Cutting board recommendations

[rommelrommel]

Shun are overpriced, but they are nice looking. Does suck that they are gone tho. Gift from family :/

 

[Drako]

Get one of these:

http://www.epicureancs.com/recycledseries.php

 

[yh125d]

As a compliment to the nice high quality wood ones, I highly recommend picking up a set of these. Thin, flexible, color coded. Green for fruits and vegetables, yellow/blue for raw/cooked poultry, red/brown for raw/cooked red meats, white for general. You can store all 6 in the space of a normal plastic one, they are cheap enough to just replace when they get scratched up, pretty flexible (though I would like a step or two more flexible).

Great for large meals with multiple components so you don't have to stop and clean the board between, or for camping/cookouts, etc. I just use them for everything though. I bought these and then was shopping for a good wood one, but I never bothered, I'm happy with these (but I don't cook all that much either)

http://amzn.com/B005EZD4FE

 

[MrSquished]

Shun are overpriced, but they are nice looking. Does suck that they are gone tho. Gift from family :/

they are. i have a few pieces of japanese steel. www.korin.com is where i shop for them.

 

[nageov3t]

As a compliment to the nice high quality wood ones, I highly recommend picking up a set of these. Thin, flexible, color coded. Green for fruits and vegetables, yellow/blue for raw/cooked poultry, red/brown for raw/cooked red meats, white for general. You can store all 6 in the space of a normal plastic one, they are cheap enough to just replace when they get scratched up, pretty flexible (though I would like a step or two more flexible).

Great for large meals with multiple components so you don't have to stop and clean the board between, or for camping/cookouts, etc. I just use them for everything though. I bought these and then was shopping for a good wood one, but I never bothered, I'm happy with these (but I don't cook all that much either)

http://amzn.com/B005EZD4FE

maybe I'm an unsanitary cook, but I've never felt the need.

usually just cut all my vegetables before I start and dump them into prep/mixing bowls before moving on to handling any raw meat. I do have a separate cutting board for cooked meat, though (one with recessed grooves to catch the juices, like after cooking steak or a roast)

 

[Howard]

End-grain maple performs well in terms of cutting dynamic and is still pretty affordable. They are heavier than edge-grain, unfortunately, simply due to their method of construction.

Whatever you get, make sure at least one side fits through your sink, and make sure it's kept level and fully dry when not in use.

 

[alangrift]

I make cutting boards and they are sooo easy to make Im not gonna say they look amazing but they arent terrible. They have three separate pieces of wood in them and take about one day to make when you get good at it. The materials for it are about 20 dollars worth of a walnut plank other than that you just need glue and time.

 

[skyking]

That black walnut one in the ebay link is nice.
I made my first board as a housewarming gift this spring. I need some more wood, all I have any quantity of is either ash or sapele. I'd like to try some maple end grain boards.

 

[highland145]

That black walnut one in the ebay link is nice.
I made my first board as a housewarming gift this spring. I need some more wood, all I have any quantity of is either ash or sapele. I'd like to try some maple end grain boards.

A friend gave me a slab of that that had been in his Dad's basement for 40 years. Approx. 3" x 2' x 4'...cut out of the middle of the tree. Amazing. Cut, joined, sanded and it has held my coffee, every morning, for the last 20 years.


Isn't there a "requirement" for food prep woods?

 

[lxskllr]

Isn't there a "requirement" for food prep woods?

What do you mean? I don't think it matters aside from durability. Hard and dense is best, but you could use pine too. You'd just have to replace it more often.

 

[highland145]

What do you mean? I don't think it matters aside from durability. Hard and dense is best, but you could use pine too. You'd just have to replace it more often.

Way in the back of my mind....heh, what's that get you....some wood would poison/taint the meat and make it dangerous to eat so woods like maple were used.

 

[JEDI]

why not one of those anti-bacterial plastic polymer cutting boards?
$5 at walmart for 8x11 board

 

[highland145]

why not one of those anti-bacterial plastic polymer cutting boards?
$5 at walmart for 8x11 board

My way limited memory....IIRC, they hold bacteria longer than wood...I could be spreading misinformation, unintentionally.


All I know, for sure, is that the PBJ sammiches taste the same in my 1937 kitchen as they do in the 2013 kitchen.

 

[lxskllr]

Way in the back of my mind....heh, what's that get you....some wood would poison/taint the meat and make it dangerous to eat so woods like maple were used.

That could be, but I wouldn't expect it from most typical American woods.

My way limited memory....IIRC, they hold bacteria longer than wood...I could be spreading misinformation, unintentionally.

Bacteria will grow in plastic, and nicks made by a knife give them a good place to hide. Wood keeps the bacteria stable, and they'll eventually die. Practically speaking, I don't think it matters much as long as you practice basic sanitation, but I always prefer wood. It feels nicer, looks nicer, and ages well. Wood gets better with age. Plastic looks it's best fresh from the store shelf, and gets worse with time.