7 ms·

I'm personally on team Robinson. For wooden objects actually used with food, the best finish is no finish. https://www.finewoodworking.com/2024/10/10/the-best

I'm personally on team Robinson. For wooden objects actually used with food, the best finish is no finish. https://www.finewoodworking.com/2024/10/10/the-best-food-safe-finish-may-be-none-at-all https://www.finewoodworking.com/2024/10/10/the-best-food-saf...

justincormack 10mo ago
Sure, but the article is mainly about looks (and in the case of wood cups, which seem fairly impractical, although sake cups are ok unfinished, taste transfer). They can look nicer with a finish. I generally dont care, I keep my salad spoons with some oil, and my cooking spoons plain.
levocardia 10mo ago
>You can use soap if you want, but studies have shown it doesn’t make a difference. (...no links provided). Really? "Studies show" you don't need to use soap to rinse off the wooden cutting board you just chopped up raw chicken on? Without a citation there I'm extremely skeptical
- eek2121 10mo ago
  Same. I have a wood cutting board and I always use hot water and dish soap to clean it after.
- wizzwizz4 10mo ago
  You're right to be: it's a common myth. Here's a write-up debunking it, with 6 citations: https://cooking.stackexchange.com/a/130364/57154 https://cooking.stackexchange.com/a/130364/57154 > The current scientific consensus as far as I can see is that wooden is less safe than plastic or glass as it results in more biofilm formation, and more absorption than plastic or glass.
  - D-Machine 10mo ago
    Actually, the myth is still that plastic is safer. That "debunking" you linked is extremely biased and poor, uses very dated and selective sources, and at least one of the papers it cites is irrelevant nonsense (testing for contamination from raw chicken without even washing the boards: https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1472-765X.2011.03039.x https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1472-765X.2011.03039.x) and the conclusion is broadly contradicted by numerous modern reviews (see [1-3] below) and other papers, including ones that look at actual epidemiological data and find no difference or more safety from wooden boards [2]. Biofilm also generally takes days or 24 hours minimum to form, and requires constant moisture, so claims that any kind of cutting board develop "more biofilm" are immediately suspect as well, and clearly do not reflect any kind of sane real-world usage. It is trivial to search Google Scholar for this topic and see that, in most cases, there are no meaningful practical differences for bacterial safety between wood vs. plastic boards, and, if anything, the anti-microbial properties and self-healing nature of wood boards probably in general do make them safer than plastic boards, which quickly get permanent gouges that harbor more bacteria. Wood cutting boards can also be rapidly sterilized in a microwave, which is more convenient for cooking dishes with multiple ingredients than e.g. the dishwasher for plastic boards, or dilute bleach, for either. And in fact the whole argument is moot precisely because the real clear factor is obviously proper washing and sterilizing. Given the astounding lack of evidence for plastic superiority, and the clear evidence that cutting boards produce non-trivial micro-plastics [4], it is still quite reasonable to prefer wood overall, at least in the home. References: [1] Aviat, F., Gerhards, C., Rodriguez-Jerez, J.-j., Michel, V., Bayon, I.L., Ismail, R. and Federighi, M. (2016), Microbial Safety of Wood in Contact with Food: A Review. COMPREHENSIVE REVIEWS IN FOOD SCIENCE AND FOOD SAFETY, 15: 491-505. https://doi.org/10.1111/1541-4337.12199 https://doi.org/10.1111/1541-4337.12199 [2] Dean O Cliver, Cutting Boards in Salmonella Cross-Contamination, Journal of AOAC INTERNATIONAL, Volume 89, Issue 2, 1 March 2006, Pages 538–542, https://doi.org/10.1093/jaoac/89.2.538 https://doi.org/10.1093/jaoac/89.2.538 [3] Boursillon D, Riethmüller V (2007), "The safety of wooden cutting boards: Remobilization of bacteria from pine, beech, and polyethylene". British Food Journal, Vol. 109 No. 4 pp. 315–322, doi: https://doi.org/10.1108/00070700710736561 https://doi.org/10.1108/00070700710736561 [4] Özuluğ, O., Şarlak, İ., Sarcan, F., … Yürekli, Ö. D. (2025). Health Risks and Environmental Threats of the Food Prepared on Plastic Cutting Boards. Turkish Journal of Bioscience and Collections, 9(2), 65-75. https://doi.org/10.26650/tjbc.1745221 https://doi.org/10.26650/tjbc.1745221
- D-Machine 10mo ago
  Not sure where you read that, but the person is obviously wrong (EDIT: oh I see, they say it in the otherwise very good article linked in GP). Soap helps reduce pathogens just like does in washing hands: it doesn't sterilize, but it removes a huge amount, and makes it so subsequent proper sterilization (bleach, heat, etc) properly reaches the surface. But, yes, if you just soap a board and rinse after cutting raw chicken on it, and then immediately (i.e. without allowing drying overnight) put on e.g. raw vegetables, and then e.g. throw those raw veggies in the fridge to be consumed / eaten hours or days later, then indeed the simple washing may not in general be enough, or may not be practically much different than using lots of very hot running water. E.g. some epidemiological studies fail to find washing habits predict outbreaks (https://academic.oup.com/jaoac/article-abstract/89/2/538/5657594 https://academic.oup.com/jaoac/article-abstract/89/2/538/565...). But the conclusion to draw from this is not to skip the soap, but, rather, that the drying is often a more crucial part of good washing than the particular washing method.
- fanatic2pope 10mo ago
  I believe this is the paper they based the article on. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/369940932_Wood_Cutting_Board_Finishes_and_Their_Effect_on_Bacterial_Growth https://www.researchgate.net/publication/369940932_Wood_Cutt...
bigstrat2003 10mo ago
Yeah people fuss over wooden spoons way too much. My wooden spoons cost me $1-2 each at Walmart, and I abuse the hell out of them knowing that if I ever need to replace them, I have more than got my money's worth.

