Bamboo cutting board

[renz20003]

From the random article I just briefly skimed said completely drying and not cross contaminating are the most important factors in cutting board safety

 

[JulesMaximus]

Yes, I have also come to that realization... but it's not just with bamboo. Look closely at other wood cutting boards and you'll probably find that they're made up of many pieces of wood. They're probably held together by glue too.

I was using a wood cutting board as a trivet for a while then stopped because of this. However, I do use cork trivets. Not sure what holds them together: research suggests that it may be heat + pressure + natural resin inside the cork, or it may be glue. Fingers crossed on it being the resin.

It's a trivet... who gives a fuck how it is held together?

 

[Imp]

Stainless is not rust proof, just rust resistant. You still need to keep your stainless stuff dry to make it last as long as possible.

Learned that the hard way... Black and brown stains on a funnel I have that screws together.

It's a trivet... who gives a fuck how it is held together?

Trivet = put hot shit on it. Ovens can run around 450 F, pots off stove around the same probably unless it's water. If it's some cheap Chinese factory adhesive, it might melt onto the bottom of pots. Once the pots go in the sink, it gets onto the plates/bowls, then probably doesn't get washed off completely and I eat a bit everyday for years. And if it doesn't get washed off the pot/baking pan, it gets incinerated in the oven or on the stove top, which I'm sure produces very healthy fumes.

Do I worry too much? Absolutely.

 

[lxskllr]

Do I worry too much? Absolutely.

I've gathered that after reading your posts :^D

If you can't control your brain, you can still control what you buy. If you need a trivet, make it yourself out of wood. Use time tested cooking materials made from reputable countries. It'll cost more, but will be better for your sanity. It'll also help prevent buying a bunch of trivial crap. It's better to have one good thing, than a bunch of junk.

 

[NAC4EV]

That's semi correct, but the problem with plastic is the cuts in the surface can be difficult to clean/dry, leaving bacteria to breed. Bacteria in wood won't increase, even if you can't get to all of them.

So there are no cuts in wood??????
The surface of plastic is easy to clean/dry,

 

[lxskllr]

So there are no cuts in wood??????
The surface of plastic is easy to clean/dry,

The wood itself prevents bacteria growth. Plastic gets folds in it that prevents cleaning agents, and drying from reaching the contamination.

 

[MongGrel]

Howard Johnson is right

You made me almost snort beer out of my nose.


:thumbsup::thumbsup:

 

[NAC4EV]

The wood itself prevents bacteria growth. Plastic gets folds in it that prevents cleaning agents, and drying from reaching the contamination.

As a young man I worked in a butcher's shop, it was my job to scrap the chopping block to remove it's deep cuts.
There was a special tool for that job.
At the end of the day there was blood and gore all over that block.

 

[lxskllr]

As a young man I worked in a butcher's shop, it was my job to scrap the chopping block to remove it's deep cuts.
There was a special tool for that job.
At the end of the day there was blood and gore all over that block.

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

 

[NAC4EV]

Plastic and wood have different characteristics, so you have to handle them differently.

Plastic cutting boards can be placed in the dishwasher, where they can be sanitized by washing at high temperatures. But wood cutting boards would quickly be ruined by a dishwasher, and not everyone owns a dishwasher. If you’re washing a cutting board by hand, you should:

• Rinse the debris off the cutting board (being careful not to splatter contaminated water all over the place);
• Scrub the cutting board with soap and water (to get out anything in the scratches or grooves on the board’s surface); and
• Sanitize the cutting board (you should use different sanitizers for wood cutting boards than for plastic ones).

For plastic cutting boards, you should use a chlorine-based sanitizer, such as a solution of bleach and water (one tablespoon of bleach per gallon of water – has a shelf life of a week or two). But for wood cutting boards, you should use a quaternary ammonium sanitizer, such as a solution of Mr. Clean and water (follow the dilution instructions on the label).
“This is because chlorine binds very easily to organic materials, like the wood in a cutting board, which neutralizes its antibacterial properties,” Chapman says. “Quaternary ammonium is more effective at killing bacteria on wood or other organic surfaces.”
It’s worth noting that you should also sanitize your kitchen sponge/rag/brush after you’ve used it to scrub the chicken-juice off your cutting board – or else you run the risk of contaminating the next thing you wash (which is the exact opposite of what you’re trying to do).
The last step in cleaning your cutting board is an important one – dry it.
“Make sure you put the cutting board somewhere that air circulates, so that it can dry completely,” Chapman says. Bacteria need moisture to grow, and you don’t want to give them a welcoming environment.

 

[sdifox]

A chunk of granite works well, and no need to worry about bacteria or glue.

Very hard on your knives.

 

[MongGrel]

As a young man I worked in a butcher's shop, it was my job to scrap the chopping block to remove it's deep cuts.
There was a special tool for that job.
At the end of the day there was blood and gore all over that block.

