Kitchen cutting boards

[pete6032]

What material is yours?

 

[lxskllr]

Wood. I also have a tiny bamboo one I got to trial the material. I like for that specific board, but for big ones I like wood. Anyone using vitrified material or stone isn't competent to handle knives, and should let an adult do the work.

 

[zinfamous]

wood and plastic.

I don't understand people that use those granite or rock boards. Why do they do that? Do they hate their knives? Do they actually do cooking or is it just to make their kitchen look ~fancy?

 

[IronWing]

Hard maple and cat hair

 

[IronWing]

wood and plastic.

I don't understand people that use those granite or rock boards. Why do they do that? Do they hate their knives? Do they actually do cooking or is it just to make their kitchen look ~fancy?

I think folks see marble pastry boards and get confused as to their purpose.

 

[Muse]

What material is yours?

I've always used wood. My current 2 go-to-boards are identical laminated bamboo, 10"x15", with a ring on the end for hanging from a hook. I rotate them. If one's messy, I reach for the other. Bought them in Oakland's Chinatown, what a bargain! Bought and loved one, went back a few years later and bought another. They are phenomenal, still look fantastic. I have never sanded them, they are tough!!! I don't think I ever oiled either one. They look great. They are light. They are two sided and one side's as good as the other, no difference. They clean in a jiffy in the sink. I set one on the covered griddle in the middle of my O'Keefe and Merritt gas stove and work it there, the other is on a hook at the side of the stove, next to the fridge, ready to grab.

 

[sandorski]

Wood and Plastic...multiple Poll choice would be nice.

 

[kage69]

wood and plastic.

I don't understand people that use those granite or rock boards. Why do they do that? Do they hate their knives? Do they actually do cooking or is it just to make their kitchen look ~fancy?

I've never been able to understand it either.

The look of glass or granite is apparently so satisfying it cancels out constantly ruining your blades and dramatically shortening their lifespan, plus the constant sharpening. Guess they like extra steel along with the seasoning in the food too.

Back in June one of those people was helping me cook out at the lake. I think my new Bob Kramer with a freshly stropped edge has pulled him away from the Dark Side. He couldn't get over how sharp it was, was asking for more things to cut, kept having his wife try it too. It was like they were trying VR for the first time, nothing but 'omg, holy crap!' Tthis is how knives are supposed to work you poor bastard. Now ditch that !&$@%#! slab of granite and you too can frolic in the land of near effortless cutting.

He asked me how much a Tormek costs the other day. I think he's seen the light. Blessed is the steel, praise Ken Onion.

 

[Captante]

I have several .... both plastic and wood.

Which I use depends on what I'm cutting.... I prefer to use plastic with "germy" stuff.

 

[Muse]

I'm in the habit of drying my knife blades immediately after cleaning. Not sure it helps but figure it does, even though the blades are SS. I do this with my triple bladed Schick razors too. I dry and remove my razor from my humid bathroom after shower/shave and place it in a drier room. I think that even SS corrodes to some extent in a wet condition, effecting the sharpness of the blade (I can make a shaving razor last on average over 6 months). I also sharpen my knives very frequently (and expertly) right in the kitchen.

 

[WelshBloke]

Wood, bamboo, plastic. All those are fine.

Anything hard and smooth is either going to ruin your knives or lose you a finger!

I think folks see marble pastry boards and get confused as to their purpose.

There was one of those built into the work surface of my last kitchen. The amount of guests that used to use it as a chopping board before I told them not to was all of them!

 

[Fanatical Meat]

I prefer wood but I gave up on them 15 years ago give or take. They look the best, have enough texture to keep crap from sliding away however cleaning them to be germ free is near impossible. I also do not like how wood boards tend to stink from all the years of cutting meats or stuff on them.

My reliable board is now a “plastic” corian counter type material. Non porous and dishwasher/bleach or any other cleaner safe. Wife made a great find with this board it has the right amount of texture and is soft enough that it doesn’t destroy knives but also doesn’t scratch up so much that it has deep grooves from the knives.
We also have a funky silicon small board, nifty thing is it can bend a little so if you chop up nuts or fruit into tiny pieces it is easy to brush it into whatever is going to be cooked or into a cup or serving dish. I don’t use this one often but it is perfect for the role it fills.

 

[kage69]

I'm in the habit of drying my knife blades immediately after cleaning. Not sure it helps but figure it does, even though the blades are SS. I do this with my triple bladed Schick razors too. I dry and remove my razor from my humid bathroom after shower/shave and place it in a drier room. I think that even SS corrodes to some extent in a wet condition, effecting the sharpness of the blade (I can make a shaving razor last on average over 6 months). I also sharpen my knives very frequently (and expertly) right in the kitchen.

SS is a blanket term than covers a great many recipes for steel alloy, corrosion resistance and edge retention can vary quite a bit depending on what steel it is. With the knife, chances are it is tempered to at least 56-57 on the Rockwell scale, and in that neighborhood it would take a lot of neglect and corrosion to affect the edge. Not so with shaving razors, if you are talking about modern ones with many blades in the head. That is also stainless steel, but it's an extremely soft alloy aimed at being as sharp as possible (and cheap). Because a razor has to have a very acute angle to do it's job, the combination of these two facts is why disposables last for one, maybe two or three shaves. Be it a safety razor or any of the new disposables, if you want to preserve the edge for as long as possible the trick is to store the cutting end in mineral oil. It will greatly aid in anti corrosion, also lubricity when shaving. I wouldn't so that with a straight razor though, which are almost always a good carbon steel. Those need to be kept dry and clean, lightly oiled when not in use.

