We are very pleased and proud that you have chosen some of our products. In order for our products to last longer (especially kitchen cutting boards, which are under “daily stress”) … it is important that you maintain them well in the future.
That’s why there are instructions on how to do it the easiest way. We want you to enjoy our products for a long time.
A word or two about our kitchen boards, wood as a material and how to prolong their life.
All our products are made of naturally dried and heat-treated wood, impregnated with beeswax or mineral oils. It is cut on a board (because that is its main purpose) and food is served. Do not use notched knives, but with a normal blade. It is not intended as a base for hot dishes (especially not with an acutherm bottom – like Zepter dishes), because there will be a trace of burnt wood on the board … So, the purpose of the board is just cutting food and possibly consuming food from it.
A little unusual question to start with, around your occupation: are you a miner? Or are you a car mechanic? Or do you work in a library? Our occupation and the work we do determines the way our body is hygienic … because the miner has to wash himself thoroughly every day, to wash away the blackness of the coal dust … and the librarian doesn’t have to … because there is a little dust from the books … and that is everything.
The same principle applies to the maintenance of kitchen boards. It is not the same whether we use them for cutting only for cheeses, for meat or only for fish, or we chop vegetables and fruits and meat on them … or for everything in order on the same board, which is the worst of all solutions. It is safest to use different boards for meat, fish and other foods … because the combination of smells, juices and aromas on the board will spoil the basic parameters of each food.
The maintenance process is divided into daily and monthly.
DAILY:
After each use, rinse with water and wash with a mild detergent and sponge (never with a wire, etc.) the remains of food from the board, rinse the board under water and leave it VERTICAL to dry, not near the source of toline, but in an airy place. It is necessary that the board is as wet as possible, so make sure that it is always dry (water and wood are not friends) … and especially because a wet board affects the development of bacteria that are later transmitted to the food we store on the board. Therefore, drying is considered the best antimicrobial effect for boards.
MONTHLY:
Once a month (if there is no need for a shorter interval), you should do a general cleaning of the board. The procedure is very simple, the materials available to us are cheap and do not take long.
Ingredients needed: half a lemon, kitchen salt + metal spatula (can also be a painter’s spatula used only for this purpose)
The first step: apply kitchen salt to the dry board “by hand” so that more or less the entire surface is covered with a thin layer of salt. The board should be rubbed with half of the lemon, in the process of rubbing, slowly squeeze the lemon, so that the juice is squeezed along the way, and thus the salt is rubbed into the pores of the wood. Leave this mixture on the board for a while, so that the board absorbs the ingredients. After about ten minutes, scrape the board with a spatula. You will notice that the dirt, along with the salt and lemon, falls off the board. Rinse the board under a stream of warm water in the sink and with a clean sponge, wipe with paper towels to absorb most of the moisture from the board. Allow the board to VERTICALLY dry in an airy place, not near a radiator or other heat source as it may crack.
Second step: oiling the boards. For that, you can use various mineral or refined oils (olive, sunflower, flaxseed …), and of course, you can also order original oils or beeswax from us. Application procedure: lightly rubbed into the wood with a cotton cloth, then wipe off the excess with a paper towel when the wood has not absorbed, and the wood has absorbed as much as it needs. Leave, on a paper towel or kitchen towel, preferably 24 hours … again vertically, to drain off excess oil. This procedure will significantly extend the life and the board will always shine.
Last but not least: PLEASE NEVER PUT THE CUTTING BOARD (OR ANY OF OUR PRODUCTS) IN THE DISHWASHER.
IMPORTANT: If you use industrial coatings for oiling wood, sponge or cloths with which you apply oil to the board create a very high temperature and can lead to a self-ignition process. So, after applying the oil and collecting the excess with a cloth or papal towel, it is best to BURN them out in a CONTROLLED manner … do not throw them in the trash can in kitchen cabinets, or similar places.
Thanks for the expert and useful advice to Mrs. Marija Slović* @domaccini.rs
*Mrs. Marija Slović is an entrepreneur, owner of a dairy in the vicinity of Čačak, which produces dairy products in the traditional way, and they are offered in 2M stores in Čačak and Domaccini store in Dorćol. In addition, she is one of the world’s leading food technologists and assessors of food safety and quality.