A particularly messy knife task (like peeling and slicing beets) can permanently mar a beautiful wooden cutting board. How to eliminate that possibility? Do a deep cleaning. When you’re done cutting, sprinkle the board with coarse salt (such as kosher), and massage the salt into the board with the cut side of half a lemon. The acid in the juice will disinfect and deodorize; the salt will act as an abrasive, sloughing off bits of food and small stains. Rinse the board with hot water, towel-dry, and set it upright to dry completely.

And remember: Never put a wooden cutting board in the dishwasher. The harsh cleaning process could warp and crack it.

Check out more cutting board know-how.