I've just found out I've been using the wrong chopping board for years and it's disgusting - this is what I should have been using

When you're rustling up a dish, it's all about the preparation – meaning only the finest tools will cut it. Essential for culinary success are high-quality saucepans, razor-edged knives and, not forgetting, an assortment of crucial utensils.

Moreover, a solid chopping board is key to finely chopping ingredients before they sizzle in the pan. However, there’s a common misbelief surrounding the ideal material for your chopping board that needs rectifying.

In fact, one type might be concealing bacteria, and without a dishwasher, it might be wise to mull over an alternative.

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A clip from the esteemed BBC show QI has resurfaced on TikTok, fuelling a debate on which chopping board materials are most hygienic, reports the Mirror.

Posing a question during the show, host Sandi Toksvig enquired: "To prevent bacteria what should your chopping board be made of? "

Debunking the common misconception, the answer isn’t plastic as many think, but wood.

Panelist and comedian Sara Pascoe contributed: "For ages they thought the plastic ones were better. People thought that wood has these little grooves, and bacteria would go in there and live and multiply."

“But actually, they discovered plastic was much worse. "

Sandi subsequently shared a surprising tidbit likely to make you reconsider your kitchen paraphernalia - 99.9% of the bacteria that is added to a wooden chopping board has disappeared within three minutes of application.

"And on plastic ones it's all still there," she added, showing a magnified image of bacteria on a large screen for the audience.

She further explained that the main advantage of plastic chopping boards is that they can be cleaned in a dishwasher, unlike wooden ones.

The intense heat of the dishwasher should kill any lingering bacteria after use, she added.

Sandi concluded with a tip: "The most important thing, of course, is to wash them and then replace them when they get a bit knackered."