Cutting Boards

[Steve Martin]

The 'wood is best' credo is purely the result of research conducted by Dean Cliver; in California, no less.

http://www.naturalhandyman.com/iip/infxtra...ttingboard.shtm

All later research, including the FDA, refutes his claims.

http://www.securityworld.com/library/healt...oardsafety.html

http://outreach.missouri.edu/extensioninfo...ting_board.html

http://www.oznet.ksu.edu/dp_fnut/_timely/WOODVP.HTM

[bleachboy]

I also kind of like the color coded boards. For wood, there's one called Identibord.

Rubbermaid has a very similar product with color-coded plastic cutting boards.

[Stone]

Has anyone here ever gotten sick from their cutting board? Or known someone that has? Or heard about someone that has?

[Al_Dente]

Has anyone here ever gotten sick from their cutting board?  Or known someone that has?  Or heard about someone that has?

Nope. Though I dropped a heavy one on my foot once and had a big bruise. Does that count?

I hate to see people use Corian cutting boards. Your knives wouldn't be able to slice an over-ripe peeled banana after that kind of abuse.

Edited July 22, 2004 by Al_Dente (log)

[jayhay]

I had a wooden cutting board warp on me, & I solved the problem by heating a heavy, cast iron frying pan, & leaving it on the board to cool. Good as new!

[rbm]

To unwarp the board, you have to rip the board into a couple of pieces, plane the edges and reglue the pieces again. The process is easy but it's really handy if you know someone with woodworking machines like a table saw and jointer (or maybe have access to a school woodworking shop).

Use the table saw or a circular saw to rip the board along the pieces where the board seems to be warping most, or if the board is warped over its entire width, cut into three pieces. Using a jointer or hand plane, joint each piece so that the edge is 90 degrees to the face. That's the reason a jointer makes the work easier because the fence of the jointer references the work to the blades and makes the work easy and precise. When the edges are jointed, reglue and clamp the pieces again. Your board will be a couple millimeters reduced in width after the operation but it will be flat again.

andiesenji suggested sanding the board. This would be arduous backbreaking work with no guarantee of acceptable results especially if the board is made of hardwood like beech, maple or some exotic.

[winesonoma]

Go buy a new one http://www.knifemerchant.com/products.asp?...&categoryID=160

[Not A Speck Of Cereal]

Welcome to eGullet, Speck!

....and I've told you before, get rid o' dat ting. WOOD!

Wood. I'm all about wood. Wood, wood, wood.

Thanks all. For the record, I don't cut on my Corian board in general. It's just a small all purpose board that sets right next to the sink. My large cutting board, which I've had for many years, is away from the sink, and that's all my good steel sees (except for when someone *ahem* cut meat inside a Pyrex container ;^)

So it seems as if there's no HARD consensus, but either surface can harbor bacteria and should be cleaned.

But since Corian is hell on knives, there's no contest when it comes to cutting boards. All the minutia of non-porous vs. inherent bacteria fighting properties is moot, really.

Eh?

[andiesenji]

I use wood boards, I have different ones for differnt uses.

I do have one for poultry and meat, another just for vegetables that I take with me when I am going to be cooking at another person's house.

Rather than color coding I just drilled holes in one edge near the corner

so I can see them when the boards are standing on edge.

One hole for the vegetable board,

Two holes for the poultry board.

The heavier blocks I have in my kitchen at home are in two different places. One is where I cut meats, the other, close to the sink is where I cut vegetables.

[mrbigjas]

But since Corian is hell on knives, there's no contest when it comes to cutting boards. All the minutia of non-porous vs. inherent bacteria fighting properties is moot, really.

Let's not talk about your heretical electrical knife sharpening machine then, there, Speck.

hahahaha uh oh.

[chefdg]

Everyone keeps saying "wood".

[ellencho]

So if this is even possible, without my using it, my cutting board has warped even more, and you can see a separation between the junction between the 3rd and 4th pieces of wood. Perhaps it's been somewhat humid in Philly lately? I dunno. I've decided to trash my once beloved cutting board and replace it. In the end, this worked out for the best for my boyfriend who actually thinks I'm going to hold the board while he attempts to kick it in two. Thanks for all your suggestions all. I'll definitely take better care of my next board.

[Varmint]

This is why I use a rubber cutting board most of the time. It's soft, can be sanded down, doesn't slide, can go in the dishwasher, and if it warps, pop it in a 225F oven for 20 minutes to flatten it out. They're heavy as hell, but it's a good alternative once you've discarded your warped wooden board!

[Not A Speck Of Cereal]

I use wood boards, I have different ones for differnt uses.  [...snip...]

I do too. I mean, you need one with channels for cutting meat that will give up moisture, but it's not good for much else.

[Not A Speck Of Cereal]

But since Corian is hell on knives, there's no contest when it comes to cutting boards. All the minutia of non-porous vs. inherent bacteria fighting properties is moot, really.

