what do you use and why? Glass, wood or plastic?



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 07/22/2008 09:40AM by Grayzie.

I like a soft wood Cutting Board. It keeps the knives
sharp. Make sure you Oil it regularly.....WY

I use plastic. When I first started, and I ate tons more....I used glass....because I could clean it...to a more sanitary level.

-David Z. Mason

WWW.RawFoodFarm.com

Plastic... since it's what I had before I went raw.

Glass is the worst type of cutting board..They are fragile & will instantly dull ANY knife, even ceramic ones..They might be the most sanitary, because of their virtually non-porous grain structure & their ability to be washed in a dishwasher, but this is an overrated quality..

Plastic cutting boards were first created in order to combat the prevalent idea of the 1970's that wood was less sanitary..Any cutting board that is not properly cleaned, especially after preparing animal meats, will grow bacteria..Scientists assumed that because plastic was not porous it would be superior to a good maple cutting board..So, wood cutting boards were eventually outlawed in all 50 states..

Research during the past decade has shown that a wood cutting board, if properly hand washed & dried, will have a lower bacterial count than a plastic cutting board that has been run through a dishwasher with a rinse cycle that is 180 degrees Fahrenheit or higher..

This is due to two reasons..First, a wood board is constantly loosing some of it's surface area due to the action of the knife's blade against the board..So food particles do not tend to become trapped in the wood's grain as most people would assume..As the blade of the knife slices into the fibers of the wood it actually tends to push the fibers aside, parting them..When the knife is lifted the fibers tend to spring back into their original position, pushing most of the food that collected in the "cut" upwards to rest on the surface of the board..In addition, a properly cared for wood cutting board should be periodically scraped across it's entire surface with a sharpened bench scraper..This is something that was common knowledge amongst chefs & bakers; & was done daily, if not more often..It's seldom done today, especially by home cooks..

Second, plastic cutting boards tend to trap food particles as they are being used..This happens as food collects in the grooves that are created as the knife's blade actually cuts into the plastic surface of the cutting board..Then, the next time that the knife's blade slices into the plastic in close proximity to one of these cuts it sometimes forces the edge of the new cut to curl over & seal some of the trapped food into the previous cut..Because the rinse cycle in dishwashers, especially commercial dishwashers, is of a generally short duration the bacteria that breeds in the partially to completely sealed cuts is not always killed by the heat of the rinse cycle..Even submerging & soaking the boards in a strong bleach solution for a prolonged period of time will not completely sanitize plastic boards..

I use wood cutting boards..A high quality wood board is an expensive, albeit life time investment..It should be thick so that it can be scraped periodically..It will be heavy as a consequence of being thick..It will not be convenient to to take to the sink to wash..For the raw vegan it should not be necessary to wash the board under running water very often..Soap should NEVER be used on any wood cutting board that you treasure..It will always leave a residue on the board which will be picked up by the subsequent prepping of foods..I keep a sponge that NEVER is used with any type of soap to sponge off my best cutting boards..A wood cutting board will pick up stains..Technically this is food trapped in the fibers of the wood..Stains can be lifted by first scraping the board, then place a several millimeter layer of table salt over the stain & allow it to sit for several hours..Brush off the salt, scrape again, & wash with a clean, damp sponge..

Personally, I have two other types of cutting boards that I place atop my good wooden one when I am prepping something that I don't want to stain the main board..The first is sold under the Epicurean brand & is comprised of fine-grained wood particles & synthetic resin that is molded into the shape of a cutting board..They are dishwasher safe..The are the next friendliest cutting boards to the edge of a knife after an actual real wooden board..

The second type of board is made out of some kind of what appears to be a synthetic rubber compound..It too, is extremely friendly to the edge of a knife's blade; really, really close to the Epicurean boards..These "rubber" boards are extremely heavy for their size & thickness; rivaling a much thicker wooden board..I've only encountered them in a couple of the restaurants that I've worked in..I've seen them in Asian restaurants, primarily Chinese ones..The only place I know to purchase one is in a well-stocked Asian grocery store..

Bruce

That's interesting Bruce.

I have a small plastic cutting board that I haven't used in months, instead I just grab a big plate out of the cupboard and used a serated knife so it doesn't dull. The plates get really clean in the dishwasher. I always thought that I should be using a cutting board, but now I think I'll just keep using my plates!

