Cutting Board Choices and Care

Cutting boards are a staple in any kitchen, but picking your cutting board might first take a bit of thought. Just grabbing any board off the store shelf isn't the way to go about buying such an important tool. First, you need to think about what you need a cutting board for and how you plan to use it. There are several different types of boards made of different materials.

The main materials are wood, plastic, glass, stainless steel, Corian and marble. Each type has pros and cons. Wood cutting boards were once vilified as being unsafe because they supposedly harbored bacteria. But research has since shown that wooden boards can actually be safer than plastic. Wood and plastic cutting boards are best for maintaining the sharpness of knives, where glass, steel, Corian or marble boards will break and dull knives because the surfaces are hard and solid. When using these hard surfaced boards, it's best to use them only for rolling out dough or kneading dough.

The best kind of wooden cutting boards are those made from hard woods with small pores and are tightly grained. This will help resist cut marks from knives. Knives will have more trouble slicing through the grains of the wood. Because the hard wood boards have small pores in their surface, dirt, bacteria and grime won't easily be able to get into the wood. This makes hard wood an excellent material for cutting boards. However, some woods aren't appropriate because they might contain some sort of toxins or contaminants, so make sure that if you want to make your own board, you use an approved type of wood. An example of a bad choice of wooden cutting board is Red Oak. It's a hard wood, but has bigger pores that can easily allow for bacteria and dirt to collect, even after washing.

Whether you use a wooden cutting board or plastic, or any of the others for that matter, cleaning is essential to sterilize the surface. Glass, plastic, marble, Corian or steel are far easier to clean and can generally be put in the dishwasher, whereas wooden boards should never be put in the dishwasher. Wooden boards can be washed with soap and water, rinsed well and dried. Never keep wooden boards immersed in water as they can rot or warp.

In addition to hard wood cutting boards, there are also boards made out of strips of bamboo. Bamboo isn't really a wood at all, but a grass, but it's such a versatile material that it makes an excellent board as well. To keep wooden cutting boards from cracking, they must be oiled with a food grade mineral oil every few months or weeks, or more frequently if necessary. Never use your cooking oils like olive oil or vegetable oil because they can turn rancid and contaminate your food and cause odors.

Whatever your need might be, you'll find the perfect cutting board for your kitchen with a little research, and with correct cleaning and care, you'll have your cutting boards for years to come.