Wooden cutting boardsThe fact is thatAmerican microbiologists from the University of Wisconsin managed to discover that wooden cutting boards kill harmful food bacteria, while they feel very comfortable on plastic cutting boards. During the experiment, the researchers specifically "infected" wooden (different types of wood) and plastic cutting boards with bacteria that are most often found in raw meat, poultry, seafood, vegetables, dairy products (salmonella, listeria, E. coli). To their surprise, 99.9% of bacteria on wooden cutting boards died in the first 3 minutes, while on plastic their number remained unchanged. Left overnight at room temperature, the bacteria almost completely disappeared by morning from wooden cutting boards, but their number increased on plastic ones.
Before these studies, it was generally accepted thatplastic boards are safer because they do not leave cracks and cuts in which bacteria can accumulate. Now it has become clear that wooden ones are even safer: even if bacteria do accumulate in cracks, the wood destroys them. Nevertheless, these same American scientists advise observing basic hygiene rules when using wooden boards: rinse them thoroughly under hot water with dishwashing detergent, dry them with a paper towel, and use different boards for meat and vegetables/fruit.