Wow, that is one indepth post batochef!! Interestingly, I learned so much about cutting boards. I also realized that last night I botched my bamboo cutting board....thought I was doing a great job cleaning up my pineapple feast by dousing the board in soap and water. UGH!!! I can't believe it!!! Thanks for such an informative post, as always. VF

Bamboo.

On it's surface, bamboo seems to be the ideal choice for cutting boards..

Every single one of the 7 people that I've personally spoken to that had purchased one of these bamboo boards reported problems with the boards falling apart due to the glue bonds failing..In only two of the cases were the boards put into a dishwasher, a total no-no for glued up wood cutting boards..It's the main reason I've not yet purchased one..

The other reason is that I've not yet seen what I consider to be a practical size in a bamboo board..That is, one sized to be at least 3/4"-1" thick, by 12' wide by 18" long, without rounded edges; in other words rectangular..I'd really prefer a board to be 1" x 18" x 24"..Smaller boards are OK for smaller jobs, but a large board truly excels when a serious prep job is at hand..One can always accomplish a small job on a larger board, but a large job is much more time consuming when only a small board is available to use..

Bruce

there is an Epicurean board at the house we're at now, it's pretty good. i have a large bamboo board and a mini one too, they are terrific.

i have 3 bamboo cutting boards of varying sizes to accomodate most of my chopping needs. a super large one for large meal prep and a small one that is wonderful for travel. bamboo might not be the best choice, but it works for me and i love the quality it provides. since a young age, i've meticulously cared for things that i've owned...given i didn't have that much. partly to make them last and also that i appreciate having them in the first place. i keep the boards well oiled and hand wash them after each use. i don't own a dishwasher. i think any appliance can be abused or well cared for...just depends on what you're using it for & how often perhaps which may impact it's overall shelf life?

I'm sure those who use plastic or glass feel similarly. Just a personal choice. I like the bamboo. :-)

rawangel

If I may ask, exactly what size is your large bamboo board, what brand is it, & where did you purchase it??..

Thanks, Bruce

wow

i luv this gourmet talk about different boards and texture
and fibers and whatnot

it is so scintillating

hmmm.. i have both wood and plastic

bamboo looks interesting too

This is the Best cutting board I've ever used. It's
just the right size for light prep (11"x16"x3/4". You
owe it to yourself to try one......WY

[www.accent-furniture-direct.com]

baltochef Wrote:
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> rawangel
>
> If I may ask, exactly what size is your large
> bamboo board, what brand is it, & where did you
> purchase it??..
>
> Thanks, Bruce


Oh hey Bruce, I didn't see your note.

I bought the large one at a shop in Mt Shasta City a couple of years ago. It's a Japanese brand and I'll have to research it to get the name - I can't read the character on the board. :-)

Bruce,

The company is Totally Bamboo. I have the large cutting board and a couple smaller ones from the African Collection.

Here are the dimensions of the med & large boards:

[www.totallybamboo.com]

In addition to a Cutting Board, a kitchen is not complete
without a good set of knives and a Knife Block.....WY

[img.photobucket.com]

i see your knives slip in sideways, keeps them sharp. mine go in up and down but i set them into the block with the sharp edge up instead of down so they don't get dull so quickly. still, along with your knives a good sharpening tool is a must. it's easier to cut yourself with a dull blade than a sharp one, believe it or not!

anyone use a ceramic blade? i think about getting one now and then.

coco Wrote:
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> i see your knives slip in sideways, keeps them
> sharp. mine go in up and down but i set them into
> the block with the sharp edge up instead of down
> so they don't get dull so quickly.
Nice trick!! But, setting your knives in the block with the
blades down wouldn't dull them.
> still, along with your knives a good sharpening tool
is a must.
I dread the day one of my knives
needs sharpening. I have a Diamond Stone, but haven't
practiced using it.
> it's easier to cut yourself with a dull blade than
> a sharp one, believe it or not!
I don't believe it.....WY

coco Wrote:
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> it's easier to cut yourself with a dull blade than
> a sharp one, believe it or not!
After thinking about it, I guess that is True.
You do show a sharp knife more Respect, don't you?.....WY

