# Lets talk cutting boards



## alblancher (Feb 20, 2012)

Any preference,  what kind for what task?  How do you clean and take care of them?

I know I love the big white plastic cutting  boards when cutting raw poultry but I use wood when slicing cold meats and bacon.

I think the plastic cutting boards dull my knives quicker?

How about you guys?


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## big dee (Feb 20, 2012)

I also like the big white cutting boards. We clean ours by running it the the dishwasher. And yes I have noticed that I have to sharpen my knives more when using these.

Dennis


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## cliffcarter (Feb 20, 2012)

I use maple cutting boards for everything, and I* always clean immediately after use with plenty of soap and hot water.*

This is my favorite, a cutoff from a maple butcher block counter top 36" long and 12" wide-


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## custom99 (Feb 20, 2012)

Big Dee said:


> I also like the big white cutting boards. We clean ours by running it the the dishwasher. And yes I have noticed that I have to sharpen my knives more when using these.
> 
> Dennis


X2

We also soak all of ours in bleach water for about an hour and then put them in the dishwasher after that. It really cleans them up nice. I use a lot of paprika and it stains them so the bleach really cleans them up.


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## bobdog46 (Feb 20, 2012)

I prefer using a large wood cutting board - I do pay extra attention to cleaning and disinfecting when using the wood cutting board.


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## alelover (Feb 20, 2012)

I like wood. Doesn't dull my knives.


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## shoneyboy (Feb 20, 2012)

I've only ever used the white plastic ones. I've never used wood, but again I learn something new everyday. I will have to get me to cut on and see if I notice a difference....By the way, is their a wood that is better to use for a cutting board ?? SB


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## alelover (Feb 20, 2012)

Usually maple.


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## mballi3011 (Feb 20, 2012)

I prefer to use wooden. Always have always will. You keep them clean and re-oil every 6 monthes they will last you a lifetime.


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## alblancher (Feb 20, 2012)

re-oil with what Mark?

In addition to trying to keep my good knives out of the dishwasher my wooden cutting boards have an affinity for going through the wash, rinse and dry cycle.  Nothing like a little steam to split a wooden cutting board.


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## daveomak (Feb 20, 2012)

Here is an interesting article on bacterial growth, or non growth as the article explains, on wooden cutting boards....  Dave 
[h1]Cutting Boards and Food Safety[/h1]
http://culinaryarts.about.com/od/culinarytools/p/cuttingboards.htm

I had about 5 articles open and entered the wrong one into the post... CRS... try this one.....

*http://whatscookingamerica.net/CuttingBoards/AllAbout.htm*

*Now that makes sense.... Brain F-rt Dave here....*


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## daveomak (Feb 20, 2012)

Al, morning...  I use food grade mineral oil from the pharmacy.....  Dave


alblancher said:


> re-oil with what Mark?
> 
> In addition to trying to keep my good knives out of the dishwasher my wooden cutting boards have an affinity for going through the wash, rinse and dry cycle.  Nothing like a little steam to split a wooden cutting board.


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## alelover (Feb 20, 2012)




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## bama bbq (Feb 20, 2012)

I think the boards we use are bamboo.


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## scarbelly (Feb 20, 2012)

Since we teach a cooking class at the house I have somewhere around 15 cutting boards. Everything from thin flexible ones so you can fold them up and carry veggeis to a pot to large plastic to 5 nice wooden ones. They all get washed real good in hot soapy water and hand dried. They have never seen the inside of a dishwasher. The wooden ones get oiled every other month and I have a couple that are 30 years old. Knives never get into the dishwasher.


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## tigerregis (Feb 20, 2012)

The block I learned to cut on was made in Michigan of end-grain Maple. Dove-tailed and about 12" thick. We were taught to use a block scraper, a wide bristled SS brush and sanitiser. That was in the 70's and the discussion of plastic was indemic. In commercial work we used plastic, which later was found to be not as hygienic as maple. Not every perceived improvement bears out in the long run. YMMV


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## monoxide (Feb 20, 2012)

Any one know where I can buy a 5 ft piece of the white cutting boards? Like a deli has. I want to put one in my tailgate for fishing trips. It's hard to fillet a fish with all the ribs in the gate. Lol


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## SmokinAl (Feb 20, 2012)

