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Equipment & Gear: Cutting Boards
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GaryProtein



Joined: 26 Oct 2005
Posts: 535

PostPosted: Sat Nov 11, 2006 1:57 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Go for it, but may be an uphill battle with her. You might have to lock her in the pantry while you cook, but you only live once. Get the wood block.
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jimootz
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PostPosted: Sun Nov 26, 2006 3:08 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I have used cider vinegar and salt with a good stiff brush for years to clean my boards. I do have a favorite board that has developed a crack. This board I spray a mixture of hydrogen peroxide and water let it sit, then the vinegar salt solution, oil it and it's been fine for years. Jim
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Truck Driver
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PostPosted: Mon Dec 11, 2006 1:33 am    Post subject: Butcher Block Reply with quote

Hmm... Locking her in the pantry might not be a bad idea, but all we have is a curtain over that door...

I've been working on the old butcher block. When I got it, it had been given up on by it's owner - dried out, cracked badly... I've soaked and oiled it and allmost all the cracks have closed up - another week and I'll have it ready to use... now all I have to do is figure out how to sneak a half-ton block of wood into the house in the middle of the night!

This is an engineers forum - any bright ideas?

:-)
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Hob
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PostPosted: Tue Dec 12, 2006 1:58 pm    Post subject: what, no engineers/scientists around? Reply with quote

4 months after my post and I haven't seend any "proof" about the claims that wood kill bacteria (which seems nonsense to me).
Any real engineer/scientist here that prove their claims with reputable sources?.


Hob wrote:
Interesting link that of GaryProtein (http://www.hi-tm.com/Documents/Cutboard.html).
This is suposed to be a place to scientifically discuss all the weird science of cooking. I'd love to see any scientific references to the suposed "repulsion" of bacteria of wooden chopping boards as I'm quite surprised with that assertion.

I've been in several cooking courses and we always use polyethylene boards. Wood is forbidden by sanitary laws here in Spain and restaurants have to use a color coded polyethylene table for each type of food. Now, I don't know if polyethylene is the same as what you generally call 'plastic'...

Anyhow I'm confused. According to the mentioned study, a simple water wash of a wooden surface gets rid of 98.5% of bacteria whereas with plastic it's only 75.3% (things change when you use vinager though). That kind of brings back the question about what is actually called 'plastic' in terms of composition.
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Truck Driver
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PostPosted: Sat Dec 23, 2006 5:00 pm    Post subject: Re: what, no engineers/scientists around? Reply with quote

Hob wrote:
...I haven't seend any "proof" about the claims that wood kill bacteria (which seems nonsense to me)...
Hob;

Such a claim seems nonsensical to me as well. Of course, I've not heard that claim... The claim that I have heard, and that appears to be explained quite clearly in the opening post of this thread, is that the surface of wooden cuting boards are inhospitable to bacteria. The bacteria die beacuse they have no water. They have no water because wood, being porous, allows water to migrate away from the surface. This is in contrast to a non-porous, plastic (poly) board. Cuts that develop on the surface of a plastic cutting board trap water, giving bacteria a nice cozy home.

Hob wrote:
...Any real engineer/scientist here that prove their claims with reputable sources...?
Alas, Im not a "real engineer"... just world-wise.

Hob wrote:
...I'd love to see any scientific references to the suposed "repulsion" of bacteria of wooden chopping boards...
As I said, I'm not a "real engineer." but the only repulsive force I am aware of is magnetism and as, to my knowledge, neither wood nor bacteria are magnetic there is probably no repulsion between them. If anything, they are attracted to each other by their own slight gravity Wink .

Hob wrote:
...I'm confused. According to the mentioned study, a simple water wash of a wooden surface gets rid of 98.5% of bacteria whereas with plastic it's only 75.3% ...
This is probably due to the surface texture of the different materials. The surface of (most) plastic boards is rough, whereas the surface of a wooden board (at least when new) is very smooth. A water wash of the smooth surface will naturally remove more than a water wash of a rough surface.

Anyway, I've gotten the old butcher block ready, and fabbed up some casters for it. This afternoon I'm building a frame for it to sit on, and I'm hoping to use that frame, along with a set of dollies I developed for moving industrial ranges, to get it into the house tomorrow - Y'all wish me luck!

Merry Christmas to all

TD
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msfitz
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PostPosted: Wed Dec 27, 2006 1:24 am    Post subject: Shattered glass board Reply with quote

I believe that the glass cutting board shattered for the same reason our shower door did... tempering.

Durable glass in residential use that may suffer traumatic breakage is treated to prevent dangerous shards. Glass used in doors, auto shields, etc. will bust up into less harmful nuggets but the noise is impressive!

I asked my husband to install a glass shelf on the tiled wall of the shower. But when he tried to install the last screw where it butted up against the glass wall, the explosion was so loud, our son came running in with his loaded pistol!

