A carrot is one powerhouse of a root veggie. Its vibrant orange color is the precursor to vitamin A, which is an essential vitamin that our body cannot produce on its own. Yet, the vibrancy of a carrot is sort of a double-edged sword. Well peeled and cut, that beta-carotene that gives carrots its orange hue doesn’t stay put and can stain our counters and cutting boards. Like with other veggies, the orange staining doesn’t go away with soaking in hot soapy water. Here’s an unexpected way to remove that staining for your kitchen prep surfaces.
TikTok is full of tricks, and this video by onnela.tv shows how kitchen stains become a thing of the past in no time!
Take the stained cutting board and lay it on a flat, even surface. Spread a bit of oil onto the stained parts of the board. Any oil will do, but for economical purposes using an affordable canola or safflower oil makes more sense than using something like olive or coconut oil.
Using a paper towel, rub the oil thoroughly into the stained surface. After a few minutes, rinse the board off with just water and then water with soap. Beta Carotene is not water-soluble, which means classic water and soap won’t work. Just like vitamin A, beta-carotene is fat soluble, meaning it interacts with fat, meaning the beta-carotene will lift from the surface when the oil is rubbed onto the surface. This stain removal trick works with other fat-soluble, beta-carotene-rich stains from broccoli and sweet potatoes as well.
Watch the video from start to finish here.