Cutting board for slicing meat and veggies?
0I’d like to pick up some nice knives because my Faberwares are pretty shitty. The problem is that I use a glass cutting board. Should I switch over to that hard white plastic or wood? Is wood bad to use because of bacteria?
I don’t use wood for raw meat and especially not for chicken. Those plastic boards are not expensive so definately switch over to them instead of glass. They are worlds easier on knife blades over glass. In fact, don’t use those glass boards for any cutting.
If you have the money, then I’d also get a nice hardwood cutting board for veggies and cooked food. Some people also will do red meat on them, and to be honest, I end up doing it sometimes as well. But never with poultry.
wood = vegetables ONLY, and then only ones that don’t "bleed"
plastic = meats, seperate one for each type (beef, seafood, chicken, pork, etc)
everything else = everything else
Okay, I’ll get a set of the white plastic ones and swap them out every now and then.
I’ll keep the glass for making sandwiches, pizzas, etc. It beats using the counter.
No way I’m getting a third wood cutting board though. The plastic will have to do for veggies.
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Okay, I’ll get a set of the white plastic ones and swap them out every now and then.
I’ll keep the glass for making sandwiches, pizzas, etc. It beats using the counter. No way I’m getting a third wood cutting board though. The plastic will have to do for veggies. |
when you get a set of plastic ones, there are some that are thin and flexible – they also have an "image" "printed" on them for specific foods, and they’re in different colors
i.e. pork chop, side of beef, a chicken, veggies, etc
those would be the ones to get
you don’t HAVE to get a wood one for veggies, just that veggies only on a wood block, and like i said, ones that don’t bleed like tomatoes
wood blocks are havens for bacteria
nothing wrong with glass ones – until they get scratched and micro-fractures and you forget once and chop some carrots after you sliced up a chicken and next thing you know you’re puking your guts up
What’s with all the fear of wood cutting boards? Wood can harbor bacteria if not taken care of but for the most part, it’s the best cutting surface there is. It’s also safe as long as you clean it and keep it treated with oil or wax. I’d never cut pork or poultry on it just because of the two main things they carry (salmonella and trichinella) but for veggies and meat it’s good. Just have two different ones so you don’t have to worry about cross-contamination.
From The New Kitchen Science by Howard Hillman:
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Though softwood does less hard to a knife’s edge, hardwood is used most often because it absorbs less moisture and lasts longer. (Less moisture absorbed, less bacteria) Polyethylene boards are not as hard as, say, metal and glass, but they are harder than wood. Consequently, a knife becomes duller faster on polyethylene boards than on wood ones. Even though polyethylene is easier to clean, most good cooks insists on wood cutting boards because keeping a knife sharp is crucial. |
From The New Cooks’ Catalogue:
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Wooden ones are popular and, after recent University of Wisconsin studies indicated that wood does not transfer bacteria to other surfaces… |
From wikipedia:
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Plastic |
From Cooking for Engineers ()
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However, most sharp knives will eventually carve grooves into the plastic surface where stains can form and bacteria can collect. The small fissures make it very difficult to properly clean the baord without giving it a bleach washing. A properly oiled wood board will also help resist staining to some degree, but prompt washing is always the best policy to follow. |
There are plenty of other places in the kitchen for contamination anyway. Your can opener! A sponge in the sink for cleaning, etc.
wood is high maintainence. as stated above, you need to keep them coated with oil, can’t wash them in the dishwasher, etc. If you are lazy like me, then plastic is the best. you see wood on cooking shows because its fancier.
those thin ones are a great idea – they are inexpensive enough to have several and thin enough to store in tight spaces – plus you can bend them to make pouring simpler and neater
but – they aren’t all dishwasher safe, that is a real negative in my book
For maintenance reasons I avoid wood cutting boards. And I just hate the sticky residue that oiling them leaves on the counter and your hands. I have 5 separate boards (actually 6):
green – fruits and veggies
yellow – chicken and fish
red – red meat
brown – cooked meat
white – dairy and cheese
oldest one from the last batch – used for aromatics like garlic, shallots, onions, etc.
Might seem like overkill but I don’t ever have to worry about cross contamination and the use over the 5 boards spreads out the wear signifigantly so they wear out a lot slower.
You shouldn’t be worried about them dulling your knives – you should be doing regular maintenance on your blades anyway. No knife stays sharp forever and cutting boards are a necessity so get used to sharpening and taking care of your knives.
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For maintenance reasons I avoid wood cutting boards. And I just hate the sticky residue that oiling them leaves on the counter and your hands. I have 5 separate boards (actually 6):
green – fruits and veggies yellow – chicken and fish red – red meat brown – cooked meat white – dairy and cheese oldest one from the last batch – used for aromatics like garlic, shallots, onions, etc. Might seem like overkill but I don’t ever have to worry about cross contamination and the use over the 5 boards spreads out the wear signifigantly so they wear out a lot slower. You shouldn’t be worried about them dulling your knives – you should be doing regular maintenance on your blades anyway. No knife stays sharp forever and cutting boards are a necessity so get used to sharpening and taking care of your knives. |
Common practice. I think it was Bed, Bath, and Beyond has an assortment of colors. US Plastics does as well (google them) if you really want plastic boards.
see post #5
if you want wood, ikea sells a decent board for cheap
we use wood for everything, but this post has got me thinking
interesting
doubt i’ll make the change to individual cutting surface, reason being anything that’s cut on it, usually ends up being cooked…but interesting non the less.
I saw some nice looking ones at IKEA when I was there. Not sure what wood they use, but what caught me was they are thin. They might move around unless you put something under them.
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we use wood for everything, but this post has got me thinking
interesting |
Good point. I still end up using it to cut stuff that doesn’t get cooked though, so better safe than sorry. I got a thin wood board that I use for meat from wal-mart.
I use my wooden cutting board to cut stuff that doesn’t get cooked all the time, and some things don’t get cooked to the required 140 degrees that is needed to kill 99% bacteria. Therefore I would NEVER cut meat on my wooden cutting board.
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What’s with all the fear of wood cutting boards? Wood can harbor bacteria if not taken care of but for the most part, it’s the best cutting surface there is. It’s also safe as long as you clean it and keep it treated with oil or wax. I’d never cut pork or poultry on it just because of the two main things they carry (salmonella and trichinella) but for veggies and meat it’s good. Just have two different ones so you don’t have to worry about cross-contamination.
From The New Kitchen Science by Howard Hillman: From The New Cooks’ Catalogue: From wikipedia: From Cooking for Engineers () There are plenty of other places in the kitchen for contamination anyway. Your can opener! A sponge in the sink for cleaning, etc. |
Good solid advice.
Shitcan your Farberware knives – go to a restaurant supply store and buy some made by F. Dick
/BTW this is a real company – I’m not trying to swindle you into asking the clerk for dick…
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