I'd imagine just truing a piece of wood would be a common wood planer.

 

[Imp]

I've gathered that after reading your posts :^D

If you can't control your brain, you can still control what you buy. If you need a trivet, make it yourself out of wood. Use time tested cooking materials made from reputable countries. It'll cost more, but will be better for your sanity. It'll also help prevent buying a bunch of trivial crap. It's better to have one good thing, than a bunch of junk.

Meh, I just hope for the best for a lot of things now.

Speaking of making my own... did you know that sawdust may be cause lung cancer? Boom!

 

[Carson Dyle]

I have a couple of bamboo cutting boards and love them. They last forever and they stay perfectly flat, unlike my hardwood boards that required some maintenance, and still eventually all warped and cracked.

The ones I have look exactly like the one below, one larger and one smaller that I don't use quite as much. These are nice, as they're about 3/4" thick and have a little heft to them. They have no hole for a handle, so the entire surface is usable, and they have no useless feet or edge groove on either side, so both sides are the same.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00012V15K/

 

[NAC4EV]

Happy Easter to all.
He has risen.

 

[Phoenix86]

Funny thing is bacteria will breed in plastic, but not wood. That's what happens when people make decisions based on feelings, and not science. Some probably use plastic cause they don't require care. You can dump it in the sink and forget about it.

That's incorrect, it'll breed in both just fine. Hard wood resist this better but is harder on your knifes. Plastic is fine though. Soft so easy on knifes but as you mentioned the cuts form grooves which stuff seeps into. That's a bad thing, and if you test a board after use plastic will probably show worse. However, the trump card is the dishwasher, the heat and detergent kills the bacteria. You can't really put wood in there or it'll warp/crack over time.

Both should be dried thoroughly after. The down side to plastic is it needs to be replaced more often, but from a safety point it's fine. There's tons of debate on this, so it's really really hard to say one is a clear winner.

 

[BoomerD]

They're used in many restaurants.

Wood is porous and a breeding ground for all sorts of bacteria.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/11/11/wood-or-plastic-cutting-board_n_6133318.html

 

[Phoenix86]

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/11/11/wood-or-plastic-cutting-board_n_6133318.html

Better link.

https://news.ncsu.edu/2014/09/cutting-boards-food-safety/

Plastic cutting boards, Cliver found, are easier to sanitize. But cutting on them also leaves lots of grooves where bacteria can hide. Wood is tougher to sanitize, but it’s also (often) tougher in general – you won’t find as many deep scratches in the surface.

In addition, researchers have discovered that the type of wood your cutting board is made from also makes a difference.

“Hardwoods, like maple, are fine-grained, and the capillary action of those grains pulls down fluid, trapping the bacteria – which are killed off as the board dries after cleaning,” says Ben Chapman, a food safety researcher at NC State. “Soft woods, like cypress, are less likely to dull the edge of your knife, but also pose a greater food safety risk,” Chapman explains. “That’s because they have larger grains, which allows the wood to split apart more easily, forming grooves where bacteria can thrive.”

Which type of cutting board should you use? Chapman recommends using plastic cutting boards for meat and wood cutting boards for fruit, vegetables, or any ready-to-eat foods (like bread or cheese).

Why use plastic cutting boards for meat? Because of how you wash them.

Both are fine, just dry them properly. Personally I lean towards hard wood vs. plastic since plastic has to be replaced frequently and wood is natural.

 

[Carson Dyle]

Jeezus, I'll never get over how afraid some people are of their food.

 

[Imp]

Jeezus, I'll never get over how afraid some people are of their food.

You gonna ded, bro.... You gonna ded.

 

[Mr.IncrediblyBored]

I have two cutting boards - one plastic, one wood. I wash them with soap and water. Sometimes with a dirty sponge that sits on the counter.

 

[LevelSea]

Meat on a cheap board, veggies on the hinoki board.

 

[dave_the_nerd]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G3uYaPgesp0

 

[Lonyo]

From the random article I just briefly skimed said completely drying and not cross contaminating are the most important factors in cutting board safety

And it's easier to get lots of wonderfully coloured plastic boards which makes them much more effective in a restaurant environment where you can colour code the use of boards to prevent cross contamination.

 

[notposting]

Bought a 3-pack of bamboo boards back in mid-2000's. One of them finally fell apart a couple weeks ago - they get left in the sink too often sometimes.

As for glue, there are plenty of food safe glues used for them - they are rated for incidental contact, same with water - soaking is bad, but washing is fine.

Bamboo is light, durable, and looks pretty good. Throw a little mineral oil on (I buy a bottle of the Howard's butcher block conditioner with beeswax added, +1 to dicing) every 6 months or so and don't let them get left in the sink/stay wet.