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Glass Cutting Boards


Shel_B

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Yesterday, I saw a knife test video which included using a variety of knives on a glass cutting board.  The purpose was to abuse the knives and see which survived the abuse better.  The tester mentioned that glass boards are very hard on knives. 

 

So, if glass boards are so hard on knives, why use them?  What features or quality do glass boards have that make them worth considering?  Is there a special type of glass used for these boards? Does anyone here use them?

Edited by Shel_B (log)

 ... Shel


 

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I had one and YES it dulled my knives quickly.  The only 'plus' to a glass cutting board is the visual....virtually invisible on my granite counter and the glass doesn't scratch, so it was nice to leave it out on the counter, rather than stowing it away which I do with my other boards.  But really....it dulled my knives in a matter of a week!  

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I hate the glass cutting board my wife insists on keeping on the counter. She cuts things on it using "her" knives and I pull my knives out along with a wooden cutting board when I am in the kitchen.

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I have several of the large ones but have never used them for cutting.  They fit perfectly on the shelves of wire industrial shelving - so things with feet will sit securely without tipping.  I use them on my wood countertops under appliances that tend to "leak" liquids or grease or that get blisteringly hot - (some of my vintage appliances do this)  and where I need to place things that might otherwise mar the counters.  Before I got the copper slabs from Bella Copper to cover the stove top burners, I would use the glass cutting "boards" there to make a smooth working surface when I only needed part of the stove top. 

I have given them to friends who have counter tops that can't accept hot pans from the oven or the stove (Formica, etc) and they are used constantly for this purpose. 

I don't know anyone who uses them for their original purpose as I think they are not suitable and I much prefer wood.

"There are, it has been said, two types of people in the world. There are those who say: this glass is half full. And then there are those who say: this glass is half empty. The world belongs, however, to those who can look at the glass and say: What's up with this glass? Excuse me? Excuse me? This is my glass? I don't think so. My glass was full! And it was a bigger glass!" Terry Pratchett

 

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Andie, listed the same things we use glass cutting boards for. They are good for many things but the many things they are good for does not include being used as a cutting board! They rapidly destroy any knife. One advantage of them that she didn't mention is the fact they are very easy to clean and sanitize, because of this fact we sometimes use them as an assembly surface for various food items.

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I've learned that artificial intelligence is no match for natural stupidity.

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Glass cutting board with a sharp knife will give you very precise delicate cuts.

 

It will not dull your knives if you can slice like a Japanese chef making sushi cuts. Only a very small part of the edge actually touches the board, and it is always the same spot on the edge.

 

A glass cutting board will be the most sanitary  cutting board.

 

 

dcarch

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I've never seen a Japanese sushi chef using a glass cutting board. Or any professional chef. AFAIK the preferred boards are either wood or Sani-Tuff™

Monterey Bay area

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I have a glass cutting board that I use as a cheese board for cheeses that can be cut with a butter knife or a wire slicer.  It looks pretty and is easy to clean.  Sharp knives never go near it.

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In Fl they are painted with tacky pictures of 1) Flamingos, 2) Palm Trees or 3) Alligators.  Good for displaying your coconut Indian heads on..

I have one that has a non-tacky (in my opinion) print of Basenjis, the dog breed I love...

Basenji glass cutting board.JPG

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"There are, it has been said, two types of people in the world. There are those who say: this glass is half full. And then there are those who say: this glass is half empty. The world belongs, however, to those who can look at the glass and say: What's up with this glass? Excuse me? Excuse me? This is my glass? I don't think so. My glass was full! And it was a bigger glass!" Terry Pratchett

 

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Back to glass cutting board.

 

I understand all the comments so far. Glass cutting board is a very special tool which I use not for everyday cutting and chopping.

 

It is great for boning chicken, pork, fish, etc. All other board materials will trap food deep into small groves except a glass board. I don't consider the believe that wood can kill germs proven. cleaning afterward requires some work. glass is maintenance free.

 

With a glass board, which is made from tempered glass, I use a window cleaning squeegee to wipe with one motion to clear the board while I am working, and use the dishwasher to sanitize. 100% clean.

 

Again, for cutting, I use the sushi slicing technique, which never dulls the edge.

 

dcarch 

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Over 30 years working in professional kitchens around the world and I 've never come across one yet.  Private homes yes, many.  Most of the kitchens I've worked in have "0" tolerance for any glass in the kitchen, be it bottles or glasses.  Tempered glass isn't magic, it breaks as easily as regular glass, it just breaks in itty-bitty pieces as opposed to great jagged shards. And tempered glass shards have a unique ability to fly astounding distances (if you've ever had your car window broken or a store front window broken, you know you can sweep up glass shards for weeks).  Hence the "0" tolerance for glass in most commercial kitchens.  Most cutting boards get rough abuse--tossed into the d/washer, and then slung on to a baker's rack or other rack to air dry.

