How to Stop Beets from Dirting a Cutting Board - First For Women Magazine

I love adding beets to summer salads for extra color and sweetness, but I don't really like the cleaning process. Dark beet juice leaves a hard-to-remove purple stain on my wooden cutting boards. Luckily, I recently found a trick to keep beets from messing up my boards using a simple staple: cooking spray.

How to stop beet juice from messing up a cutting board

When it comes to cutting boards, I prefer wood for fruit and vegetables and plastic for meat and fish. It's an easy way to remember what each board was used for and avoid cross- contamination .

The surface of a wooden cutting board is more porous than that of a plastic board. This means that after slicing a vegetable like beets, the black juices have already seeped into the pores of the wood, making it difficult to scrub.

But you can avoid beet juice stains with a quick tip from Cook's Illustrated , which calls for spraying the board with a light coat of non-stick cooking spray before use.

Cooking spray acts as a barrier that prevents beet juice from seeping through the pores of the wood. Also, a cooking spray like PAM Original Cooking Spray ( $4.12 at Walmart ) contains canola oil, which is flavorless and doesn't affect the flavor of beets and other vegetables.

My experience with this hack

I first tried the cooking spray trick on one of my older, cheaper cutting boards that hadn't yet been marred by beet stains. I sprayed a coat onto the board and gently rubbed it over the surface to create an even coat.

Next, I diced two small boiled beets on the board. I immediately noticed that the cooking spray acted as a shield against the juices, preventing them from being absorbed into the wood.

After dicing the beets, I placed them in a bowl and hand washed the cutting board. This step impressed me the most: the remaining beet juice slid off without leaving any stains.

Shredded chopped beets on the cutting board. Alexandria currents

The cutting board after washing. Alexandria currents

In my second test, I used my new 14-inch Fifth & Cherry Gloss Wood cutting board. This board ( purchased from Fifth & Cherry, $299.99 ) is made from sustainably and responsibly sourced cherry wood.

I decided to break the board down by testing if it could resist pesky beet stains, and with this cooking spray hack, it passed the test. Beetroot juice did not remain on the surface of the plate and did not stain the material.

Now I can continue to use the same board to chop vegetables or serve grilled meats like juicy steak and tender chicken at summer barbecues.

Cooking spray creates a reflective, glassy finish. Alexandria currents

The cutting board after washing. Alexandria currents

This handy trick sure saves me time and effort when I want to add beets to a dish. Looking for another way to keep your cutting boards looking their best? Check out some cleaning tips in our article on caring for a wooden cutting board .

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