If you have or are considering adding a butcher block table to your kitchen, you should think twice before using the table as a cutting board. A butcher block table will become scratched with knife marks just as a cutting board does. These cuts in a butcher block table can't be easily erased and will serve to harbor bacteria. So consider placing a cutting board on top of your butcher block table, and retain the beautiful surface of your table for years to come. Continuing with the summertime theme, the following questions revolve around picnic food.
Raw potatoes contain enzymes that can cause browning once the potatoes are sliced.
By cooking the potatoes first, they won't brown in the refrigerator. Raw potatoes, however, should NOT be stored in the refrigerator. Scientists at the Center for Disease Control have reported that baked potatoes stored in aluminum foil at room temperature for extended periods could cause life-threatening botulism in those who consume them. Investigation into a large botulism outbreak that occurred in Texas in 1994 indicated that botulism toxin was traced back to baked potatoes used in a dip. They were removed from the oven and left at room temperature, still wrapped in foil, for 18 hours before they were added to the dip.