Cutting Board – Materials And Other Aspects
Kitchen accessories are in their thousands with all of the different needs of modern chefs. Whether it’s an oven that switches itself off or a fridge-freezer with an ice dispenser. While these are luxuries, there are also hundreds of uses that are necessary in the kitchen to prevent damage or injury, such as the cutting board or knife block. Cutting boards, however, may come in a variety of materials and additional tools such as footpads to prevent slippage. While it’s impossible to sum up all of the kitchen accessories in a single piece of text, we can cover the two main cutting board materials in use today.
Hardwood
Wood is the most traditional of chopping boards due to being made from easily accessible materials. It has many properties that make it stand out above other materials and the different wood types can provide not only varying levels of quality, but also provide options to match with your kitchen. With good care, it can easily last decades.
Wood has some of the best properties for a chopping board and can provide a significant difference over other materials. Shallow scores and cuts into the wood can seal up on their own, giving it a self-healing quality. Furthermore, the natural anti-septics in the board make it a prime choice for preventing bacteria. Both inexperienced and experienced cooks usually prefer wood, though they may choose different types of wood. Hardwood is recommended as its tight grain and small pores prevent it from rotting and don’t fail under the knife. Some woods, like red wood, should be avoided as they have larger pores than their other hardwood brethren, and some tropical woods, like teak, have helpful oils, but other tropical woods may have toxic allergens. Do your research before committing.
Plastic
While initially plastic might more sanitary than wood, over time the cutting and grooves that are made by the knives result in locations where bacteria can reside. Even after cleaning, a significant amount of bacteria can remain and multiply, making it somewhat worse than wood. However, plastic can also be cleansed with harsh chemicals such as bleach without damage or retention of the chemicals. Furthermore, due to the material, plastic boards are generally cheaper and even disposable versions can be purchased.
Looking for more info on cutting board materials and other aspects? Get the low down now in our cutting board guide.
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