Cutting Boards

[Dogchef]

8 hours ago, Smithy said:

 

I haven't tried silicone oil for any of my kitchen wood products, so can't give direct experience. (I've switched from food-grade mineral oil alone to the John Boos Oil and Cream, which also contain beeswax, due to the dryness of the climate.) My question for you: does that non-toxic silicone oil have a taste that you'll come to regret?

Good point!

Put some on freshly sanded oak & another sanded old scrap bit of board.

We'll see what it's like after a few weeks, perhaps place a fresh slice of apple on it & see if it takes in any tastes.

The oil itself has no detectable taste..less than canola IMHO.

[JoNorvelleWalker]

To answer the question, no, but today I got a new cutting board.

 

[btbyrd]

If it's one I recommended on here, it's probably an Epicurean board. They're thin, light, easy to care for, and last basically forever. And inexpensive. They sometimes warp. They're not-so-bad on your knife edges, but not especially great. I much prefer cutting on wood or on a good synthetic board like HiSoft or Hasegawa rubber board. 

[JoNorvelleWalker]

4 hours ago, btbyrd said:

If it's one I recommended on here, it's probably an Epicurean board. They're thin, light, easy to care for, and last basically forever. And inexpensive. They sometimes warp. They're not-so-bad on your knife edges, but not especially great. I much prefer cutting on wood or on a good synthetic board like HiSoft or Hasegawa rubber board. 

 

The board I received yesterday is an Epicurean.  I have four in my collection now.  However I try to avoid using a good knife on them except when slicing bread and cutting cheeses.

 

[weinoo]

15 hours ago, btbyrd said:

If it's one I recommended on here, it's probably an Epicurean board. They're thin, light, easy to care for, and last basically forever. And inexpensive. They sometimes warp. They're not-so-bad on your knife edges, but not especially great. I much prefer cutting on wood or on a good synthetic board like HiSoft or Hasegawa rubber board. 

 

11 hours ago, JoNorvelleWalker said:

 

The board I received yesterday is an Epicurean.  I have four in my collection now.  However I try to avoid using a good knife on them except when slicing bread and cutting cheeses.

 

I was just gonna say this; when I pull out the Epicurean board, let's say to cut up a chicken, I also pull out the cheap knife or two. Along with poultry shears if I really feel like chomping thru some bones.

Otherwise, it's Boardsmith end-grain (my most loved board) or a Boos heavier weight one.

[AlaMoi]

DD fears wooden cutting boards - "germs" you know.....

I got her an Epicurean board - it's a decent next choice to wood so far as knife edges go.

 

short time ago I got a request from her for knife sharpening lessons . . . she's decided covid-house-arrest is a good time to learn how to DIY....

[gfweb]

 I watched a recent Pepin video where he cut chicken on a wooden board.

 

He wasn't wearing a face mask either.

 

 

[TicTac]

If you want to splurge, I would highly recommend the Asahi rubber cutting board.

 

https://www.korin.com/TK-203-03-120

 

After seeing my local Japanese restaurant's remodel and sourcing of these huge boards, I inquired about them and was enlightened on the quality of said beast.

 

Purchased a few years ago, it has served me very well - though admittedly I only use it when making Sushi.

 

 

 

 

Edited January 14, 2021 by TicTac
added link (log)

[weinoo]

35 minutes ago, gfweb said:

 I watched a recent Pepin video where he cut chicken on a wooden board.

 

He wasn't wearing a face mask either.

 

 

Nothing like a wooden board, that's for sure!  Honestly, that is what is on my counter 99% of the time.

I really can't stand the sound the knives make on almost any other different surface.

[Margaret Pilgrim]

And then there was the time s couple of weeks ago when I removed the Mississippi roast from its pot onto a wooden board so we could reduce down the juices a bit.   Left the board on an adjacent unused burner only to suddenly smell “campfire”, burning wood.   #%£¥!!!!!     Yup.   Bottom of carving board on fire.  Put it out under water but it is seriously scorched.    Who knew maple ignited so easily?   I was sure it was several inches from the in-use burner.

[AlaMoi]

aka The Kitchen of Unintended Smoking . . .😄

[weinoo]

On 1/13/2021 at 5:59 PM, btbyrd said:

If it's one I recommended on here, it's probably an Epicurean board. They're thin, light, easy to care for, and last basically forever. And inexpensive. They sometimes warp. They're not-so-bad on your knife edges, but not especially great. I much prefer cutting on wood or on a good synthetic board like HiSoft or Hasegawa rubber board. 

By the way, Thanks!  I picked up one of the Hasegawa’s within a bigger order from Korin. Love it (not as much as I love wood board, but) and it has become primary since it’s so easy to wash off.

[JoNorvelleWalker]

I am puzzled.  I like to try new things.  Tonight I received a Kuhn Rikon board of which I had high hopes...

https://kuhnrikon.com/ch_en/blog/post/colori-cutting-board

 

The product verbiage claims the board is soft on knives, but to me it feels rather hard.  The material is said to be "PP", by which I assume they mean polypropylene.  Thoughts on polypropylene for cutting boards compared to other plastics?

 

 

[paulraphael]

On 11/6/2023 at 6:10 PM, JoNorvelleWalker said:

I am puzzled.  I like to try new things.  Tonight I received a Kuhn Rikon board of which I had high hopes...

https://kuhnrikon.com/ch_en/blog/post/colori-cutting-board

 

The product verbiage claims the board is soft on knives, but to me it feels rather hard.  The material is said to be "PP", by which I assume they mean polypropylene.  Thoughts on polypropylene for cutting boards compared to other plastics?

