care of it, the longer it will last.