Cutting Board Question

[tagout77]

Typically your wooden cutting board should be used for vegetable and non-meat prep. I keep two soft plastic cutting boards (one for poultry and the other one for every other meat). My family are the meat eaters, but I have become the family cook. The advantage of the plastic cutting boards are they are ridiculously easy to clean (Dishwasher) and there is no possibility of cross contamination since they are plastic and do not hold onto bacteria.

Just my thoughts.

 

[vagriller]

The advantage of the plastic cutting boards are they are ridiculously easy to clean (Dishwasher) and there is no possibility of cross contamination since they are plastic and do not hold onto bacteria.

Then why is it necessary to have a cutting board for poultry, and one for all other meat?

 

[oneoffour]

I hit google and this was at the top of the list
faculty.vetmed.ucdavis.edu/faculty/.../cuttingboard.htm -

Copy paste from the report:

PLASTIC AND WOODEN CUTTING BOARDS

Dean O. Cliver, Ph.D
​

We began our research comparing plastic and wooden cutting boards after the U.S. Department of Agriculture told us they had no scientific evidence to support their recommendation that plastic, rather than wooden cutting boards be used in home kitchens. Then and since, the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Meat and Poultry Inspection Manual (official regulations) and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's 1999 Food Code (recommended regulations for restaurants and retail food sales in the various states of the U.S.) permit use of cutting boards made of maple or similar close-grained hardwood. They do not specifically authorize acceptable plastic materials, nor do they specify how plastic surfaces must be maintained.

Ther was more but I was afraid not all of it could be posted in this forum. What I think is the other facet of a cutting board is that it take the abuse of the blade and not dull the edge faster. Maybe someone can find a test that has a comparison of knife edge sharpness after so many ... 100 strokes? at x amount of pressure across a given surface. If the risk of bacteria is no better or no worse the surface that dulls the expensive knives the least would be the winner IMHO​

 

[Andy M.]

I use only plastic cutting boards. I do not keep separate boards for meat or poultry.

After use, the cutting bards go into the DW and come out clean and sanitized.

Occasionally, the boards become stained. I spray them with a bleach and water solution and they are once again white as new (except for the blue one and the green one).

I don't use wood boards because good ones are quite expensive and require more care.

 

[JamesS]

I only use plastic cutting boards as well, although I have butcher block counters. I hand clean, and sanitize with a diluted bleach mixture. We have two, one is a small eight inch by one foot that I use when I want to cut something as I go or at the table, the other is much bigger (twenty by eighteen maybe) and never moves from it's spot.

 

[tagout77]

Then why is it necessary to have a cutting board for poultry, and one for all other meat?

It may not be the case but I've been told that the risk of contamination is higher in poultry. Plus I'm often prepping two meat dishes (Lamb and Chicken Curry anyone?) I find the extra meat cutting board helps and goes a long way towards making my meal prep easier. But I guess technically a single board for meats would be fine.

 

[nikki]

A question about cutting boards...
What does everyone think about granite or marble or stone cutting boards?
My husband and I are moving into our hew home within the year, and we are getting granite counter tops... I've heard about people saving the extra slab of granite cut out from the sink-hole and using this as a cutting board.
Thoughts?
I'm also considering purchasing a marble or granite or stone slab cutting board...

 

[justplainbill]

Cutting on stone is a great way to quickly and severely dull knives and perhaps scar some softer stones.

 

[Andy M.]

A question about cutting boards...
What does everyone think about granite or marble or stone cutting boards?
My husband and I are moving into our hew home within the year, and we are getting granite counter tops... I've heard about people saving the extra slab of granite cut out from the sink-hole and using this as a cutting board.
Thoughts?
I'm also considering purchasing a marble or granite or stone slab cutting board...

No! They will ruin your knives as mentioned above. We had a lazy susan made out of ours.

 

[Andy M.]

It may not be the case but I've been told that the risk of contamination is higher in poultry. Plus I'm often prepping two meat dishes (Lamb and Chicken Curry anyone?) I find the extra meat cutting board helps and goes a long way towards making my meal prep easier. But I guess technically a single board for meats would be fine.

There is no reason why you can't do all your meat prep on the same board as you did the veggies for a dish as long as the meats are done last. After all, you are going to cook the meats to a safe level and wash the board when you are done. As I mentioned earlier, you can put plastic boards in the DW.

 

[JamesS]

We have a marble slab for pastry. The only "knife" that will ever touch it is a dough knife...which is just a thin sheet of metal with a handle.

 

[nikki]

No! They will ruin your knives as mentioned above. We had a lazy susan made out of ours.

aw man... Thanks for the info, good to know!!!!
Maybe I can find one that looks like stone/granite but is plastic...

 

[nikki]

We have a marble slab for pastry. The only "knife" that will ever touch it is a dough knife...which is just a thin sheet of metal with a handle.

hmm, that's a good idea.. using the slab to roll out dough and the such...
there's still hope for the slab yet!

 

[JamesS]

hmm, that's a good idea.. using the slab to roll out dough and the such...
there's still hope for the slab yet!

It can be pretty useful, be sure to make it small enough to fit in your refrigerator. A cold slab is a good slab.

 

[nikki]

It can be pretty useful, be sure to make it small enough to fit in your refrigerator. A cold slab is a good slab.

I can imagine..
Now I'm wondering if our new fridge will be big enough heehee...

 

[Selkie]

I use a wooden cutting board (9"x12"x3/4") with a handle that I use for most of my cutting and chopping for fruits, vegetables and bread, but I have a larger (14"x18") plastic board for meats.

The wooden board is a light weight, portable work surface that I find is easy to keep clean by running it under the faucet while scrubbing it with a soapy, long handle brush, and then leaning it against the window sill at the back of the sink to dry. I very seldom hang it on its peg. I use it too often to ever make it there.

I prefer using the wooden cutting board as a food preparation work surface rather than the actual kitchen counter.

 

[gage]

go to Catskill craftsmen -A cuttig board manufaturer,they have a blurb about wood vs plastic. I use end grain wood cutting boards for everthing. After cleaning a good wood board the remaining bacteria are gradually killed off by the wood ( Tanins ? ) I have a couple catskill slabs plus regular mapple boards and the end grain is so hard that they still look new ,despite all the chopping .
Care for wood boards is proper cleaning and oiling every 3 or 4 months. I mix light mineral oil with raw tung oil with good results. regards gage

 

[Mrs. Cuillo]

I keep a spray bottle of the bleach/water under my sink and every so often I spray my sink, sponges, dish drainer, etc.

I stick my sponges and dish drainer in the dishwasher sometimes to disinfect them...it saves money on buying new sponges!

 

[suzyQ3]

I stick my sponges and dish drainer in the dishwasher sometimes to disinfect them...it saves money on buying new sponges!

I used to put my sponges in the top rack of my dishwasher, but then I read that that is not the most sanitary thing to do, and it really won't disinfect them.. For cleaning them, I wash them separately in my washing machine occasionally.

But to sanitize/disinfect them, the microwave is the best. Just make sure the sponge has no metal to it and is very wet. I do each one separately for one minute a side on high.

 

[Andy M.]

My sponges don't last long enough to be regularly sanitized. They suffer life-threatening cuts and slices from their knife cleaning duties.