Most people choose a wooden cutting board for their kitchen because it is more durable than plastic cutting boards.
However, there are several upsides to owning a wooden cutting board, and many people have yet to discover them.
While on that path of discovery, have you ever wondered if you could put your wooden cutting board in an oven?
A wooden cutting board can be placed in an oven while taking the necessary precautions. High-quality wooden cutting boards are heat resistant and can be in an oven for a short period. However, if you are cautious and keep the heat within 350°F, the wooden cutting board will not get charred or warped.
Can You Place a Wooden Cutting Board in the Oven?
You should naturally avoid placing wooden cutting boards in an oven, but this largely depends on the wood used to make a wooden cutting board.
The durability of the wood used gives wooden boards the ability to resist heat. However, most wooden boards can take a certain amount of heat between 150°F to 725°F.
However, it is best to be cautious when using an oven’s wooden cutting board. Wooden cutting boards are wood which is a flammable material.
For your safety, you must know the exact levels of heat that your wooden cutting board can handle to avoid causing a fire.
Below are the precautions to take before or while placing your wooden cutting board in an oven;
#1. Ensure That It Is not Chemically Treated
Chemically treated wooden boards are much less resistant to heat than wooden cutting boards with no chemical finish.
In addition, the chemicals used to treat wooden boards make them easily flammable. Before subjecting it to heat, ensure you find out whether your wooden cutting board is pure.
For chemically treated wooden boards, it is best to keep the heat lower than 350°F to avoid a fire.
#2. Pay Constant Attention to the Heat
As mentioned earlier, you cannot place a wooden cutting board in an oven over 350°F. However, if your heating system tends to increase despite being set to a certain level, take extra measures.
Ensure you’re constantly checking the heat levels to ensure that it has not gone overboard while you stepped away for some time.
#3. Remove the Wooden Board if it Begins to Crack
A risk you must be willing to take before placing your wooden cutting board in an oven is having it get cracked.
Leaving the wooden cutting board in the oven for prolonged periods will result in cracks or warps.
Immediately you notice your wooden cutting board cracking, warping, or charring in the oven, ensuring that you take it out. If you leave it in while it breaks, you risk causing a fire in your kitchen.
#4. Check for Plastic Parts on the Wooden Board
While high-quality plastic can endure some heat, it cannot survive high heat for as long as high-quality wood.
Ensure that you check for plastic soles on your wooden cutting board before placing it in an oven.
The plastic will melt, ruining your oven and making it tough to clean up. You might also have to throw out the wooden board.
#5. Avoid Leaving it in for a Long Time
A wooden cutting board’s ability to withstand heat does not mean that you can leave it in an oven for long periods.
Wooden cutting boards can only endure the heat from an oven for a few minutes.
If left in longer, they will shrink and begin to crack. In extreme situations, they may cause a fire to start and fill your kitchen with toxic fumes.
Can You Put a Wooden Cutting Board in the Microwave?
No, it would help if you did not place a wooden cutting board in a microwave. Microwaves are not as easy to control as ovens. If you place a wooden cutting board in an oven, it is highly likely to get damaged.
Most people assume it is safe to pop a wooden plate into the microwave because it is not metal. However, it will get burnt and produce toxic fumes if placed in a microwave.
Below are the reasons why you should avoid placing a wooden cutting board in the microwave;
#1. It Puts Your Safety at Risk
Placing a wooden cutting board into a microwave risks your safety, which is unknown to you.
When you try to remove a wooden cutting board from a microwave, it is dangerous because it would have absorbed the heat.
Although you shouldn’t place a wooden cutting board in a microwave, be extremely careful while taking it out if you do.
#2. You Could Inhale Toxic Fumes
The finishing process while making wooden utensils could produce toxic fumes when they experience prolonged heat exposure.
If certain chemicals are to finish wooden cutting boards, they will likely release toxic fumes when you place them in a microwave.
Keep your wooden boards away from microwaves to avoid harming your health by inhaling toxic fumes.
