Cutting boards


 

Mac LA

TVWBB Super Fan
Hello everyone,

I hope everyone is going well.

Just wanted to see what type of cutting boards/butcher blocks you all are using?


Started to look into plastic but I think wood is better? Thoughts?

If you use wood, what type of wood? Been seeing bamboo, cherry but was reading maple or beech wood is the way to go.

Thanks,

Johnny
 
I have several, and they all serve their purpose:

Several medium-size boards for small to medium jobs (slicing, trimming)
One with a deep groove around the perimeter, for slicing juicy stuff with minimal mess
A BIG one, cherry veneer, ( it's a recycled top from a free-standing dishwasher- check with your local appliance store about salvaged units.). I keep this one stored and only pull it out for big jobs or rolling out cookies, pie crust etc.)

They all have their merits

For raw meat and fish, many claim that plastic is less apt to absorb contagions and are easier to clean, plus they seem to be easy on my nicely sharpened cutlery.

I really like the approx 8 X 10 inch Oxo plastic one that I purchased recently, to replace an older, chewed-up one. It has the juice groove on one side and smooth on the other. It's a handy size for a lot of my needs
 
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I too have several.
1. Plastic. Medium size. Used for raw chicken and fish.
2. Composite - 3 sizes. General cutting and chopping. Smallest one is for fruit and such for drinks. Nice thing is they go in the dishwasher.
3. Large and thick Boos Block. Serriously, this thing is like 2-3" thick. This one is for rolling dough on, kneading bread, etc.
4. A "Chopped" cutting board from food network. It has one of the deepest wells around it for meat juices I've found. This is my go to carving board.
 
I got a big bamboo cutting board for when i do brisket(this coming weekend) for about $15 from ikea

I never looked into ikea; do I have to put it together??? lol jk!

Johnny, were they Starkboards ?

Hey Bob, they were not; they were these https://www.bigpoppasmokers.com/smoky-mountain-single-use-disposable-cutting-boards


I have several, and they all serve their purpose:

Several medium-size boards for small to medium jobs (slicing, trimming)
One with a deep groove around the perimeter, for slicing juicy stuff with minimal mess
A BIG one, cherry veneer, ( it's a recycled top from a free-standing dishwasher- check with your local appliance store about salvaged units.). I keep this one stored and only pull it out for big jobs or rolling out cookies, pie crust etc.)

They all have their merits

For raw meat and fish, many claim that plastic is less apt to absorb contagions and are easier to clean, plus they seem to be easy on my nicely sharpened cutlery.

I really like the approx 8 X 10 inch Oxo plastic one that I purchased recently, to replace an older, chewed-up one. It has the juice groove on one side and smooth on the other. It's a handy size for a lot of my needs

Well, from what I've read, plastics start out nice but harder on knives and harder to clean once cuts get embedded into them... Not sure how true this is.

I'm starting to purchase better and better knives and would really like them to stay nice.

I too have several.
1. Plastic. Medium size. Used for raw chicken and fish.
2. Composite - 3 sizes. General cutting and chopping. Smallest one is for fruit and such for drinks. Nice thing is they go in the dishwasher.
3. Large and thick Boos Block. Serriously, this thing is like 2-3" thick. This one is for rolling dough on, kneading bread, etc.
4. A "Chopped" cutting board from food network. It has one of the deepest wells around it for meat juices I've found. This is my go to carving board.

I think I'll start out with a larger wood board of some kind. I'd mostly be using it to sit on when I'm trimming brisket and slicing meats.

Probably pick up a few smaller plastic for the smaller jobs.

Thanks all
 
I usually use the thin plastic ones from the dollar store for fruits & veggies (the flexibility makes it easy to transfer stuff into mixing bowl, pots, pans, etc.), heavier plastic ones (~3/8" to 1/2" thick) for raw meats and a heavy, thick (about 1") bamboo board for carving cooked meats. The dollar store ones probably last a couple years and, along with the heavier plastic, can be easily sterilized with a bit of bleach or a run through the dishwasher. The bamboo (and other woods) will last almost indefinitely; when the surface gets rough, you can just sand it smooth and apply some food-grade mineral oil (I'm blanking on the specific type; have a bottle at home that's lasted me about 10 years).
 