We use wood boards for just about everything. Oil them every month or so with mineral oil. Walmart has it in the laxative dept. I have been wanting to make a board the size of our prep counter. They are not hard to make. The end grain ones are a little harder to make, but they are the best & they are very easy on your knives. Something like this would be really nice, but a solid color is fine with me. http://www.woodcraft.com/Product/2063854/25802/EndGrain-Cutting-Board-Woodworking-Plan.aspx


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## ak1 (Feb 20, 2012)

Interesting, but what about this article;

http://faculty.vetmed.ucdavis.edu/faculty/docliver/Research/cuttingboard.htm


DaveOmak said:


> Here is an interesting article on bacterial growth, or non growth as the article explains, on wooden cutting boards....  Dave
> [h1]Cutting Boards and Food Safety[/h1]
> http://culinaryarts.about.com/od/culinarytools/p/cuttingboards.htm


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## cliffcarter (Feb 20, 2012)

AK1 said:


> Interesting, but what about this article;
> 
> http://faculty.vetmed.ucdavis.edu/faculty/docliver/Research/cuttingboard.htm


This info is the one I take the most stock in, never had a problem with maple cutting boards.


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## yrrndsmoker (Feb 20, 2012)

SmokinAl said:


> We use wood boards for just about everything. Oil them every month or so with mineral oil. Walmart has it in the laxative dept. I have been wanting to make a board the size of our prep counter. They are not hard to make. The end grain ones are a little harder to make, but they are the best & they are very easy on your knives. Something like this would be really nice, but a solid color is fine with me. http://www.woodcraft.com/Product/2063854/25802/EndGrain-Cutting-Board-Woodworking-Plan.aspx




haha, looks familiar! heres one i built before it was fin
	

		
			
		

		
	







	

		
			
		

		
	
ished.


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## sprky (Feb 20, 2012)

I use the plastic ones most, as I can throw them in the dishwasher. The few wood ones I have are use for cutting breads and such, my boys made them in school. I also have a marble one, but haven't used it as I am afraid it will dull the knives badly. My mom has and still uses the wood cutting board I made in school for every thing, I resurfaced it a couple years ago for her. she just washes it good and sprays it with bleach water. She oils it with veggie oil, after washing.


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## venture (Feb 20, 2012)

I use wood for general vege prep, etc.  Plastic for meat.

Much prefer the wood.  Better cutting surface (you can actually feel the difference when you work) and much easier on the knives.

I use USP Mineral Oil like Al.  Cheap in the laxative section of your pharmacy and no worries about rancidity.

Good luck and good smoking.


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## doctord1955 (Feb 20, 2012)

Have both and u are right the plastic ones are hard on knives!  The wood ones are just as easy to keep clean as the plastic!


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## harleysmoker (Feb 20, 2012)

I have plastic now, not sure how hard they are on knives. In high school wood shop that was the first thing we made.

The wood ones you have to be careful about cleaning. Wood is very porous, especially the end grain on a board. Cut a thin piece of wood across the grain and look at it you will see the holes in it. 

I am surprised they make them with end grain up like that.  I would worry about cutting up raw chicken on one and washing it thinking it is clean.


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## raptor700 (Feb 21, 2012)

SmokinAl said:


> We use wood boards for just about everything. Oil them every month or so with mineral oil. Walmart has it in the laxative dept. I have been wanting to make a board the size of our prep counter. They are not hard to make. The end grain ones are a little harder to make, but they are the best & they are very easy on your knives. Something like this would be really nice, but a solid color is fine with me. http://www.woodcraft.com/Product/2063854/25802/EndGrain-Cutting-Board-Woodworking-Plan.aspx




 They are nice AL, here's one my dad built several years ago, I love it and as you can tell it's very well used


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## ronrude (Feb 21, 2012)

monoxide said:


> Any one know where I can buy a 5 ft piece of the white cutting boards? Like a deli has. I want to put one in my tailgate for fishing trips. It's hard to fillet a fish with all the ribs in the gate. Lol
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk




Check your phone book for a company like Cope plastics.  I think they are a national company.  They will cut to size.

Ron


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## venture (Feb 21, 2012)

Maybe a little off topic, but oh well?

If anyone needs to rehab an old butcher block board?

I have had great results with a glue called Titebond III.  Food safe and works great. 

