A board meets everything you cook. That is where the trouble starts.

Raw meat, poultry and seafood can carry bacteria that make people sick. The risk is in what happens next. Their juices reach food that will not be cooked, like fruit, vegetables and bread. This is called cross-contamination.

The advice from the U.S. Department of Agriculture and from the CDC is the same, and it is simple. Use one board for raw meat, poultry and seafood. Use another for produce, bread and anything that will not be cooked.

With a single board, the guidance is to wash it, along with dishes and counters, in hot, soapy water after each food item. Every time. With more than one board, you have one less thing to remember.

Raw on one. Ready on another.

That is why we made the Book Cutting Board Set. Three boards, so raw and ready never have to share one.

How to read this

• This is general food safety guidance from public agencies. It applies to any board, whatever it is made of.
• It is guidance for the home kitchen, not a promise about any one board.

Sources

• U.S. Department of Agriculture, food safety guidance on cross-contamination (usda.gov/node/15197).
• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, For a Safe Plate, Don't Crosscontaminate: 7 Tips to Keep Your Food Safe (foodsafety.gov).
• U.S. Department of Agriculture, Meat and Poultry Hotline: cutting boards.