I have an Epicurean wood fiber laminate cutting board which I love (it never warps!), but it's been holding on to the flavor of garlic. I wash it with soap, I try scrubbing it with salt and lemon juice, but still when I cut pineapple or stawberries on the board, they come away with a slight garlicy taste.

Is there anything else I can wash the board with to get rid of the garlic? Or should I just be cutting my garlic and fruit on separate surfaces?

Thanks for the replies. I'm going to try Cathy's baking soda and vinegar paste to rescue the board, and start using a separate board for my stinky garlic.

I learned the hard way not to put "smelly" things on a wooden cutting board. BUt I also learned that a solution of baking soda, vinegar in equal parts, like a paste works wonders....in fact I do it to all my wooden boards once a week. If I think they have a particular odor, I will leave it over night. I, too, have gone to a hard plastic board for the "smelly" things and even so far as separate ones for fruits and vegetables, another for meats, and another for breads etc. They make them in such neat colors now, it's not hard to keep them separate.

Good luck...a lesson well learned.

Cathy

I have a "set" of REALLY cheap, flexible, thin plastic cutting "boards"... the kind that are different colors and say "vegetables", "chicken", "fish", etc on them.

I just put them in the dishwasher and they don't seem to retain any smells.

They are not as aesthetically pleasing to use as a really nice wooden cutting board… but they don’t make my fruit smell like garlic.

quote:

Originally posted by Brie:



I do have a separate board for smelly foods - it's a small flexible one that goes straight into the dishwasher after I use it.

I have the same set up. I don't think there is a way to remove garlic/onion smells from the cutting boards.

quote:

Originally posted by Alli Coffin:
I have an Epicurean wood fiber laminate cutting board which I love (it never warps!), but it's been holding on to the flavor of garlic. I wash it with soap, I try scrubbing it with salt and lemon juice, but still when I cut pineapple or stawberries on the board, they come away with a slight garlicy taste.

Is there anything else I can wash the board with to get rid of the garlic? Or should I just be cutting my garlic and fruit on separate surfaces?

I would have tried the salt/lemon paste so I'm sorry to hear that didn't work.

I do have a separate board for smelly foods - it's a small flexible one that goes straight into the dishwasher after I use it.

I've let vinegar sit on mine and it'll take out some of the garlic taste; a baking soda & water paste left to sit on it overnight works for a while, too.

But now I have a cutting board for daily use, and then a second board that says in permanent marker along the edge: NO SMELLY FOOD!!! It's only for fruit & non-stinky vegetables

parsley......chop it up on your board, rub it in and it will take away the taste

I never use my wooden cutting board for garlic. I could never figure out how to get it out, either.

I use a farberware board for garlic & onions, because it can go straight into my dishwasher.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: Coaster Girl,