Group Discussion #5 Cutting boards

[bbqjoe]

What is your preferred cutting board?
Why?
What else do you know about cutting boards?

 

[kcquer]

HDPE for raw and cooked meats (non-porous), wood for veggies and breads.

 

[Arlin_MacRae]

I've got a huge plastic one that allows me to prep a lot of meat at once, but my favorite is a small one made from Corian.

And I clean them after each use with Comet to kill the nasties.

 

[cmcadams]

I use wood. It's best on my knives and naturally inhibits bacteria growth, or so I'm told. I've also heard that the plastic boards, once scored, trap bacteria so that you can't really get them clean.

I use wood, but different boards for different types of foods.

 

[BigDaddy]

I second what Curt said, and I try to clean with diluted bleach after cutting raw meat.

BigDaddy

www.davidheffner.com

 

[Dakaty]

We have a nice set of Quisinart nylon/plastic cutting boards that now have a bunch of knife scoring marks in them, which I'm sure must trap bacteria and germs. I would think that wood would also absorb stuff.

I have seen the cutting board protective "sheets" that are disposable. Has anyone used these? I may give them a try, but as many times as I wash and reuse my cutting boards, they may be too expensive.

 

[big brother smoke]

I use color coded boards i.e. brown = cooked meats; red= raw;
yellow = raw poultry, etc. Bleach and soap to clean.

 

[CharlieBeasley]

I use wood and plastic but like the bamboo cutting board. I understand the wood does not carry the bacteria as badly as the plastic.

 

[tigger]

I use them all, wood, bamboo and plastic. I grab the one that whatever I'm cutting up doesn't hang off the edges. However, I have not succeeded in keeping all the diced onions on the board now matter how big it is.

 

[Rockaway BeachBQ]

I use wood exclusively. I have an 18"x24" maple wood John Boos Board that is on my Kitchen island at all times (so no one does something stupid like cut on the maple top of the Island). Then a selection of smaller boards, my favorite being a bamboo board from Shun.

The Maple Board had started to split at the ends during the winter, but those have closed up now (same with my Pizza peel). The bamboo board seems to need less maintenance. I probably oil my boards every 3 or 4 months as opposed to the 6 week reccomended intervals.

At my school and most restaraunts they use plastic or some sort of hard rubber, and your knife really digs in to those. I have seen slivers of the board come up from the tips of filet knifes when fabricating fish.

A good wood board can be sanded down when it wears out or starts to dish. Plastic are just garbage at that point.

 

[Sledneck]

I think i have a piece of butcher block left over from a job that is
2'-0" X 7-0" X 1 1/2" thick. If anybody round here wants a piece cut off of it let me know the size. Its brand new in the box

 

[bbqjoe]

I think i have a piece of butcher block left over from a job that is
2'-0" X 7-0" X 1 1/2" thick. If anybody round here wants a piece cut off of it let me know the size. Its brand new in the box

Can you stuff that in an envolope and send it to me?
*looking around for stamps*

 

[kcquer]

A good wood board can be sanded down when it wears out or starts to dish. Plastic are just garbage at that point.

That's what I like about HDPE, it sands to new condition just like wood without the porous, bacteria hiding quality of wood.

 

[rbsnwngs]

I think i have a piece of butcher block left over from a job that is
2'-0" X 7-0" X 1 1/2" thick. If anybody round here wants a piece cut off of it let me know the size. Its brand new in the box

hey if you lug 2x3 of that out to islip ill take it. or i can just caome and get

 

[BobberQer]

I'd be more than happy to take a piece off your hands.. thanks, Steve

 

[Yakfishingfool]

For cutting boards, I have the white plastic stuff, use it often. when it does get ridges in it, it's like my yaks, I can either scrape it a bit to smooth them out, or a small amount of heat from a torch will reduce the hills and valleys. I also make it a habit of using a corian cutting board that I got in maine. very nice. I usually pop both into the dishwasher after I had clean to get it as sanitized as possible. I really need to make a blue meat cutting board and a white everything else cutting board. Scott

 

[cmcadams]

I have corian countertops, but never cut on them, as it's hard on my knives. If I get some sort of windfall, I'd consider a thick butcher block island, like 24" thick, with knife slots on one side.

 

[roknrandy]

I use color coded boards i.e. brown = cooked meats; red= raw;
yellow = raw poultry, etc. Bleach and soap to clean.

I use the same boards as smoke, When you have imune systems problems like me I have to be anal about the boards and make sure they get cleaned so that cross contamination isnt an issue. Different colors for different items. The only difference is after a quick bleach scrub (I keep a spray bottle of bleach & water under the sink) mine go into the diswasher just to make sure.

 

[queball]

I use both wood and Bamboo. The bamboo seems to be very durable and relatively maintenance free. My wood board, which is probably 15 years only and is end grain Maple has been been rode hard and put up wet but just seems to get better with age. It dishes a bit but still my favorite.

 

[bbqbull]

I use strictly plastic cutting boards. I dont use them for prep unless trimming fat or pulling membranes off ribs. Then into hot soapy water, then bleach water rinse. When prepping done/cooked food, One board for each item. Then hot soapy water and bleach rinse again.