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Equipment & Gear: Cutting Boards
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Guest101
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PostPosted: Fri Jan 06, 2006 3:27 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Wow, this is so funny, I'm doing a whole science fair project on which cutting board is the best to use and which cleaning solution will work best. And now I've collected my results and then I found this webpage! Hahaha awesome page, it was really helpful!
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Guest






PostPosted: Fri Jan 06, 2006 6:06 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Guest101 wrote:
Wow, this is so funny, I'm doing a whole science fair project on which cutting board is the best to use and which cleaning solution will work best. And now I've collected my results and then I found this webpage! Hahaha awesome page, it was really helpful!

So what experiments did you do and what were your results?
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Guest






PostPosted: Fri Jan 06, 2006 9:22 pm    Post subject: Bamboo maybe not so good Reply with quote

I've read in various cutlery discusion forums that the silica in bamboo makes it harder on knives than wood. How much harder has yet to be determined. Grainte and glass are right out I'm afraid.
Speaking of wood though - pine is listed in the article as a hardwood, but in fact it is a soft wood. Actually it's the quintesential softwood (in the US anyway.)
I'm still not entirely sure what cutting boards sold as 'hardwood', but not explicitly 'maple', are made of. I think it's Luan usually.
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masues
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PostPosted: Tue Jan 17, 2006 7:25 pm    Post subject: remodel Reply with quote

I have just bought a home and am in need of an additional counter. I have the space and wanted to make the table a butcher block. So, I needed to know what wood would be suitable. I stumbled across your wed and low and behold am more confused than ever. should it be maple, padouk, blackwood, ironwood or pine? I have been in the food and beverage business for years and know how to care for the surface, although the salt idea has me intreagued. I will have to try that. So what do you think. Maple? How about oak? Cedar? Would like your thoughts.

gonna choose wood
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Joe
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PostPosted: Sun Jan 22, 2006 11:48 pm    Post subject: Granite Cutting Boards Reply with quote

Hey folks, just stumbled on to this site as I was doing some research on granite cutting boards. I'm actually looking to go public with some handmade/custom cutting boards.

I do know the facts ie. dull out your blade faster than wood..... but there are a few up sides. Clean up is very quick and bacteria is not absorbed by granite like wood. Also it does not stain. Another thing is there are over 260 colours of granite to choose from, so you can have them custom made to your kitchen. They also cost about the same price as a good quality wood board. But anyways I don't want to make this seem like an advertisement.

If you'd like more information please email me at jdoria@hotmail.com
Thanks for the time, and there were some very intresting comments in the posts previous.
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Twomartinis



Joined: 02 Feb 2006
Posts: 1

PostPosted: Thu Feb 02, 2006 6:27 pm    Post subject: Padauk cutting boards Reply with quote

Great site, I just found it.

The debate b/t wood and plastic continually sways from one side to the other. I prefer the combination of wood+good hygiene myself.

PS> To the previous poster (5/24/05) above raving his padauk cutting board. Padauk may not be the best wood for food contact, as it is mildly toxic. Most woodworking sources lean toward being extra cautious when working with this material.
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foodscigeek



Joined: 13 Dec 2005
Posts: 10
Location: Vancouver BC

PostPosted: Thu Feb 09, 2006 7:49 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I use wood and plastic at different times. I have several of the thin flexible cutting mats that I just pitch when they get too marked up. I've got new granite countertops, and I don't want to dull my knives. Will cutting on one of the thin mats directly on granite be a problem? Should I put something between the mat and my counter?
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JackFrost
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PostPosted: Fri Apr 07, 2006 4:04 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Sorry to burst your bubble there Joe but granite will stain. Granite, by its very nature, contains micro fissures where the quartz, mica and other minerals connect, also some granites are more porous than others. But yes if the granite is highly polished and sealed it is less likely to stain then wood or plastic.

The other main problem with glass or stone cutting boards besides dulling your knifes very fast is most have a super smooth surface which makes it harder to control what your are cutting, and therfor I feel they are less safe.
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GaryProtein



Joined: 26 Oct 2005
Posts: 535

PostPosted: Sat Apr 08, 2006 3:05 am    Post subject: Re: Granite Cutting Boards Reply with quote

Joe wrote:
Hey folks, just stumbled on to this site as I was doing some research on granite cutting boards. I'm actually looking to go public with some handmade/custom cutting boards.

I do know the facts ie. dull out your blade faster than wood..... but there are a few up sides. Clean up is very quick and bacteria is not absorbed by granite like wood. Also it does not stain. Another thing is there are over 260 colours of granite to choose from, so you can have them custom made to your kitchen. They also cost about the same price as a good quality wood board. But anyways I don't want to make this seem like an advertisement.

If you'd like more information please email me at jdoria@hotmail.com
Thanks for the time, and there were some very intresting comments in the posts previous.


A granite cutting board will definitely dull your knives with the first contact of the blade on the stone, and as another poster mentioned, granite will stain, especially light colored ones. Silestone is more impervious to stain granite, but I would not use that either. The food would also tend to slide around a lot on stone surface if they were polished, and if it was not polished, the stone would stain and collect bacteria faster. Use wood or plastic boards.
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Phyxis
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PostPosted: Sun Apr 23, 2006 8:48 am    Post subject: Flexible (replaceable) board surfaces & base Reply with quote

http://furitechnics.com.au/Equippe/cutting/Cuttingmain.htm

Füri Clean Cut Hygienic Cutting Board System ($50 or so via online retailers)

Six color-coded flexible mats, and a very nice thick base.