Let's not talk about your heretical electrical knife sharpening machine then, there, Speck.

hahahaha uh oh.

"Thanks."

Hi all, I'm Speck, and I'm an electric knife sharpenaholic.

But it's a good one! I promise!!

Not A Speck Of Sharpening Stone

[naguere]

End grain teak.

I have read that it is has a natural anti-bacteria effect.

Bought one in Hong Kong, but it split during shipping and I ended up throwing it away. Months later I found it this is due to the wood drying out, a dunking in a bucket of water overnight would have resolved the problem.

[Fat Guy]

Do people actually use Corian cutting boards? Corian is mostly used in kitchens as a countertop material, not a cutting board material. Only pastry chefs regularly work directly on Corian, as far as I know, although Corian is fading fast as a result of the rise of Silestone and other superior products.

My workhorse cutting boards are poly in a 17 by 14 inch size. I have four of them. They cost almost nothing, so every few years I just replace them. I wash them in the dishwasher with the rest of the dishes after each meal -- they fit on the left, right, and front of the bottom rack so I can run three of them through the dishwasher at once if I have to and they hardly even take space away from the rest of the dishes. This is effectively zero maintenance burden, yet I can't believe there's any treatment you could give to a wood cutting board that's anywhere near as effective as sterilization in a dishwasher.

Incidentally I have Corian countertops and would never do any work directly on them. But I wouldn't work directly on any countertop material ever. You can easily replace cutting boards when you ruin them. Countertops, you're stuck with.

[Malawry]

What is the point of those Corian boards then? I've seen little ones in several homes with Corian counters. Are they supposed to be like trivets or something?

[rbm]

Bought one in Hong Kong, but it split during shipping and I ended up throwing it away. Months later I found it this is due to the wood drying out, a dunking in a bucket of water overnight would have resolved the problem.

I doubt it. The natural oils in teak would not allow much water to permeate the wood, IMO. I built a teak cutting board some 14 years ago and still use it daily today. I've washed that board often without the least sign of warpage or splitting. I just oil it occasionally and the patina on that board is georgeous. Your split could have been repaired by cutting the board apart at the split and regluing it.

[Bux]

Do people actually use Corian cutting boards? Corian is mostly used in kitchens as a countertop material, not a cutting board material. Only pastry chefs regularly work directly on Corian, as far as I know, although Corian is fading fast as a result of the rise of Silestone and other superior products.

My workhorse cutting boards are poly in a 17 by 14 inch size. I have four of them. They cost almost nothing, so every few years I just replace them. I wash them in the dishwasher with the rest of the dishes after each meal -- they fit on the left, right, and front of the bottom rack so I can run three of them through the dishwasher at once if I have to and they hardly even take space away from the rest of the dishes. This is effectively zero maintenance burden, yet I can't believe there's any treatment you could give to a wood cutting board that's anywhere near as effective as sterilization in a dishwasher.

I would suspect that people who Corian cutting boards also use marble and stainless steel cutting boards. Can you be assured of getting water hot enough to sterilize anything in a dishwasher or are you referring to the action of a cleaning liquid or additive? The thing I've noted about all the sources quoted so far, are that plastic cutting boards without deep scratches can be more effectively cleaned than wood. This would seem in to indicate that platic boards are expected to be discarded quite frequently.

[bleachboy]

Rather than color coding I just drilled holes in one edge near the corner

so I can see them when the boards are standing on edge.

One hole for the vegetable board,

Two holes for the poultry board.

You just gave me a good idea.. I bet you could use those colored thumb tacks to color code them, too. Green for veg, yellow for poultry, red for meat. I think I will do that one day when I have a kitchen large enough to accomodate some nice big cutting boards (I have a tiny apartment kitchen).

[Not A Speck Of Cereal]

What is the point of those Corian boards then? I've seen little ones in several homes with Corian counters. Are they supposed to be like trivets or something?

They make lousy trivets, as a hot pan can burn/melt a nice hole on it (on the other hand, wood makes a lousy trivet as well).

Corian is great for many things, but as a cutting board, I think it may have been just a fad (and I too succumbed to the craze... fer shame). Many of the people who picked them up 6-8 years ago still have theirs, but I suppose those will eventually disappear.

I won't replace the one I have next to the sink until I can find a nice wood one with feet--there's too much water for one without. Until then, I'll ask people not to use it for major knife duties!

Speck

[Not A Speck Of Cereal]

[...] Only pastry chefs regularly work directly on Corian, as far as I know [...]

Huh. I've heard that Corian changes temperature rapidly. I would've thought the a pastry chef would prefer something that retains temp, like a nice cool marble surface.

Speck.

[Really Nice!]

Be they wood or plastic, clean cutting boards serve you well. No mention of corian.

[skyflyer3]

I'm looking for a new, slim, easy to clean cutting board, and right now it's between bamboo and that Epicurean Richlite Stuff. Price point is pretty comparable. Does anyone own either or both? Reviews are appreciated.