<<it's easier to cut yourself with a dull blade than
> a sharp one, believe it or not!
After thinking about it, I guess that is True.
You do show a sharp knife more Respect, don't you?.....WY>>

perhaps but you should actually show a dull knife far more respect
because a dull knife is not doing its job very well, one has a tendency to exert
more force
and when it "slips", this can result in a greater catastrophe

if you use a very sharp knife, it does not have a tendency to slip and
you use minimal force thus less likelihood of great damage occurring

La_V.....I think you may be over-analyzing the issue.
That could be a Good Thing. I solve the problem by only
using sharp knives.....WY

Wheatgrass Yogi Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> La_V.....I think you may be over-analyzing the
> issue.
> That could be a Good Thing. I solve the problem by
> only
> using sharp knives.....WY

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WY, la_veronique is absolutely correct in that a dull knife is FAR more dangerous than an extremely sharp one..Because a dull knife requires the user to exert much, much more downwards force against the food being cut than does a sharp knife..For soft-skinned foods this is not a great concern..For foods with tough skins, such as a watermelon's rind, that extra force often results in the knife slipping due to the dull edge not acquiring a good initial purchase against the outer surface of the food in question..When the excessive force is applied & the knife slips, as it eventually always will, then the fingers & or hand that is holding the food will be cut..The severity of a cut to ones fingers or hand will ALWAYS be directly relative to the amount of force applied..A sharp knife that cuts one's finger with a force 10 times ;less than that of a dull knife will ALWAYS result in a lesser wound than the cut from a dull knife that is applying 10 times as much force..

Take it from a professional chef that has spent thousands of hours per year with a knife in his hands that the worst cuts that I have sustained in my career have ALWAYS been from dull knives..Period..

Bruce

see? i told ya so!

I use wood,but have found recently that after a while with all the cutting,you could be getting alot of wood flakes in your food.I took a scraper,the kind you use to scrape paint off of old floors and such,and resurfaced my board.It seems to have eliminated the flakes.
Brian

Raw1228 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I use wood,but have found recently that after a
> while with all the cutting,you could be getting
> alot of wood flakes in your food.I took a
> scraper,the kind you use to scrape paint off of
> old floors and such,and resurfaced my board.It
> seems to have eliminated the flakes.
> Brian

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raw1228

Way to go!!..Scraping the board is the correct thing to do to keep a wood cutting board in tip-top condition..The proper tool for this job is called a bench scraper..It is a rectangular steel blade, nowadays primarily made from stainless steel, that has a wooden or plastic handle that covers the entire length of one of the long edges of the blade..See the link below for a photo & price..

[www.instawares.com]

The closest thing to the bench scraper sharpeners that we used to use in the bakeries that I worked in is at the link below..A bench scraper needs to be kept sharpened in order to properly scrape off a layer of old fuzzy wood from the cutting boards surface..

[www.gearbuyer.com]

These tools are also known as pastry scrapers, dough scrapers, dough cutters, etc..If purchasing one for actually scraping a wood cutting board I advise searching out a scraper that has a blade made out of carbon steel as opposed to one with stainless steel..A carbon steel blade will sharpen exponentially easier due to it's softer steel..Also, & just as important IMO, is that ALL stainless steel alloys tend to clog up the teeth of a file to a MUCH greater degree than do carbon steel alloys..Thus, if you purchase one of the Swix sharpeners, it will have a much longer life & thus sharpen the scraper a lot better with substantially less effort..

To keep the file in the sharpener free of clogged metal particles you should use a card file or stiff wire brush to remove the metal particles from the teeth of the file..A clogged file will not properly sharpen any tool..

The scraper can also be sharpened by hand with a 6"-8" mill bastard file by clamping it in a bench vise, in a Black & Decker Workmate, or C-clamping the scraper to the edge of a table to stabilize it while being sharpened..It's important to maintain an even angle on the edge while sharpening..The edge should be shaped like that of a chisel..It does NOT need to be razor sharp..After sharpening the burr on the flat side of the bade can be removed by stoning it off with a small sharpening stone or piece of 400-600 grit emery cloth held flat against the blade's surface..

Bruce

Bruce,
Thanks for all that additional info!
Brian

there are handy flexible cutting boards now that I got with the vita-mix, and are sold separately of course. (they're plastic though, but shallow)

iLIVE Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> there are handy flexible cutting boards now that I
> got with the vita-mix, and are sold separately of
> course. (they're plastic though, but shallow)

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I've seen those on TV several times..They look like just the thing if one is traveling & needs to pack as compactly as possible..

Bruce