cutting boards

For those questions and discussions on the McDougall program that don’t seem to fit in any other forum.

Moderators: JeffN, f1jim, John McDougall, carolve, Heather McDougall

cutting boards

Postby laugenstein » Tue Mar 23, 2021 11:46 am

I currently use a polymer cutting board from Magic Chef. It stains easily when cutting carrots, sweet potatoes and squash. I have to bleach the board to remove the stains. I would like so suggestions about wooden cutting boards. Do they stain easily? What is routine maintenance to preserve the board?
laugenstein
 
Posts: 14
Joined: Tue Jan 01, 2019 1:53 pm

Re: cutting boards

Postby pundit999 » Tue Mar 23, 2021 12:17 pm

I don't have personal experience with these but reviews say they do not stain easily:

https://www.amazon.com/Organic-Bamboo-Cutting-Groove-3-Piece/dp/B07WFF17BQ/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_product_top?ie=UTF8
pundit999
 
Posts: 1785
Joined: Thu Jun 28, 2012 10:08 am
Location: Raleigh, NC

Re: cutting boards

Postby jester » Sat Apr 10, 2021 7:25 am

I'm far from an expert, but I did do some research into this awhile back. I wanted to purchase wood cutting boards, but wanted something that was still fairly light. One of the interesting things I read about was the hardness of the wood you select. There is actually the Janka Hardness scale that rates different types of wood. I think a lot of people like to buy very hard wood so that they get less scratches/cuts over time so the wood stays looking nice. This is probably why bamboo is so popular. Not only is it light, but bamboo is extremely hard. The downside of this is that when you're cutting, something has to give. If it's not the wood, then it's your knife. If you get an an extremely hard wood cutting board you may find yourself needing to hone/sharpen your knives more often.

I ended up going with teak wood boards. Teak's on the softer side, and you definitely will cut into it with a knife, so you have to decide what's most important to you. I also ended up going with a thinner board for weight purposes. I was a bit afraid of warping, but I've had zero issues. I was also able to find thinner teak cutting boards on Amazon for a reasonable price (TeakHaus is the brand if you're interested in seeing them).

As far as maintenance goes, you just need to use mineral oil or beeswax, or some combo of the two. It's not a very difficult or time consuming process, but can be a bit messy. I probably oil my boards every couple of months or so. I should probably do it more often. It's very easy to see when your board needs to be oiled as the color of the wood will continue to lighten up over time. It is very satisfying to see your boards after you oil them as the wood looks stunning.

If you go this route, make sure you get food safe mineral oil. The oil soaks into the boards, and you wipe/buff it out, but obviously trace amounts come in contact with your food, so you wouldn't want to apply a toxic substance to your cutting board!
jester
 
Posts: 2
Joined: Mon Aug 12, 2019 9:06 pm

Re: cutting boards

Postby PJK » Sat Apr 10, 2021 1:31 pm

I agree. I've used wooden cutting boards literally for decades. They do not stain. (One exception: beets!)

Afterwards, I use a wet or damp sponge to clean the cutting board of any food residue. Then I dry it with a towel. That's better than air-drying, which can lead to trapped water, which can crack the board open. (I learned this the hard way.) Note: This takes less than a minute.

I also quickly wipe down the board between food types, especially after slicing onions, garlic, scallions. They can leave behind some oil, and I don't want that flavor on my apple!

Then, about once a month, I also do the mineral oil treatment. It works. One of my boards, all oak, was made by my grandfather at least 50 years ago. It's still in fine shape.

In theory, synthetic cutting boards should be more sanitary than wood, since they are non-absorbent. That said, I've never heard of anyone getting sick from their wooden cutting board.
PJK
 
Posts: 331
Joined: Fri Jul 22, 2016 8:40 am

Re: cutting boards

Postby dynodan62 » Sat Apr 10, 2021 3:05 pm

laugenstein wrote:I currently use a polymer cutting board from Magic Chef. It stains easily when cutting carrots, sweet potatoes and squash. I have to bleach the board to remove the stains. I would like so suggestions about wooden cutting boards. Do they stain easily? What is routine maintenance to preserve the board?


You DO realize that polymer boards are available in black? I don’t know how much faster my (black also) ceramic knives might dull compared to using wood boards, but I utilize a small/light black plastic board daily, and never bother to wipe it down as it is simpler to just wash it with hot/soapy water in the sink after each use (no warping/cracking issues to concern). Cross contamination is never really a problem either since I typically rinse most veggies AFTER cutting them in succession. I HAVE a large teak board, but it is mainly just a decorative kitchen accessory, since I never use it (I also have a very LARGE/light/black polymer board for those rare prep jobs that my small one can’t handle).
dynodan62
 
Posts: 863
Joined: Thu May 02, 2013 10:07 pm
Location: Northwest Indiana

Re: cutting boards

Postby Susan5 » Sun Apr 11, 2021 9:27 am

PJK wrote:In theory, synthetic cutting boards should be more sanitary than wood, since they are non-absorbent. That said, I've never heard of anyone getting sick from their wooden cutting board.


This study might be helpful on that point. http://web.archive.org/web/20180606194738/http://faculty.vetmed.ucdavis.edu:80/faculty/docliver/Research/cuttingboard.htm
~ The best thing I did was to break-up with food; it was an unhealthy relationship.
~ You can't let go while still trying to hold on.
~ Focus on less...less desire, less obsession, less holding on.
~ "Learn to care less about food."
Susan5
 
Posts: 81
Joined: Mon Jan 18, 2021 3:47 pm

Re: cutting boards

Postby PJK » Tue Apr 13, 2021 8:59 am

Thanks, Susan5. If I read this correctly, the conclusion of the report you pointed to is that wooden cutting boards are perfectly safe.

"...we regard it as the best epidemiological evidence available to date that wooden cutting boards are not a hazard to human health, but plastic cutting boards may be."
PJK
 
Posts: 331
Joined: Fri Jul 22, 2016 8:40 am


Return to The Lounge

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 19 guests



Welcome!

Sign up to receive our regular articles, recipes, and news about upcoming events.