The Kindest Cutting Board

[weinoo]

3 hours ago, &roid said:

I’ve had a couple of korin hi-soft boards for about a year. Really liked using it for that time. The larger one I have has warped slightly but nothing major. 
 

I’m more bothered about the surface really, it’s marked up quite badly - scratches and dings which seem to trap food debris. I’ve read that you can sand or smooth out the surface, has anyone done this with theirs? Any tips on how best to do it?

 

That's definitely happened to the one above as well.  And it really shows where I've used my serrated knife to slice, say, a loaf of bread for freezeing. 

 

They *(Korin) and other places do sell a sanding tool...

 

Edited July 12, 2021 by weinoo (log)

[&roid]

2 hours ago, weinoo said:

 

That's definitely happened to the one above as well.  And it really shoes where I've used my serrated knife to slice, say, a loaf of bread for freezeing. 

 

They *(Korin) and other places do sell a sanding tool...

 

perfect, I’ve just ordered one 

[gfweb]

On 7/10/2021 at 4:03 PM, weinoo said:

 

Oh yeah - I think this happened...

 

 

 

Looks like I'll be getting one of wood core boards at some point.

 

 

Maybe throw a towel under it?

[weinoo]

Just now, gfweb said:

Maybe throw a towel under it?

Yeah, that's what I'm doing and kind of always did with wood cutting boards. It still can wobble unexpectedly - just my screw up, so I've punished myself by ordering a Hasegawa.

[rotuts]

@&roid 

 

where did you order the ' sanding tool ' from ?

 

Korin seems to have one , but it looks a bit different from the

 

pink one

 

https://hasegawaboards.com/scraper.html

 

can't figure out how to ord3er from the above , the pink one

 

it seems to have two sides 

 

unsure bout the one ( out of stock ) from Karin

 

thanks

 

[MokaPot]

@rotuts, I got my pink Hasegawa cutting board scraper (same as the one in the picture you linked) from MTC Kitchen:

 

https://mtckitchen.com/cutting-board-scraper/

 

Yes, it has two different sides. One side is sort of beaded (for "roughing"). The other side is a more uniform grain (like typical sandpaper, for "finishing").

 

[&roid]

On 7/12/2021 at 3:14 PM, rotuts said:

@&roid 

 

where did you order the ' sanding tool ' from ?

 

Korin seems to have one , but it looks a bit different from the

 

pink one

 

https://hasegawaboards.com/scraper.html

 

can't figure out how to ord3er from the above , the pink one

 

it seems to have two sides 

 

unsure bout the one ( out of stock ) from Karin

 

thanks

 

I picked mine up from a UK company called dentons. The scraper was only about £7 but delivery nearly the same again. Old me would have found enough other things on their website to make the delivery “sensible”, but I’ve turned over a new leaf and promised myself I’d stop buying stuff I don’t need on a whim!

[weinoo]

On 6/4/2021 at 10:14 PM, btbyrd said:

I use Hi-Soft boards from Korin, but Hasegawas are excellent as well. And they can go in the dishwasher, unlike the HI-Softs. But I don't have a dishwasher, so...
 

 

I have a question for you about Hasegawas. But first...

 

 

 

This is my Hasegawa board. I don't abuse it (at least not to my knowledge). It goes in the dishwasher when I feel it's necessary (after cutting up raw meats, for example).

 

But it has developed some weird surface crap.  Everywhere it is discolored, if I scrape with a fingernail or the edge of a knife, the stuff in the 2nd photo comes off. What the heck is going on?

 

P.S. At this point, I'm back to my Boardsmith board or my Brooklyn board - both end-grain, both lovely, and way more favorite than the above.

[rotuts]

@weinoo 

 

that is odd .

 

As I read your post , the schmutts comes from the darker

 

( ie stained ) area   

 

does anything come off lighter , non-stained periphery ?

 

how do you sanitize ?  dishwasher ? ( having pretty hot water )

 

dilute bleach ?

 

fascinating to see what the schummts looks like under a microscope

 

the Bacti- report , and the augur cultures would also be interesting 

 

I imply no Health issues by being interested in the above .

 

after all , you and S.E.  haven't keeled over

 

just yet .

 

 

Edited March 26, 2023 by rotuts (log)

[weinoo]

15 minutes ago, rotuts said:

after all , you and S.E.  haven't keeled over

 

just yet .

That’s not 100% comforting.

 

But yes, it only comes off of the discolored areas. 
 

I do sanitize (when necessary) in the dishwasher. Otherwise, in the sink it gets washed with Dawn and a sponge.

Edited March 26, 2023 by weinoo (log)

[rotuts]

P.S. : how old is the board ?

 

when did the staining start ?

[weinoo]

Hmmmm…reading further, and reading further up this thread, it appears as if I need one of these…https://hasegawaboards.com/scraper.html

[rotuts]

forgot all about that scraper.  

 

Ill dig mine out.

[rotuts]

looking forward to your results.

Edited March 26, 2023 by rotuts (log)

[btbyrd]

I have no idea what might have caused that sort of discoloration, but hopefully you can take care of it with a bit of elbow grease. Hasegawa's scraper is the obvious tool of choice, though I suspect you could probably achieve similar results with a sanding block and a coarse wet/dry sandpaper. The one I got from Korin is basically just abrasive with a handle on it, looking much like the Hasegawa one. I used it to refinish my Hi Soft and it worked well, but you'll have to remove a lot of material to get rid of deep gashes. You have to do something similar to hinoki cutting boards, which are akin to cutting on balsa wood.  I'd never use a serrated knife on boards like these... we have beater wooden and Epicurean boards to use with our bread knife. Be kind to your kindest boards.

[weinoo]

15 hours ago, btbyrd said:

I have no idea what might have caused that sort of discoloration, but hopefully you can take care of it with a bit of elbow grease.

 

I used up all my elbow grease by putting the damn thing in the dishwasher.

[weinoo]

22 hours ago, rotuts said:

P.S. : how old is the board ?

 

when did the staining start ?

 

Ordered July 11, 2021.

 

Staining started July 12, 2021. Or right after I carved a juicy steak on it for the first time.

[Senior Sea Kayaker]

My educated guess (as a chemist) with the caveat I've read the topic and had a look at their website. I don't know what they actually use in the manufacture of their boards.

Using a wood core in the cutting board allows the use of a much 'softer' polymer to encase the board. This results, with usage, in micro-cuts in the coating. With continued use, and not sanding the board down, and washing you end up with the coating delaminating between those cuts. 

The discoloration is, in my opinion, expected with a 'soft' polymer. Probably why the manufacturer recommended the use of bleach.

 

 

[weinoo]

21 minutes ago, Senior Sea Kayaker said:

My educated guess (as a chemist) with the caveat I've read the topic and had a look at their website. I don't know what they actually use in the manufacture of their boards.

Using a wood core in the cutting board allows the use of a much 'softer' polymer to encase the board. This results, with usage, in micro-cuts in the coating. With continued use, and not sanding the board down, and washing you end up with the coating delaminating between those cuts. 

The discoloration is, in my opinion, expected with a 'soft' polymer. Probably why the manufacturer recommended the use of bleach.

 

If you'd like a Hasegawa cutting board (used, stained, unsanded) on which to experiment, please send your address to me!

[Senior Sea Kayaker]

9 minutes ago, weinoo said:

 

If you'd like a Hasegawa cutting board (used, stained, unsanded) on which to experiment, please send your address to me!

 

Thanks for the offer however I am retired and no longer have access to a lab 😇

I've owned an end grain maple cutting board for 26-28 years, maintain it with BooS oil, and I'll most likely leave it to my heirs.