All you have to do is start the tiniest of cracks and BLAM! The cutting board probably had a nearly invisible hairline imperfection.
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Biogeek
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PostPosted: Fri Dec 29, 2006 10:00 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Does anybody use a Corian cutting board? Is it really bacteria resistant?

I bought one from Williams-Sonoma on sale, but I might end up returning it. I understand that corian cutting boards aren't the best cutting board for knives, but my knives aren't that good anyways.
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GaryProtein



Joined: 26 Oct 2005
Posts: 535

PostPosted: Fri Dec 29, 2006 7:43 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Corian is a mineral filled acrylic composite resin. It will ruin your knives.
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Guest






PostPosted: Tue Jan 09, 2007 1:44 pm    Post subject: Re: what, no engineers/scientists around? Reply with quote

Hi Truck Driver,

Truck Driver wrote:
Hob wrote:
...I haven't seend any "proof" about the claims that wood kill bacteria (which seems nonsense to me)...
Hob;

Such a claim seems nonsensical to me as well. Of course, I've not heard that claim... The claim that I have heard, and that appears to be explained quite clearly in the opening post of this thread, is that the surface of wooden cuting boards are inhospitable to bacteria. The bacteria die beacuse they have no water. They have no water because wood, being porous, allows water to migrate away from the surface. This is in contrast to a non-porous, plastic (poly) board. Cuts that develop on the surface of a plastic cutting board trap water, giving bacteria a nice cozy home.


I was actually referring to the original article in which it's said "after the surface of the wood has been cleaned and dried, the bacteria near the surface dies." Well, for that matter, in a plastic cutting board would happen the same effect: after the surface of the plastic has been cleaned and dried the bacteria in the surface dies -as it has no water to live in-. Even more, since there's no absorption of water, a plastic board would elude another terrifying fact that is that (according to the writer) "there are lots of bacteria living in the cutting board, but about 1/8 in. below the surface". A bacteria party in your table!

Truck Driver wrote:

Hob wrote:
...I'd love to see any scientific references to the suposed "repulsion" of bacteria of wooden chopping boards...
As I said, I'm not a "real engineer." but the only repulsive force I am aware of is magnetism and as, to my knowledge, neither wood nor bacteria are magnetic there is probably no repulsion between them. If anything, they are attracted to each other by their own slight gravity Wink .


I quoted "repulsion" as in "approximate and satirical sense" but actually I never mentioned the intervention of any forces. In any case, take "repulsion" as action of repulsing or repelling. After all, you must excuse my attempts to be understood as I'm just a poor spaniard trying to talk in english ;-)

Reverting to the original talk, I find this bacteria wars *nonsensical* . I seriously doubt any restaurant takes all the scrupulous directions to clean and dry the surface of a table after each use. It would simply be more time cleaning, rising and waiting to be dry than using it!. And people don't get sick eating in restaurants (normally). Let's admit that we ingest quite a number of bacteria and that our bodies takes care of them no problem. I think it'd make us live happier :-)

Cheers.
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Hob
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PostPosted: Tue Jan 09, 2007 1:45 pm    Post subject: Re: what, no engineers/scientists around? Reply with quote

Hi Truck Driver,

Truck Driver wrote:
Hob wrote:
...I haven't seend any "proof" about the claims that wood kill bacteria (which seems nonsense to me)...
Hob;

Such a claim seems nonsensical to me as well. Of course, I've not heard that claim... The claim that I have heard, and that appears to be explained quite clearly in the opening post of this thread, is that the surface of wooden cuting boards are inhospitable to bacteria. The bacteria die beacuse they have no water. They have no water because wood, being porous, allows water to migrate away from the surface. This is in contrast to a non-porous, plastic (poly) board. Cuts that develop on the surface of a plastic cutting board trap water, giving bacteria a nice cozy home.


I was actually referring to the original article in which it's said "after the surface of the wood has been cleaned and dried, the bacteria near the surface dies." Well, for that matter, in a plastic cutting board would happen the same effect: after the surface of the plastic has been cleaned and dried the bacteria in the surface dies -as it has no water to live in-. Even more, since there's no absorption of water, a plastic board would elude another terrifying fact that is that (according to the writer) "there are lots of bacteria living in the cutting board, but about 1/8 in. below the surface". A bacteria party in your table!

Truck Driver wrote:

Hob wrote:
...I'd love to see any scientific references to the suposed "repulsion" of bacteria of wooden chopping boards...
As I said, I'm not a "real engineer." but the only repulsive force I am aware of is magnetism and as, to my knowledge, neither wood nor bacteria are magnetic there is probably no repulsion between them. If anything, they are attracted to each other by their own slight gravity Wink .


