Use one board for raw meat, poultry and seafood, and a different one for vegetables, fruit and anything you won't cook. After each use, wash the board in hot soapy water and let it air dry. Replace it when the surface is full of deep grooves.
The reason is cross-contamination, which means germs moving from one food to another. Raw chicken juice on a board that is then used to slice cucumber is the usual way it happens, because the cucumber goes on the plate raw.
Which board for which food
University of Illinois Extension says to keep a board for raw meat only, and ideally to have separate ones for red meat, poultry and seafood. Other boards are for produce, bread, cooked meats and ready-to-eat food. The University of Maine divides it into two groups: one board for raw meat, poultry or seafood, and another for fresh produce.
Maine adds that colour-coded boards can help during busy cooking. A red board for meat and a green one for vegetables means nobody has to remember which is which when the pan is hot. That is a suggestion from the source, not a rule.
Both pages are about boards. They don't give rules for knives or hands, so those are left out here.
Washing after use
Both services give the same instruction for everyday washing: soap and hot water. Maine says to do this after every use and then leave the board to air dry.
A dishwasher is another option. Maine says boards made of nonporous materials and solid wood boards can go in the dishwasher. It gives no cycle or temperature settings, and neither page covers laminated boards, so check what yours is made of.
Wood, plastic and other materials
Maine lists plastic, marble, glass and pyroceramic as nonporous materials. Nonporous means the surface does not soak up liquid. These boards are easier to clean than wood. Wood is porous, and Maine says it can absorb juices from raw meat and develop bacteria, so it favours a nonporous surface when choosing a board.
Illinois does not rank wood against plastic. It says most boards are plastic, wood or bamboo and that the material should be food safe. It links to USDA and NC State Extension pages that compare wood and plastic, but those were not consulted for this article.
Sanitising a board that held raw meat
Washing removes most of what is on the surface. For a board that touched raw meat, Illinois gives an extra step. Mix half a tablespoon of unscented bleach into 1 quart (4 cups, about 1 litre) of plain water in a clean sink or tub. Put the board in so it is fully covered and leave it for several minutes. Take it out and let it air dry.
The Illinois page does not say how strong the bleach should be, and bleach sold in Thailand varies from product to product, so this mix cannot be followed blindly. Maine says nothing about bleach at all. Hot soapy water after every use is what both sources agree on.
When to replace a board
Boards wear out. Illinois says to retire one once it has many cut marks, including deep grooves, because bacteria can hide in them. Maine agrees: when a board has deep grooves that make it hard to clean, throw it away.
In short
- Keep one board for raw meat, poultry and seafood, and separate boards for produce and ready-to-eat food (University of Illinois Extension, University of Maine).
- Wash a board with hot soapy water after every use and let it air dry.
- Nonporous boards are easier to clean than wood, which can absorb raw meat juices (University of Maine).
- Illinois gives a bleach soak for a board that held raw meat: half a tablespoon of unscented bleach in 1 quart (about 1 litre) of water, covered for several minutes, then air dried.
- Replace a board once deep grooves make it hard to clean.