Your Cooking Survival Kit: Cutting Boards

Part II in a series of articles by the food sherpa

This article is part two in a series entitled, "Cooking Survival Kit." Part one of the series focused on knives, including which pieces are most critical to the success of any cook, how to shop for knives, and how to maintain your blades once they are in use in your kitchen. This article will take a closer look at that wonderful companion to the knife – the cutting board.

So, armed with the knowledge gained in the first article in this series, you have spent your money on a handful of good knives and now it is time to put them to good use. The first thing you are going to need in order to get cooking is a safe and durable cutting surface. There are a variety of cutting boards on the market today, including: Glass, Polyethylene Plastic, Wood, Bamboo, and the latest newcomer, Wood-Composite. Let’s dismiss one of these right away. Cutting on a glass cutting board is murder on your high-quality knife blades! The hard surface will make your knives dull and dangerous to use in no time flat. Some of the newer natural wood-composite boards, plastic, or the more traditional maple or bamboo varieties are a much better choice when it comes to extending the lifespan of your knives. So, which to choose? As with most things, it depends on your needs and your preferences. Let’s take a closer look each option.

Wood-Composite Boards are the newest release in the cutting board market. These boards, which are comprised of environmentally friendly natural wood fiber laminate, are intended to leverage the best features of both their plastic and wood counterparts. They are marketed as dishwasher safe, non-porous, and basically maintenance-free cutting surfaces that look and feel like wood, but are easy to clean like plastic. Unfortunately, I have not had the opportunity to use this style of cutting board personally, so I can only offer my initial impressions thus far. My first observation is that these cutting boards are typically very thin. This means that they provide little vertical clearance between the cutting surface and the counter-top during use. As a result, you may find yourself banging your hand or knuckles against the counter when you try to cut your food. Some independent users of these cutting boards have also reported that they are not as durable as their competitors and tend to show cuts more readily with repeated use. My hunch is that this relatively new technology will improve with more time on the market. The most popular brand of this cutting board, Epicurean, can be purchased at most home stores for less than $30.

Plastic Cutting Boards are popular with many consumers because they are lighter than more traditional wooden butcher blocks, are inexpensive, and are dishwasher safe. Some also believe that plastic cutting boards are less likely to harbor dangerous bacteria than their wooden counterparts. Be aware, however, that independent laboratory testing has resulted in different conclusions. The general consensus of these tests seems to be that all types of cutting boards are safe, assuming that they are thoroughly washed with hot soapy water after each use and that they are replaced when they show excessive wear (deep grooves and cuts that may be impossible to clean). So what’s the downside? Plastic cutting boards tend to hold more stubborn food stains, particularly after repeated use. Much like their wood-composite counterparts, some of the thinner styles on the market (those paper-thin flexible plastic cutting “boards” are particularly problematic) lack vertical clearance between the cutting surface and the counter. Many of these boards are also slippery and too lightweight. The entire cutting board may move around the counter top each time you put pressure on your knife to make a cut. If you find that you have this problem, try wetting a dish towel, wringing it dry, and laying it flat on the countertop. Put your cutting board on top of the damp towel and it should stay in place for you. If you prefer a plastic cutting board, make sure that you purchase one that is thick enough to give you some clearance from the countertop and is heavy enough to stay put during use. You can expect to pay $20 or less for this variety of cutting board.

Wood Cutting Boards are known for being solid and extremely durable, yet gentle on your precious blades. Because they are typically large in both size and weight, however, they are also often seen as rather unwieldy and inconvenient for everyday kitchen use. In addition, they should be hand-washed and thoroughly dried after each use and oiled on a regular basis to prevent staining and splitting. Finally, there is the issue of price. You can expect to pay up to $100 for some of the heftiest wooden boards. The good news is that high-performing smaller, lighter, and cheaper wooden boards can be had for as little as $20-30. A good option is the “J.K. Adams Takes Two” model, which is made of rock sugar maple and weighs less than 4 pounds. Just be sure to care for the board correctly, by washing and drying it thoroughly, and regularly applying food-grade mineral oil (usually labeled wood or bamboo oil) to extend its life.

Bamboo Cutting Boards are made from a highly renewable kind of grass that grows much more quickly than the trees used to produce traditional wooden cutting boards. They are lightweight, durable, and generally provide all of the benefits of their wooden competitors with less heft and environmental impact. What’s more, some recent laboratory tests have shown that bamboo has natural anti-microbial qualities that may actually help to kill bacteria transferred to the surface of the cutting board during use. (This is, of course, no substitute for thoroughly washing the cutting board in hot soapy water after each use, but it may be a nice added benefit to choosing a bamboo board). Unfortunately, bamboo boards also have their shortcomings, most of which are shared with their traditional wooden counterparts. They must be oiled occasionally to prevent splitting and can carry a similar hefty price tag. Cheaper versions may also be less durable over time. TruBamboo, Joyce Chen, and Totally Bamboo are three companies that make good quality bamboo cutting boards in the $30-40 range.

The next and final installment of the “Cooking Survival Kit” will focus on other essential kitchen tools. Until next time, happy cooking!

(This article was originally published in the April 2008, edition of Endeavor, the official quarterly newsletter of the Annandale Chamber of Commerce. Visit the Chamber at www.annandalechamber.com).

Keith Steury owns the food sherpa, a professional personal chef service based in Arlington, Virginia. For more information about his business, please contact him:

the food sherpa
Keith Steury
P.O. Box 6473
Arlington, VA 22206
Phone / Fax: 703.379.7339
Mobile: 703.772.4101
ksteury@thefoodsherpa.com
www.thefoodsherpa.com