Don't forget the mineral oil when you get done.  Heat it as hot as your fingers can stand it.  Apply liberally for two or three days.  Once per day.

Good luck and good smoking.


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## chef jimmyj (Feb 21, 2012)

HarleySmoker said:


> I have plastic now, not sure how hard they are on knives. In high school wood shop that was the first thing we made.
> 
> The wood ones you have to be careful about cleaning. Wood is very porous, especially the end grain on a board. Cut a thin piece of wood across the grain and look at it you will see the holes in it.
> 
> I am surprised they make them with end grain up like that.  I would worry about cutting up raw chicken on one and washing it thinking it is clean.


In microscopic terms...Plastic and Rubber is not porous, But a cut in plastic can actually close in around Bacteria effectively creating a Bubble of Bacteria in the plastic that can't be washed out. During the next cutting session the Bubble can be cut open and that very viable Bacteria contaminates whatever you are cutting...The older your Plastic board is the more Cuts and Bubbles there tends to be...In contrast End Grain boards have Three major benefits...1)The wood grain Spreads in a V pattern and does not Seal Bacteria in. As the cuts get Fuzzy the wood fibers Wick moisture toward the surface.  2) Unlike the plastic bubbles,Oil repels moisture and the Wood will Dry removing moisture and killing the Bacteria. 3) It has been shown that Woods frequently have Anti-Bacterial properties that although may not out right kill Bacteria, keep them from Multiplying until the board Dries and the Bacteria dies...I had a great Video of all this, in the last school I taught in...There was also an Episode of Food Detectives where Ted Allen and the Science Guy demonstrated similar concepts... JJ


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## venture (Feb 21, 2012)

Great point, JJ!

If anyone looks carefully at their plastic/nylon boards, they will see slices in them.  I always scrub them down in hot water and throw them in the dishwasher?  But those slices are still always there?

I just do it.

With the wood cutting board, the oil gives a little protection. 

When washed in hot water and allowed to properly dry, how much danger is there?

As to the bacteria killing property of wood?  I have heard that? I have to wonder, though?

I think a good cleaning and drying gives the best protection.

I am not going to get all paranoid about this at my age?  All it has done to me so far is to make my hair fall out and  make me waste my time on an internet forum?

Good luck and good smoking.


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## custom99 (Feb 22, 2012)

I have never done it but I have heard of sanding them down and then sanitizing them. Never got around to trying it out on one of them yet.


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## ryan in louisville (Feb 22, 2012)

monoxide said:


> Any one know where I can buy a 5 ft piece of the white cutting boards? Like a deli has. I want to put one in my tailgate for fishing trips. It's hard to fillet a fish with all the ribs in the gate.


How about this?  It's not 5' but 4' x 4'

http://www.mcmaster.com/#antimicrobial-uhmw-polyethylene/=gd3qqy


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## snowbuck (Feb 22, 2012)

IMO- I use wooden cutting boards for veggies only.  Plastic for all others.  Blue for seafood, Red for beef, White for poultry.  Sounds anal I know, but it's the way I was taught!


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## markk (Feb 24, 2012)

monoxide said:


> Any one know where I can buy a 5 ft piece of the white cutting boards? Like a deli has. I want to put one in my tailgate for fishing trips. It's hard to fillet a fish with all the ribs in the gate. Lol
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


Monoxide,

I recently ordered a cutting board from these guy's. They have 1/2", 3/4" and 1" thickness and will custom cut to any size. 

1-866-247-2409
The Cutting  Board  Company
www.cuttingboardcompany.com


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## alblancher (Feb 25, 2012)

One of the guys doing a build bought a large piece of plastic to use as a table top on his smoker.  Maybe a little search will find the thread,  I believe it was in the new builds section.


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## the boardsmith (Mar 4, 2012)

Cutting boards...My favorite subject.

Best wood, hard maple, where maple syrup comes from.  Other woods that are good, cherry, walnut, ash, pecan.  The genreal rule of thumb on choosing a wood for a cutting board is use the wood from any tree that bears an edible fruit or nut or has an edible sap, like hard maple.  Rubber tree wood is used in the orient, is a close relative of maple and is a safe wood.