 

Glass is slippery and many foods are moist, most professional kitchens have nylon or sani-tuff boards.  When these get wet or slippery (ie boning/skinning salmon or other fish) the standard simple trick is to use a plastic baker's scraper to squeegee the crud off the board.

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Yes a poly cutting board goes right into the dishwasher and so is properly 'disinfected' and cleaned (whether food particles were "trapped" or not).

and yet, it's a sensible surface for cutting on that won't slip and won't ruin your edge; unlike glass.

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All other board materials will trap food deep into small groves except a glass board. I don't consider the believe that wood can kill germs proven. cleaning afterward requires some work. glass is maintenance free.

 

I am thinking of getting one or two of the Epicurean boards. I used one in furnished rental once and liked it. They say they do not harbour bacteria and can be machine-washed. 

 

Here is their web site. 

 

Description:

 

STANDARD CUTTING BOARDS

With these Epicurean Standard Cutting Boards, you get the best of both wood and poly in one functional surface. These NSF approved food preparation surfaces will not dull knives, harbor bacteria or stain. They are heat resistant up to 350˚, dishwasher safe, and completely maintenance free. Each two-sided surface is fashioned with a hole for convenient hanging storage. Upgrade your kitchen with these food preparation surfaces. The 3/8 inch thickness gives these cutting boards a solid and substantial feel, while maintaining easy storage and handling.
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One thing that glass "cutting boards" have going for them is rubber feet. I have been slowly replacing my poly cutting boards with boards that have non-slip edges or bumps.

 

I quit buying wood boards a long time ago since they don't tolerate being run through the dishwasher. I would buy one, use it once or twice, get annoyed with having to hand-wash it, have is sit unused for a year or two and then get given away. After about three cycles of that I realized that for me they were a waste of money.

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Porthos Potwatcher
The Once and Future Cook

;

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Over 30 years working in professional kitchens around the world and I 've never come across one yet.  Private homes yes, many.  Most of the kitchens I've worked in have "0" tolerance for any glass in the kitchen, be it bottles or glasses. 

 

I am not aware of anyone on this thread recommending the use of glass cutting board in a commercial kitchen.

 

Tempered glass isn't magic, it breaks as easily as regular glass,

 

You are wrong. Tempered glass is many times stronger than regular glass.

 

 

it just breaks in itty-bitty pieces as opposed to great jagged shards. And tempered glass shards have a unique ability to fly astounding distances (if you've ever had your car window broken or a store front window broken, you know you can sweep up glass shards for weeks). 

 

You are also wrong on this.

 

Hence the "0" tolerance for glass in most commercial kitchens.  Most cutting boards get rough abuse--tossed into the d/washer, and then slung on to a baker's rack or other rack to air dry.

 

Are you  recommending everyone here to put their wood cutting boards in a dishwasher?

 

Glass is slippery and many foods are moist, most professional kitchens have nylon or sani-tuff boards.  When these get wet or slippery (ie boning/skinning salmon or other fish) the standard simple trick is to use a plastic baker's scraper to squeegee the crud off the board.

 

Basically what I said with a glass board. Use a squeegee.

 

dcarch

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I just found 2 separate websites that support the statements that tempered glass is stronger than non-tempered glass (one suggesting that the increase of strength is in the range of 4X to 5X) and that the result of the tempering process yields a glass that shatters into small roundish bits rather than sharp-edged shards. It is also more heat-resistant. Since my understanding is that my counter-protecting "cutting board" is made of tempered glass by definition it meets has those qualities. That hardness is not knife-edge-friendly.

 

As an aside from the cutting board issue I do have tempered glass pot lids in my ren faire kitchens and do not fear them.

Porthos Potwatcher
The Once and Future Cook

;

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My first glass cutting board was not a cutting board. A contractor friend was building a bank. He gave me a piece of tempered glass which was a bandit barrier bullet proof sample for his project. Google will tell you, tempered glass is 4 to 6 times stronger than regular glass, but is not used for bullet proof often because Lexan is easier to work with.

 

I really like the glass for processing germy foods. The sample I had was a little small and too heavy. I now have a regular tempered glass cutting board. All my general cutting is done on various wood boards.

 

I am careful with using proper knives and cutting boards, because I make all my knives and cutting boards.

 

knives_zps10247ae8.jpg

 

dcarch

Edited by dcarch (log)
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Sani-Tuff is a form of rubber. It's hard to sand due to density, but has more resiliency so it gives while glass doesn't.

Edited by Norm Matthews (log)
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