6 months with Schick? Damn. I think we can rule out you being Armenian or Persian, Muse

 

[Captante]

I prefer wood but I gave up on them 15 years ago give or take. They look the best, have enough texture to keep crap from sliding away however cleaning them to be germ free is near impossible. I also do not like how wood boards tend to stink from all the years of cutting meats or stuff on them.

My reliable board is now a “plastic” corian counter type material. Non porous and dishwasher/bleach or any other cleaner safe. Wife made a great find with this board it has the right amount of texture and is soft enough that it doesn’t destroy knives but also doesn’t scratch up so much that it has deep grooves from the knives.
We also have a funky silicon small board, nifty thing is it can bend a little so if you chop up nuts or fruit into tiny pieces it is easy to brush it into whatever is going to be cooked or into a cup or serving dish. I don’t use this one often but it is perfect for the role it fills.

Wood cutting boards have natural anti-microbial properties and often test as having LOWER levels of surface bacteria than plastic. Obviously they are also more absorbent/porous though.

Wood vs plastic cutting boards

 

[Fanatical Meat]

Wood cutting boards have natural anti-microbial properties and often test as having LOWER levels of surface bacteria than plastic.

But all those nooks & crannies gotta hold germs. Plus as I said I don’t like the smell of them after a few years of use.
I like wood, I like the look & feel.
I don’t like the cleaning and care they require.

 

[WelshBloke]

Wood cutting boards have natural anti-microbial properties and often test as having LOWER levels of surface bacteria than plastic.

Wood vs plastic cutting boards

They do absorb odour though unless they are well oiled.
I like to be able to throw my plastic ones in the dishwasher if I've been filleting fish or smashing an ungodly amount of garlic on them!
I've got a massive endblock wooden board that's a good inch and a half thick and has a huge amount of surface area that I absolutely love but sometimes it's nice to be able to chuck stuff and n the dishwasher at the end of the evening.

 

[kage69]

I prefer wood but I gave up on them 15 years ago give or take. They look the best, have enough texture to keep crap from sliding away however cleaning them to be germ free is near impossible. I also do not like how wood boards tend to stink from all the years of cutting meats or stuff on them.

My reliable board is now a “plastic” corian counter type material. Non porous and dishwasher/bleach or any other cleaner safe. Wife made a great find with this board it has the right amount of texture and is soft enough that it doesn’t destroy knives but also doesn’t scratch up so much that it has deep grooves from the knives.
We also have a funky silicon small board, nifty thing is it can bend a little so if you chop up nuts or fruit into tiny pieces it is easy to brush it into whatever is going to be cooked or into a cup or serving dish. I don’t use this one often but it is perfect for the role it fills.

I'm sorry but that is false. Wood is actually the most hygienic of the all the surfaces to use. Plastic, while fine for the edge, requires extra cleaning to be safe, as it lacks the natural culture within wood that actively denies bacteria a place to grow. This benefit is more pronounced in evergreen woods. Plastic actually requires more cleaning as time goes on. The more cuts and knicks in it there are, the more opportunity bacteria has to go deeper into the board and avoid the things you use to clean it. Kinda why restaurants are required to put them in the washer with the dishes, you need to involve heat to fully clean them. Meanwhile, there are Chinese restaurants with stumps of yellow pine for cutting boards out there, probably older than my house.

 

[Captante]

But all those nooks & crannies gotta hold germs.

You think the cracks in the plastic ones don't?

Only difference is the ones in the cracks of the wood board die off much faster... this is a fact not conjecture. Feel free to check up.

I run ALL my cutting boards through the dishwasher regularly and oil/maintain the wood ones. NONE of them stinks at all.

 

[WelshBloke]

You think the cracks in the plastic ones don't?

Only difference is the ones in the cracks of the wood board die off much faster... this is a fact not conjecture. Feel free to check up.

 

[kage69]

You think the cracks in the plastic ones don't?

Only difference is the ones in the cracks of the wood board die off much faster... this is a fact not conjecture. Feel free to check up.

I run ALL my cutting boards through the dishwasher regularly and oil/maintain the wood ones. NONE of them stinks at all.

The great thing about a cut round as a wood cutting board is if you get too many dings and cracks in it, you just soak it in the sink overnight. Those cuts and imperfections just kind fade away as the wood fiber expands. Then you dry it off, throw some cutting board oil on it. Fin. Unless it's a end grain board, then you just scrub it good and use oil, no soaking I think.

I've never had a wood cutting board stink, ever, while I've come across several plastic ones that not only smelled weird, they were discolored. No thanks.

 

[Fanatical Meat]

One is approaching replacement time. I’ll consider wood when that day comes.

 

[snoopy7548]

I use stainless steel cutting boards because I'm a real man.

Amazon.com: YEAVS Stainless Steel Cutting Board for Kitchen Heavy Duty Chopping Board(Medium, 11.4"L x 7.9" W): Kitchen & Dining

Amazon.com: YEAVS Stainless Steel Cutting Board for Kitchen Heavy Duty Chopping Board(Medium, 11.4"L x 7.9" W): Kitchen & Dining

www.amazon.com

 

[Captante]

I use stainless steel cutting boards because I'm a real man.

Amazon.com: YEAVS Stainless Steel Cutting Board for Kitchen Heavy Duty Chopping Board(Medium, 11.4"L x 7.9" W): Kitchen & Dining

Amazon.com: YEAVS Stainless Steel Cutting Board for Kitchen Heavy Duty Chopping Board(Medium, 11.4"L x 7.9" W): Kitchen & Dining

www.amazon.com

Sharp knives are for the weak!!!1!!

 

[snoopy7548]

Sharp knives are for the weak!!!1!!

The blood wipes off easily, which comes in handy when your dull knife cuts your fingers off!

 

[WelshBloke]

Sharp knives are for the weak!!!1!!

You could sharpen the board and use that!

Mainly to kill whoever bought it!