Bad wood, a lot of the exotic woods contain oils that can be toxic to humans, spalted wood is caused by a bacteria that is toxic to humans, any wood the bugs won't eat like red or white cedar, teak because of the silica it contains which will dull a knife, bamboo is generally considered not a good choice because if its hardness and all the resins and glues used in the manufacture of the boards, soft woods with a lot of resins and pitch like pine and oak which is very porous.

Nylon and plastic boards are used by a lot of poeple.  They tend to be harder om the knife edges, leave deep scars where an edge contacts the board, the scars are hard to completely disinfect even in a dishwasher, stains easily and once thrown in a landfill will last for all eternity. 

Sanitation is easy to accomplish.  Wash a wooden board with warm water and a good dishwashing detergent, rinse thoroughly then dry.  One dry, apply mineral oil.  Or, spray with a mixture of Clorox and water, 1 teaspoon of Clorox to a quart of water, then rinse and dry.  Or, use a 1:1 mixture in vinegar and water,  Spray on, rinse if desired, dry and oil.  Never use boiling water, it can loosen or dissolve even the best glues.  And, never set a hot pan on a board.  The heat will melt the glue as well causing the board to split at the seams.  The heated pan will also sap the moisture from the wood causing it to shrink and that will also split a seam.  

Use mineral oil to coat a cutting board surface remembering to oil the sides and bottom on occasion.  The organic oils, vegetable, canola, olive and the like, all contain fats which can go rancid over time.  Mineral oil is a super refined petroleum product and is used in a lot of the everyday products you use.  From baby oil to transmission fluid, mineral oil is a staple.  Look for it in your local grocery or drug store, it is sold as a laxative, the bottle should have on the label USP or laxative and the contents should look crystal clear.  If you wish, a little bees wax can be added for extra water repellancy, not water proofing.  Beware of the oils that contain that "mystery" ingredient which is supposed to make it work better.  Nothing beats mineral oil for cost and usefulness. 

Finishes.  As stated above, mineral oil is the best.  Some manufacturers use resins to hardne the surfaces of their board wihich makes them harder on your edges.  Film finishes like some of the board finishes simply sit on top of the surface and will flake off with use.  Personally, I don't want polyurethane flakes coming off into my food. 

When to oil?  There is no set schedule and a board can easily be over oiled.  You will know when it has been over oiled because the mineral oil will drip from the bottom of if exposed to sunlight, the oil will wick to the surface and pool.  Oil when the area used most looks a litttle lighter than the surrounding area.  Heat the oil in a double boiler and apply to the surface of the board moving it around with your fingers.  Once the board stops absorbing the oil, buff with a paper towel and you are ready for the next use.

I'm sure I have missed something.  If anyone has a question or a comment for me, I would be happy to address it either here or at boardsmith at triad.rr.com.


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## ronrude (Mar 4, 2012)

Thanks for the education.  Time to start replacing me plastic boards.  I am sure they can come in handy in the workshop.


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## the boardsmith (Mar 4, 2012)

I would post a photo of one of mine but I was warned that if I did it would be considered SPAM and I would be immediately banned.  But I will be happy to help with any questions.

BTW  I have been cutting a lot of cherry lately and have some planer and jointer ships as well as some cherry chunks available for anyone who wants to use them for smoking.


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## alelover (Mar 5, 2012)

I'd love to try some cherry for smoking. I was in High Point Saturday helping my mom move in. I will be up again soon. Don't know when though. I'll look you up next time I'm up there David. Thanks for the info too. BTW. 
	

	
	
		
		



		
		
	


	





 to SMF. Have you joined our NC Smokers group yet.

http://www.smokingmeatforums.com/groups/show/4/north-carolina-members


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## the boardsmith (Mar 15, 2012)

alelover - The next time you are in High Point, call either of the numbers listed on my web site and I would be happy to share some of the cherry with you.


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## alelover (Mar 15, 2012)

I will be up this Saturday. My mom didn't like the fridge in her new house so she's giving it to me. I'll call you if I have time. Thanks.


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## michael ark (Mar 15, 2012)

Use wood here clean with bleach water then hand wash.


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## hexis (Sep 28, 2012)

All this good discussion and no one brings up Epicurean boards.  I have a slew of them and love them.  The easiest way to think of them is easy care like plastic, but feels and cuts like wood.  They are dishwasher safe.  They feel like wood.  They are long lasting.  I love em.  (No I don't work for them, just a fan).

http://www.epicureancs.com/


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