Cutting Boards

[Jared]

I'm trying to decide between wood and bamboo. I'll be using the board (ineptly) with Wusthof Classic knives.

From what little I can find online, bamboo and maple have about the same hardness (1400-1500 Janka). They also should both be antibacterial. Is there any criteria besides aesthetics and price I can differentiate on?

Is end-grain worth paying extra for with either material?

 

[briancl]

Make sure whatever you buy can be tossed in the dishwasher.

I have a lot of different cutting boards. Some look better than others, but they get used a lot. I do have a nice small bamboo cutting board I use exclusively for presentation (cheese, mainly), but the rest of them were bought for function.

 

[carlhuber]

You can put wood cutting boards in the dishwasher?
I was under the impression that the heat and moisture would significantly degrade their lifespan.

(And by lifespan I mean easily 5+ years)

 

[romafan]

Look at Boos Blocks: http://www.johnboos.com/

 

[briancl]

Originally Posted by carlhuber

You can put wood cutting boards in the dishwasher?
I was under the impression that the heat and moisture would significantly degrade their lifespan.

(And by lifespan I mean easily 5+ years)

That's my point. I have a lot of plastic cutting boards, since I use so many. If I bought only really nice looking wood or bamboo cutting boards, I'd spent most of my time washing dishes instead of cooking.

 

[Manton]

I've never used bamboo. I like maple. For chicken and pork, I use a treated wood board that goes in the DW.

Make sure you season maple with mineral oil from time to time.

 

[itsstillmatt]

Originally Posted by Manton

I've never used bamboo. I like maple. For chicken and pork, I use a treated wood board that goes in the DW.

Make sure you season maple with mineral oil from time to time.
I agree. I know that in some ways plastic is better, but it takes much of the enjoyment out of cooking. We use Boos.

 

[dokelroth]

I also agree. Boos makes a nice block.

 

[spence]

I think the end grain blocks if maintained will hold up better over the long haul. I've got a John Boos round Chinese block on the counter that just needs a coat of Mystery Oil a few times a year. There are other brands that cost less, but the Boos logo is good for the label conscious

We also keep a stack of several small plastic boards handy for quick tasks that can be thrown in the dishwasher. I have a dedicated larger plastic board for poultry.

-spence

 

[globetrotter]

I used to love good rock maple boards. now I have a whole bunch of cheap plastic ones, and I throw them out every 3 months or so. they are almost free, and that is by far the best way to control infections in the kitchen

 

[Manton]

In the Mezszoic Era, my parents had a built in island with a cutting board surface. We cut anything and everything on that, chicken, pork, you name it. At most it got sponged later with warm water and dishwasher soap. Looking back, it was sort of like not using seatbelts, which we also did.

The kitchen has since been remodelled, with a new surface to the island, and potentially dangerous food is cut on a plastic board that goes in the dishwasher.

 

[caelte]

Originally Posted by globetrotter

I used to love good rock maple boards. now I have a whole bunch of cheap plastic ones, and I throw them out every 3 months or so. they are almost free, and that is by far the best way to control infections in the kitchen
+1 The wooden ones look great but aren't practical except for presentation.

 

[Manton]

Originally Posted by caelte

The wooden ones look great but aren't practical except for presentation.

I find wood superior in every way except one: they are harder to disinfect. But this is only an issue with pork, poultry, and shellfish.

 

[JBZ]

Originally Posted by iammatt

I know that in some ways plastic is better, but it takes much of the enjoyment out of cooking.

Yes, but so does salmonella. We use wood for veggies and plastic for meats.

 

[Connemara]

I bought a bunch of cutting boards made from olive wood when I was in Italy. They've held up very nicely.