justincormack 10mo ago

Sure, but the article is mainly about looks (and in the case of wood cups, which seem fairly impractical, although sake cups are ok unfinished, taste transfer). They can look nicer with a finish. I generally dont care, I keep my salad spoons with some oil, and my cooking spoons plain.

levocardia 10mo ago

>You can use soap if you want, but studies have shown it doesn’t make a difference. (...no links provided). Really? "Studies show" you don't need to use soap to rinse off the wooden cutting board you just chopped up raw chicken on? Without a citation there I'm extremely skeptical

eek2121 10mo ago
Same. I have a wood cutting board and I always use hot water and dish soap to clean it after.
wizzwizz4 10mo ago
You're right to be: it's a common myth. Here's a write-up debunking it, with 6 citations: https://cooking.stackexchange.com/a/130364/57154 https://cooking.stackexchange.com/a/130364/57154 > The current scientific consensus as far as I can see is that wooden is less safe than plastic or glass as it results in more biofilm formation, and more absorption than plastic or glass.
- D-Machine 10mo ago
  Actually, the myth is still that plastic is safer. That "debunking" you linked is extremely biased and poor, uses very dated and selective sources, and at least one of the papers it cites is irrelevant nonsense (testing for contamination from raw chicken without even washing the boards: https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1472-765X.2011.03039.x https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1472-765X.2011.03039.x) and the conclusion is broadly contradicted by numerous modern reviews (see [1-3] below) and other papers, including ones that look at actual epidemiological data and find no difference or more safety from wooden boards [2]. Biofilm also generally takes days or 24 hours minimum to form, and requires constant moisture, so claims that any kind of cutting board develop "more biofilm" are immediately suspect as well, and clearly do not reflect any kind of sane real-world usage. It is trivial to search Google Scholar for this topic and see that, in most cases, there are no meaningful practical differences for bacterial safety between wood vs. plastic boards, and, if anything, the anti-microbial properties and self-healing nature of wood boards probably in general do make them safer than plastic boards, which quickly get permanent gouges that harbor more bacteria. Wood cutting boards can also be rapidly sterilized in a microwave, which is more convenient for cooking dishes with multiple ingredients than e.g. the dishwasher for plastic boards, or dilute bleach, for either. And in fact the whole argument is moot precisely because the real clear factor is obviously proper washing and sterilizing. Given the astounding lack of evidence for plastic superiority, and the clear evidence that cutting boards produce non-trivial micro-plastics [4], it is still quite reasonable to prefer wood overall, at least in the home. References: [1] Aviat, F., Gerhards, C., Rodriguez-Jerez, J.-j., Michel, V., Bayon, I.L., Ismail, R. and Federighi, M. (2016), Microbial Safety of Wood in Contact with Food: A Review. COMPREHENSIVE REVIEWS IN FOOD SCIENCE AND FOOD SAFETY, 15: 491-505. https://doi.org/10.1111/1541-4337.12199 https://doi.org/10.1111/1541-4337.12199 [2] Dean O Cliver, Cutting Boards in Salmonella Cross-Contamination, Journal of AOAC INTERNATIONAL, Volume 89, Issue 2, 1 March 2006, Pages 538–542, https://doi.org/10.1093/jaoac/89.2.538 https://doi.org/10.1093/jaoac/89.2.538 [3] Boursillon D, Riethmüller V (2007), "The safety of wooden cutting boards: Remobilization of bacteria from pine, beech, and polyethylene". British Food Journal, Vol. 109 No. 4 pp. 315–322, doi: https://doi.org/10.1108/00070700710736561 https://doi.org/10.1108/00070700710736561 [4] Özuluğ, O., Şarlak, İ., Sarcan, F., … Yürekli, Ö. D. (2025). Health Risks and Environmental Threats of the Food Prepared on Plastic Cutting Boards. Turkish Journal of Bioscience and Collections, 9(2), 65-75. https://doi.org/10.26650/tjbc.1745221 https://doi.org/10.26650/tjbc.1745221
D-Machine 10mo ago
Not sure where you read that, but the person is obviously wrong (EDIT: oh I see, they say it in the otherwise very good article linked in GP). Soap helps reduce pathogens just like does in washing hands: it doesn't sterilize, but it removes a huge amount, and makes it so subsequent proper sterilization (bleach, heat, etc) properly reaches the surface. But, yes, if you just soap a board and rinse after cutting raw chicken on it, and then immediately (i.e. without allowing drying overnight) put on e.g. raw vegetables, and then e.g. throw those raw veggies in the fridge to be consumed / eaten hours or days later, then indeed the simple washing may not in general be enough, or may not be practically much different than using lots of very hot running water. E.g. some epidemiological studies fail to find washing habits predict outbreaks (https://academic.oup.com/jaoac/article-abstract/89/2/538/5657594 https://academic.oup.com/jaoac/article-abstract/89/2/538/565...). But the conclusion to draw from this is not to skip the soap, but, rather, that the drying is often a more crucial part of good washing than the particular washing method.
fanatic2pope 10mo ago
I believe this is the paper they based the article on. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/369940932_Wood_Cutting_Board_Finishes_and_Their_Effect_on_Bacterial_Growth https://www.researchgate.net/publication/369940932_Wood_Cutt...

bigstrat2003 10mo ago

Yeah people fuss over wooden spoons way too much. My wooden spoons cost me $1-2 each at Walmart, and I abuse the hell out of them knowing that if I ever need to replace them, I have more than got my money's worth.