#3. The Wooden Cutting Board Could be Damaged
High-quality wooden cutting boards are a luxury; it is best to maintain them properly to avoid losing them.
However, if you expose your wooden cutting board to heat repeatedly, it will likely get damaged.
When the wooden cutting board is in a microwave, the moisture in the wood heats and evaporates. After this, the wood shrinks and gets cracked, warped, or charred.
#4. Are Wood Cutting Boards Heat Resistant?
Wood cutting boards are heat resistant, limiting how much heat they can withstand.
In addition, these materials make the wood cutting boards durable and suitable for carrying hot utensils and heat exposure.
Even though we have established that wood cutting boards can withstand heat, most manufacturers advise against exposing them to heat.
To be safe, you must know your wooden cutting board’s explicit material and maximum heat level.
Below is a table that illustrates the amount of heat that wooden boards made with different types of wood can withstand:
Can You Cook Pizza on a Cutting Board?
Yes, you can cook pizza by placing it on a cutting board. However, you would need to use a wooden cutting board instead of a plastic one to cook pizza; this is because pizza cutting boards are either made of wood or plastic.
Even though you can slice pizza on both, you cannot cook pizza on both types of cutting boards.
You must monitor your heat settings when cooking pizza on a cutting board; this is possible if you’re using an electric oven with manual or intelligent controls that can be set below 350°F and timed.
However, if you own an outdoor pizza oven that cannot curb the flames like an electric oven, you need an alternative.
In this situation, it is better to use a pizza stone and peel to cook your pizza rather than a cutting board. Pizza peels mounted on pizza stones can withstand higher heat levels without damage.
If you’re a fan of using plastic cutting boards for pizza, the table below helps you understand why a wooden cutting board is best for cooking pizza;
Can a Bamboo Cutting Board Withstand Heat?
A bamboo cutting board can withstand more heat than plastic, glass, and other wooden.
Most people jump at the opportunity to purchase a bamboo cutting board because they believe it is heat and fire-resistant.
However, a bamboo cutting board can only withstand 725°F of heat for short periods.
Although they can withstand heat more than other cutting boards, direct or high heat exposure can damage bamboo cutting boards.
Even if you manage to keep your bamboo board exposed to only the heat level it can withstand, prolonged exposure will damage it.
Bamboo cutting boards cannot be in dishwashers that use heat to clean utensils for an extended period.
This action might contradict their ability to withstand heat, but washing your bamboo cutting boards in a sink is best.
You can use some hot water to wash it to remove bacteria, but ensure you dry it immediately.
How to Fix a Wooden Cutting Board Damaged by Heat
If you were unaware of the dangers of exposing your wooden cutting board to heat, these tips could help you.
You can iron it with a steam iron, press it down with some weight or take it to a woodworker for modification.
Below are the different methods that can help fix a heat-damaged wooden cutting board;
#1. Use a Steam Iron
If there are little warps on your wooden board, get a steam iron and an ironing board and get to work.
Place fabric on your wooden cutting board and set your iron to “steam. Apply a lot of pressure as you iron it, and stop when the warp has reasonably reduced.
#2. Apply Pressure Using Heavy Weight
If the first method does not work, this should fix your wooden cutting board. First, put your board in a bowl of hot water for a few hours.
Next, remove the board and place it on a flat surface. Lastly, drop a heavy-weight object on the board and check after 48 or 72 hours; it should be flat again.
#3. Ask a Professional to Modify it
This option is your best bet if the first two methods do not leave you with satisfying results. Next, take the wooden cutting board to a professional.
Ask for it to be modified by cutting carefully to remove warped parts, smoothened, and given a new finishing.
Summary
Wooden cutting boards have an impressive level of heat resistance, but they can not survive prolonged heat exposure.
Therefore, ensure that you take caution while placing hot utensils or food on wooden boards to avoid damaging them.
Use the tips above for heat damage, or contact a woodworker to fix your wooden boards.
