Bamboo Cutting Board

[CanadianMeg]

I bought a new cutting board to replace my old maple board. (The old board was put through the dishwasher by a well-meaning relative staying with us.) Anyway, my new board is a nice bamboo one. I really like it.

Does bamboo need to be pretreated/treated any differently than other wood boads?

[pugger]

Did it come w/ instructions or did you buy from a specialty store WS or SLT? They could probably tell you. Bamboo is really tough, but I would still use mineral oil like I would for regular wood cutting boards.

[GB]

I have a bamboo board that I really like. I do you mineral oil on it, although I have heard that it is not necessary.

[plumies]

I bought a set of bamboo cutting boards from Costco a while back. They were very reasonable in price. They've been great but the big one is now starting to split on one side. I'm wondering if I had put mineral oil on it like I do my other wood boards, maybe it would have prevented it from splitting? The small one is still okay.

[GB]

I do notice that the bamboo really does not soak up the oil like wood does. I feel like it does something, but not like a wood board.

[CharlieD]

I highly doubt that oiling of a bamboo board would have prevented splits. Bamboo is so hard that it would barely take any oil on it self. Though materials that are even harder could be penetrated, however that doesn’t mean that the splitting could have been prevented. Most likely Costco bought a bundle of cheap boards, of a lower quality. So there is nothing you could have done to prevent the problem.

I was going to make a cutting board at one time and did some research on the woods and glues, etc. it end up being pretty teddies and pretty expensive process. I opted for buying ready made board of a good quality for the same price.

[peafactory]

I'm looking to buy a cutting board. I'd like one that is about 1.5-2ft wide on either side. Don't know much about boards, but am looking to learn. I've heard a lot about boards that rest germs in the wood grains? Would love some advice on wood cutting boards vs. plastic.

[GB]

Well you are not going to get a definitive answer over which is better, wood or plastic. For every person that says wood is better you will have just as many saying the same about plastic.

Wood looks great and is easy on your knives. Plastic is less expensive and can go in the dishwasher (and also easy on your knives). I personally enjoy having both.

[GadgetGeek]

Originally Posted by GB

Well you are not going to get a definitive answer over which is better, wood or plastic. For every person that says wood is better you will have just as many saying the same about plastic.

Wood looks great and is easy on your knives. Plastic is less expensive and can go in the dishwasher (and also easy on your knives). I personally enjoy having both.

Cooks Illustrated did a nice article on cutting boards a month or so ago, they liked the Bamboo very well. They mention some anti-bacteria advantage to them too. Some chefs think they are not as "fast" as a good maple or hardwood board, but that sometimes doesn't matter to a home cook.
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[Lizannd]

wood for everything else. The plastic goes in the dishwasher. I also have the plastic cutting sheets which i really like. I put them right on the counter or over my wood board and they fit in the dishwasher also.

[peafactory]

I've always used a big wood one for everything, and Lysol wiped it to clean (probably not good, but didn't know any better). I'd like to get a thick thick wood one and use it for everything, meat included. How does one properly clean a cutting board?

Sand

[Chief Longwind Of The North]

Clean after using to make things easier. Jut use a bit of soap and water. After cleaning, rub down with mineral oil to maintain the wood. If you are going to purchase a wood board, hard-rock maple, end-grain boards are very good, and easier on the knife blade than a board made from side-grain boards.

There is a lot of controversy about whether wood or plastic is more hygenic. Wood has natural anti-bacterial properties while plastic can be scalded in very hot water (the dishwasher). I have been using wood boards for years and have never had a problem. I also use plastic sheets on occasion, when I need multiple cutting surfaces for a meal and don't want to be continually cleaning up the boards between cutting chores. Also, if the veggies are going to be cooked, then I will use the same boards for both meat and veggies, as the steam, or boiling water is well above the temperature required to kill any pathogens. I only worry about cross-contamination when serving uncooked items such as salads, breads, cheeses, etc., where the foods won't be cooked to high enogh temps to kill any nasties. Then I use tnd wood for the veggies, fruits, etc. and the plastic for the meats.

Seeeeeeya; Goodweed of the North

[Bilby]

I got given a bamboo cutting board two birthdays ago and am yet to undo the packaging. It says on my board that to prolong its life, wipe occasionally with a light coating of vegetable oil. With my cheeseboard, I used sesame oil instead cos not only did it darken the wood nicely, it also gave it a nice delicate smell.

[RPCookin]

I have a bamboo cutting board that I got as a gift several years ago. It is my absolute favorite, I use it every day. I've never done anything with it except hand wash it in hot, soapy water, and it is still in perfect condition, even here in the arid climate of the high plains of Colorado.