I quoted "repulsion" as in "approximate and satirical sense" but actually I never mentioned the intervention of any forces. In any case, take "repulsion" as action of repulsing or repelling. After all, you must excuse my attempts to be understood as I'm just a poor spaniard trying to talk in english ;-)

Reverting to the original talk, I find this bacteria wars *nonsensical* . I seriously doubt any restaurant takes all the scrupulous directions to clean and dry the surface of a table after each use. It would simply be more time cleaning, rising and waiting to be dry than using it!. And people don't get sick eating in restaurants (normally). Let's admit that we ingest quite a number of bacteria and that our bodies takes care of them no problem. I think it'd make us live happier :-)

Cheers.
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Cansurf
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PostPosted: Wed Jan 10, 2007 12:46 am    Post subject: cutting board resurfacing mobile Reply with quote

Hey there folks, here's an anwser to ompletely removing bacteria from a cutting board. Hire me Canadian Resurfacing & Knife Sharpening INC. Were a Moncton NB based mobile unit that specializes in resurfacing plastic and wooden cutting boards by putting them through a similar system as industruial thickness planing. Our system is specialy modified for plastic surfaces. We refinish the boards right in your parking lot. Takes 2 minutes and cost way less them buying new. We also special order any size to fit any table or counter, in white or colours(6).We also sharpen knives mobile.
Gary Devarennes / CEO
canadianresurfacing@rogers.com
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Vintage Sab
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PostPosted: Tue Jan 30, 2007 5:12 pm    Post subject: Chinese cutting boards, etc. Reply with quote

Wow!
What a site! You know what they say about opinions! They are like ***holes....Everybody's got one and they all stink! Nevertheless, this is one facinating and interesting read! Thanks to all. Here is one more stinky opinion: Seth, way back in May, asked about Chinese cutting boards and materials. If I were you, Seth, I would stay away from your new Chinese cutting board. Two reasons. That smell you mentioned, may be the wood or may be the glue they used to laminate the pieces together. Who knows what form of toxic glue they might have used. Who knows what wood it is? Secondly, I spend a lot of time in China. I love the place, so don't get me wrong, but, one of many aspects about China I DON'T like is that they seem to have little regard for environmental degradation, with exceptions, of course, and I see TONS of stuff made out of fantastic tropical hardwoods in the shops and markets of Beijing. Where are they getting all this fine wood from, with which to make that horrible carved schlock they sell? Not in China, as they used up their valuable and scarce tropical hardwoods decades ago making fine furniture. No, it's coming, most of it illegally, from Vietnam, Cambodia, Myanmar, Laos and Thailand. I have a particular fondness for wooden articles from China, but I don't buy anything I can't verify is very old.
As a secondary note, most exotic or tropical hardwoods might be a sketchy choice for inclusion in a cutting board. Most tropical hardwoods in the Legume family, Dalbergias and Pterocarpus species, like rosewoods and Paduak, etc., could contain alkaloids, esters and other organic chemicals which could be slightly toxic. Having said that, though, in practice I don't think I'd personally worry too much about using a well finished and properly oiled Padauk cutting board. It is a beautiful and very stable and durable hardwood, with good resistance to crushing or deformation.
As for knife dulling, tropical hardwoods can also contain relatively high amounts of silica or other calcerous deposits in their vessels, making the potential for knife damage slightly higher. As for bamboo, it looks like a winner and is a renewable resource, making it, on the surface, a great choice. I have read somewhere though, that bamboo is composed of millions of almost microscopic fibers. They are very short and can be very sharp and almost invisible. This may or may not be an area of concern regarding bamboo as a cutting board material, and, in practice, this caveat may not be applicable. That's my two cents.
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Piecesofwood
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PostPosted: Tue Apr 10, 2007 12:14 pm    Post subject: Wood is Good Reply with quote

Wood is good. Always has been, and there's no amount of propaganda to the contrary that will change this. Microbes are what they are and will survive and flourish in appropiate conditions.

Sanitation is largely a common sense issue. How to clean, what to clean with, etc., depends mainly on application. For dis-infecting, I will say that 3% hydrogen peroxide is a viable alternative to smelly bleach.

Dean Cliver has performed numerous comparative studies of the safety of wood versus other materials for use in cutting boards. Read some of his findings here:


http://leechesson.com/On_the_Chopping_Block.htm
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Guest






PostPosted: Mon May 14, 2007 3:40 am    Post subject: why do my wooden chopping board gets bend? Reply with quote

I would like to ask, why do my wooden chopping board get bends in the middle part after using for some time? It makes my chopping harder as the board is not plane when I place it on a my table. Hope to hear from you guys soon.
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GaryProtein



Joined: 26 Oct 2005
Posts: 535

PostPosted: Mon May 14, 2007 4:36 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Are they thin wood, kept wet in the sink for prolonged periods, washed in the dishwasher or made of one plank of wood? Any of these reasons can cause bending (warping).
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