cutting board material
Posted by Anonymous on Aug 22, 2007 · Member since Dec 1969 · 11789 posts
I'm in the market for a cutting board. I'm not sure what king of material I want it to be yet. And since I can't try them all out and return the ones I don't want I thought I'd ask the veg experts here on vegweb. I'll be using it for veggies & fruit mostly but I want something that's all round good for everything.
I like the acrylic (plastic) boards, if they get sticky or stained (like with red onion juice) you can slide them in the dishwasher, flat on top of the glasses in the top shelf, and they come up a treat. Clean and stain-free.
Wood is trad but harder to clean.
Veggies and fruit are juicy so I'd stay away from wood.
I like thick plastic (no acrylic, the softer kind)... easy on the knives. :)
I just read an article that said even plastic boards can harbor loads of bacteria. It said the best one as far as bacteria is concerned is pine wood. Sorry, can't remember where I read that though!
The reason why I prefer a glass cutting board is because glass is non-permeable, which makes it easier to clean and keep clean.
I buy shatter proof, heavy cuttingboards with painted decoration on the non-cut side, which shows thru. They're pretty and cleaner than regular cutting boards.
The downside - They are breakable...but tougher than you would think. You can't slam your knife on them without making noise.
I just read an article that said even plastic boards can harbor loads of bacteria. It said the best one as far as bacteria is concerned is pine wood. Sorry, can't remember where I read that though!
any material will harbor bacteria if the surface can be marred, but at least the plastic can be thrown in the dishwasher as YG said.
i like the plastic best
and wood, for old times sake :), for bread only.
i always use a wooden chopping board. cant bear the noise of the glass ones, sets me on edge!! we have plastic boards for the meaters and cheesers in my flat. we wipe the woden one with an antiseptic cleaner here and there and wash it with washing up liquid, seems to be ok.
Thoughts on marble?
I just inherited one, haven't used it yet.
would marble blunt your knives fast?
yeah i'd use marble for rolling out pastry and that kind of stuff but not to cut on
I found one that claims to have all the qualities you guys are mentioning. It's called "slate" but it appears to be made out of wood. Anyone ever heard of the Epicurean brand?
won't blunt knives, dish washer safe, prohibits bacteria growth, not to mention "environmentally friendly" (who really knows what that means) and Made in the USA!
http://www.bedbathandbeyond.com/product.asp?order_num=195840&sku=108737
Thanks for all the advise everyone!
yeah i'd use marble for rolling out pastry and that kind of stuff but not to cut on
Thank you.
yeah i'd use marble for rolling out pastry and that kind of stuff but not to cut on
Marble is porous and is considered a "soft" stone.... it can absorb and trap liquids inside of it if it stands too long on it. :P
Me, myself, and I....use a glass cutting board. ;)
yeah i'd use marble for rolling out pastry and that kind of stuff but not to cut on
Marble is the surface of choice of pastry chefs in Europe, at least, because it is always cooler than the ambient temperature, which is good in a hot kitchen--makes the dough easier to work with.
I have discovered that my granite worktops are composite, not "real" stone, so I don't use them to work on directly.
I use a pine wood cutting board... mainly because it was a homemade gift and I love it! :)
When I have my own kitchen (soon!) I'm getting a nice hardwood board. I hate plastic, they stain easily and are slippery and ugly. Wood takes good care of knives, too. I can't believe so many people use glass, that will kill your knives!
I also use plastic. I used to have a wood one and i never felt like it got totally clean. plus, I had to frequently put on this wood oil so it wouldn't dry out from washing.
I use a bamboo cutting board. If it starts to hold odors, I sprinkle it with sea salt and scour with a juiced lemon half, then rinse it and wash and dry as usual. I also use wood oil to preserve the seal and prevent warping.
where do I get wood oil and how do I use it? I haven't treated my wood cutting board at all. ???
i also have heard wood is much better w/ bacteria then plastic. and maybe it is just because i don't trust dishwashers (a long line of crap ones) but i think soap and water are fine cleaning products :). also, i have done cultures in a micro bio class using different 'sanitizers' and soap and water have always won in the end.
and wood is just nice.
I'm with some other people here - I have a plastic board. It's easier on knives, quieter, and as my omni family like to cut meat on wooden boards... well, I'd rather have my own one which I can throw in the dishwasher if (when) they forget it isn't theirs to use...
I found one that claims to have all the qualities you guys are mentioning. It's called "slate" but it appears to be made out of wood. Anyone ever heard of the Epicurean brand?
won't blunt knives, dish washer safe, prohibits bacteria growth, not to mention "environmentally friendly" (who really knows what that means) and Made in the USA!
http://www.bedbathandbeyond.com/product.asp?order_num=195840&sku=108737
Thanks for all the advise everyone!
I got an epicurean cutting board for Christmas. It kinda looks like a really dense fibre board.
It's pretty good.
It does scatch and it does stain. But it has not warped through repeted dishwasherings.
I'd buy another.
K^2
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