Whipping up a feast in the kitchen can be a time-consuming affair, especially if you’re doing it right with an array of culinary tools deployed to slice, dice and simmer your ingredients.

But after the final flourish is added to your gastronomic masterpiece, the daunting task of scrubbing those utensils clean looms over.

In every cook’s arsenal, chopping boards are indispensable, offering a sturdy and safe platform for meal prep, whether it’s dicing veggies, carving meat or filleting fish.

More than just a cutting surface, they play a crucial role in kitchen hygiene, preventing food cross-contamination a practice taken so seriously that professional chefs use colour-coded boards for different ingredients.

Not all chopping boards are created equal: from wood to plastic, glass, steel, and even marble, each material comes with its own considerations, reports the Daily Record.

The experts at BBC Good Food have warned that wooden boards might harbor ‘hidden nasties’ capable of breeding bacteria.

Luckily, they also divulged a nifty natural recipe to cleanse your wooden cutting board of any lurking microbes.

Reach no further than your pantry staples – a simple lemon and some salt is all it takes.

Taking to Instagram, they advised their followers: “Did you know that your wooden chopping boards can store all kinds of hidden nasties? Clean them regularly with our harsh chemical-free hack, using budget-friendly lemons and salt it takes just five minutes and keeps bad bacteria at bay!”

In the video, they said: “Are your wooden chopping boards starting to smell? If so, it’s easy to kill any lurking nasties and give them a new lease of life without using harsh chemical cleaners.”

They detailed the simple technique: “All you need is a lemon and some salt. We’ve used coarse sea salt for this.

“Sprinkle that salt across the board. Then using the lemon half, start working it into the grain of the wood, squeezing gently so it releases some of its juice.”

Their instructions continued with, “The salt will dissolve into a thick abrasive paste and this will help kill any bacteria lurking in the scratches, whilst also deodorising the board. Don’t forget to clean both sides and the edges too.”

They emphasised the importance of attention to detail, adding: “Then after a few minutes, rinse everything away with hot water, making sure to remove any lemon pulp and then dry thoroughly with a tea towel, leaving it to air-dry fully before storing.

“This whole process takes under five minutes and once dry, you can add a thin layer of vegetable oil to seal and nourish the wood.”