OK, I think it has come down to John Boos block, but why would one want a thicker 2.25inch block vs 1.50inch?
 
Stability? It's 50% thicker, so would be 50% heavier and less likely to move about on you. Or just personal preference?

Thanks.

Yeah, after doing a bit more reading, it's as you stated, heavier; less likely to move but also someone mentioned the thicker ones would be less likely to warp.

Just debating on edge grain or end now.
 
A thicker board would be less likely to warp, plus the extra weight would make it more stable. It's a pleasure to chop on a thick board and feel how it seems to absorb the shock of the knife. (That last poetic part was my personal opinion.)

Rita

Mac, I had written this post an hour ago and forgotten to post it. I'm glad that you said what you did. Two opinions are better than one, right? :)
 
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I'm a bit late to the party but thought this worth contributing. I've used a bunch of different cutting boards over the years. IMO, bigger is better. I like having lots of space on the board for both staging and cutting. The local Costco has a whole section of Tramontina commercial kitchen gear. One of the things included is a large poly cutting board. I think it must be about 18"x12". The price was less than $10. I love it. It does have a tendency to move around on the counter so I have a piece of rubber shelf liner under it. That holds it pretty securely in place.

If your Costco has these, they're worth checking out. I've also picked up a set of the Tramontina stainless steel mixing bowls and some of the non-stick fry pans. All of this stuff in incredibly cheap. We use the mixing bowls all the time for prep and for tossing and serving salad. I keep seeing people in the cookware aisle checking out the much more expensive pans and I keep wanting to direct them to the Tramontina stuff.

Update -- Wouldn't you know it? In typical Costco fashion, no sooner do I mention something than they no longer have it. Just got back from a Costco run and they didn't have any of the Tramontina cutting boards. They had most of the other Tramontina commercial stuff still. The stainless steel bowls were even on sale. But the cutting boards were gone and there wasn't even an empty spot for them. No idea if that means they're discontinued or if they'll just make room when they get more.
 
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cutting boards are used in different ways on different foods...
we must have over 15 cutting boards.
Different types for different uses....
wood (maple, bamboo, acacia, hinoki, walnut, cherry), plastic (HDPE), flex, poly-paper...
...and for different cuts...
meats, fruit, veggies, fish, chicken...

if not chopping, i like the cheapo plastic types for chicken... one or two uses, then toss it away.
for meats like tri tip or brisket, i'll use my maple or bamboo boards...
veggies, plastic or the cheapo throw away types again...
and with slicing up fruit, we generally use a thicker plastic (HDPE)

and there is a standard colour-coding system that professional cooks and kitchens employ...
i found this at one of my favourite kitchen supply sites...

 
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we have 2 cutting boards. A plastic one that gets used for meats, and I had a chunk leftover from the butcher block counter tops a buddy and I installed last year. I cut it to just the right size to fit between the fridge and the stove. Nice and heavy! That one gets a LOT of veggies cut on it!
 
I have 8 different boards and different sizes. I use plastic for poultry and fish, bamboo for veggies, and one with grooved channels for cutting anything that will exude juices. One is only 6 inches square and it is used for small items (chopping olives or capers).
I have 2 cherry ones that I use to serve cheeses.
It is all a matter of preference.
 
I make my own cutting boards now. Find a friend with some spare scrap hard woods and go to town. I gave them away as Christmas presents last year. You are only limited by the size of the scrap wood used. Butcher block oil is pretty cheap on amazon.
 
.... It does have a tendency to move around on the counter so I have a piece of rubber shelf liner under it. That holds it pretty securely in place.....
A single sheet of wet paper towel will stop the board from moving.
 
I have several really large HDPE cutting boards from restaurant equippers for cutting up large pieces of meat. for smaller everyday stuff I have composite cutting boards from epicurean which are pretty nice. I have several of those in the larger sizes and the smaller sizes.
 

 

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