Wood hygiene

It is recommended by experts to use two cutting boards, one for meat and one for fruits and vegetables, to avoid cross-contamination between several raw foods.

University of California microbiologist Dean Cliver conducted an experiment to find out which board was the most hygienic between wood, plastic and marble. The best board is the wooden one. This is because wood would naturally get rid of germs. Cliver explains that wood "is a very porous material and therefore the liquid is sucked into the wood by capillary action. When there are bacteria in the liquid, they enter the wood and never come back to life," and adds that "[the bacteria] die slowly. It can take a few hours and eventually they are no longer able to cause problems". These results do not surprise the professor because, according to him, in many similar experiments, the wood always ends up winning.

The most recommended wooden boards are those made of "end-grain" wood because the fibres are end-grain and are not cut. This means that no grooves are created when cutting food, so bacteria cannot become lodged in them.

http://www.dangersalimentaires.com/2011/05/quelle-planche-a-decouper-choisir-bois-plastique/

The scraper is an indispensable tool in the life of a log. After each use a log must be scraped to remove impurities and maintain its smooth and healthy appearance. It is this good scraping that will hollow out the butcher's log.