 

 

 

I think most boards are polyethylene. Not sure which would be softer. Subjectively, not all polyethylene boards even feel the same, so you probably just need to trust what it feels like (and if your knife seems to dull faster).

[bokeg]

On 9/24/2004 at 2:53 AM, Daddy-A said:

Mottmott,

Yeah I'll keep looking, but I think I've found a great deal on a maple end-grain board from a local department store (The Bay for my fellow Canucks). Regular $49, on sale for $19. Wife is picking one up today on her lunch break

Actually, I use a local supplier for my butcher block (Vancouver, BC). Let's be honest, IKEA is going to be way cheaper on a small cutting board. Boos makes an excellent product, as does another company called Michigan Maple (in Sault Ste. Marie, ON), but with shipping and all, it's much cheaper for me to go local.

Also, when I do countertops, unless the client is insanely wealthy (my favorite kind) I do edge grain tops rather than end grain. They're less expensive, but won't hold if the client cuts directly on them (i.e. they'd still need a cutting board.) Much more cost efficient, and ultimately easier to maintain if you go with granite, quartz or solid surface (e.g. Corian) and use a good cutting board.

Re the Boos furniture pieces: Seen this one yet?

A.

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Hey I'm looking for cutting board recommendations. After years of abusing my knives with bamboo I'm ready for the next step. Ideally not wood, because it traps alot of bacteria imo and something really gentle on the blades.

[heidih]

49 minutes ago, bokeg said:

Hey I'm looking for cutting board recommendations. After years of abusing my knives with bamboo I'm ready for the next step. Ideally not wood, because it traps alot of bacteria imo and something really gentle on the blades.

You might want to research that bacteria assumption.

[liuzhou]

2 hours ago, bokeg said:

Hey I'm looking for cutting board recommendations. After years of abusing my knives with bamboo I'm ready for the next step. Ideally not wood, because it traps alot of bacteria imo and something really gentle on the blades.

 

Most research concludes the opposite of your opinion. Plastic or, heaven forbid, glass etc are more prone to "bacteria". Wood actually contains antibacterial properties. Any bacteria are not all bad!

 

[paulraphael]

On 11/20/2023 at 8:57 PM, liuzhou said:

 

Most research concludes the opposite of your opinion. Plastic or, heaven forbid, glass etc are more prone to "bacteria". Wood actually contains antibacterial properties. Any bacteria are not all bad!

 

 

Studies have gone back and forth on this over the years. Most of them have been poorly funded, and so far from definitive. The closest thing to a consensus I can tease out: wood, plastic, and rubber are all fine.  They all need to be maintained, and if they get to a point of having grooves in them that you can't get out, they're no longer safe.

 

Wood doesn't really have magical antibacterial properties, nor does it have pro-bacterial properties. It can draw bacteria down away from the surface where it dies on its own, but this isn't something you want to rely on. You want to keep the surface smooth, and wash well with hot soapy water. Just like any board. Plastic has the advantage of the dishwasher, the disadvantage of being much harder to refinish. 

 

 

[dcarch]

1 hour ago, paulraphael said:

Wood doesn't really have magical antibacterial properties,

Agree.

That's why all wood rots, sooner or later.

 

dcarch

[Laurentius]

2 hours ago, paulraphael said:

Plastic has the advantage of the dishwasher, the disadvantage of being much harder to refinish. 

 

IME, plastic boards are just as easy to refinish as are wood boards.

[JoNorvelleWalker]

11 hours ago, paulraphael said:

 

Studies have gone back and forth on this over the years. Most of them have been poorly funded, and so far from definitive. The closest thing to a consensus I can tease out: wood, plastic, and rubber are all fine.  They all need to be maintained, and if they get to a point of having grooves in them that you can't get out, they're no longer safe.

 

Wood doesn't really have magical antibacterial properties, nor does it have pro-bacterial properties. It can draw bacteria down away from the surface where it dies on its own, but this isn't something you want to rely on. You want to keep the surface smooth, and wash well with hot soapy water. Just like any board. Plastic has the advantage of the dishwasher, the disadvantage of being much harder to refinish. 

 

 

 

Hinoki is said to be anti-microbial.  While I have a couple of hinoki boards, I use the good one only with my Watanabe nikkiri.  Not only do I believe hinoki is anti-microbial, the only maintenance is rinsing with clear water.  Hinoki should not be oiled.

 

[JoNorvelleWalker]

On the subject of wood cutting boards, I received an acacia cutting board today.  The idea was to use it as a serving platter when I have bread and cheese, however it turns out to be a bit large for the purpose.  Even though the board is beautiful considering the modest asking price, the acacia wood feels hard to my hand.  I thought I'd ask before cutting on it.

 

Thoughts?

 

[lindag]

If it feels hard it is hard...send it bacvk.

[JoNorvelleWalker]

I'm not saying the acacia board is hard, just that it felt hard when I tapped on it.  Just now I did the same experiment with a couple of walnut boards and they felt hard too.  I think tapping may be more a test of density than hardness.

 

However after a few moments googling I found an article on acacia hardness.  Apparently acacia is hard...

https://woodworkly.com/how-hard-is-acacia-wood/

 

Whether acacia is bad or good for a cutting board I still don't know.

 

 

[lindag]

I believe it to be too hard for a good cutting board.