-Phyxis (not affiliated, just stumbled on it)
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GaryProtein



Joined: 26 Oct 2005
Posts: 535

PostPosted: Fri May 05, 2006 6:32 pm    Post subject: Re: remodel Reply with quote

masues wrote:
I have just bought a home and am in need of an additional counter. I have the space and wanted to make the table a butcher block. So, I needed to know what wood would be suitable. I stumbled across your wed and low and behold am more confused than ever. should it be maple, padouk, blackwood, ironwood or pine? I have been in the food and beverage business for years and know how to care for the surface, although the salt idea has me intreagued. I will have to try that. So what do you think. Maple? How about oak? Cedar? Would like your thoughts.

gonna choose wood


I like wood best. Food tends to slide around on plastic boards. My boards are rock maple. It has an even grain, so the hardness of the wood is similar throughout the rings of the tree. Oak has definite hard/soft rings, which is very apparent if you do woodworking and stain a piece of oak. A cutting board should be hard enough not to allow the knife to cut into it and remove pieces and wear quickly or absorb fluids deeply into it (easily helped by oiling with mineral oil), but not so hard that it dulls the knife, which means granite, acrylic and glass boards are out. I have no idea if other woods you mentioned, like ironwood is good or bad. One other very tough wood you can check out, since you seem inclined to look at exotic woods is Ekki. It is very hard, tough, has an extremely high elastic modulus and is water resistant. The boardwalks at Disney/Epcot are made of it. You have to cut it with a diamond saw blade. It cannot be nailed, you MUST pre-drill all screw holes. It is naturally insect resistant (I hope there aren't wood boring insects in your cutting boards) and is possibly the toughest wood on the planet. Google it.
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Chopper
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PostPosted: Wed May 10, 2006 12:18 am    Post subject: Thank You Reply with quote

I am amazed to have come across such a fantastic site. Tumbling across such a large informed group of people, with interests so close to my heart has astounded me. You have just found an avid reader of chopping board tips.

Love,

Bobette
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Seth
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PostPosted: Sun May 14, 2006 4:30 pm    Post subject: Wood toxicity? Reply with quote

I just found a very nice hardwood cutting board
at a nearby Vietnamese market, for quite a reasonable
price. But since it's a Chinese product with very little
text on the label, I have no idea what wood it is.

The wood has a noticeable odor. I don't love it but
I don't mind it. A friend likes it.

What I am wondering is, what sort of risk
does one run by using an unknown wood?
Assuming it is a toxic wood (Chinese products
on the cheap aren't exactly carefully tested for
product safety), how much would it actually
impart to the food?

Yeah, I'm thinking I'll bring it in to my local hardwood
store. But who knows when that will happen.

Any thoughts? Anyone ever have a problem with a toxic
cutting board or hear of one? Nothing I've found on Google.
Thanks!
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Guest






PostPosted: Mon Jun 05, 2006 12:07 pm    Post subject: Wood/Plastic/Granite Reply with quote

I just wanted to say that if you have the space, and the budget, it's nice to have at least one of each kind of board, as they all have advantages in different areas.

I'll start with the Granites. For presentation purposes, they can't be beat, especialy for cheese or fruits, where you want the ability to allow people to do there own cutting. Who really cares about a dulling a cheese knife? I love to serve Brie en Croute (http://www.puffpastry.com/recipedetail.aspx?recipeID=23992&rc=1 for a simple recipe), which entails quite a bit of hacking away at to enjoy, and my nicely finished granite board serves admirably. Especially when it comes time to clean up all of the bits of cheese and pastry dough that would be hopelessly ground into a wooden board.

When my wife first brought home three flexible plastic boards she had bought for a dollar, I will admit to a certain amount of skepticism and disdain. I was quickly converted to their use, however. I'm not one to be overly sterile in my kitchen, but it is nice to have 10 or 15 of these boards stashed in a cupboard to be pulled out as needed. As I progress through various parts of a meal, they are tossed to the side of the sink for a trip through the dishwasher later, or straight to the trash if stained or worn. They excel for slicing veggies and such to be immediately placed in a saute pan, as mentioned earlier in this forum. They also fit perfectly in a cookie sheet with a 1/2" raised edge that I have, which is great for items with a lot of runoff, such as portioning a cooked rack of lamb, then sliding the plastic out to place the meat back in a warmer. Overall, a very versatile, and for the sterile-minded, disposable option.

And finally, my wooden board. They do require some care and maintenance. I do not recommend bleach, which is a fairly toxic substance to be spraying around food as much as a few have mentioned in this forum. A vinegar solution or a citrus cleaner works better, is better for the wood, and helps to prevent grease buildup. A good sanding followed by a thick coat of Mineral Oil (as a side note, Linseed is not an edible oil, causing immediate disposal of my previous board when my daughter first started to help in the kitchen) about every three to four months keeps it good shape. I haven't tried salt as previously mentioned in this forum, but it does sound like it's worth testing out. I started out with a 3" rock maple board, which is still over 2 1/2" thick after almost 7 years of sanding and heavy usage. This is my prefered board for any heavy chopping or cutting, especially with my good knives.

Well, this was a bit longer than I expected, but I wanted to point out that there's a good use for every type of board, depending on the situation.
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MeganAmyH



Joined: 17 Jun 2006
Posts: 20

PostPosted: Sat Jun 17, 2006 3:59 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Hands down, my favourite cutting board is the Epicurean, which is lightweight, doesn't get deep grooves from the cutting, doesn't dull knives, and can be put in the dishwasher.

They call it "Richlite", but it's essentially a similar material to what they are making decks out of these days...wood fibers mixed with a polymer. The thing holds up really well, and the knife marks don't darken up over time like wood does. Really, though, I can't stress the "dishwasher safe" part enough, either. I admit it, I'm lazy, and I love that board!
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