Cutting Boards

Cutting Boards

Like kitchen knives cutting boards come in many shapes, sizes, styles, and materials.

However, some cutting boards fare better as serving trays than an actual cutting surface.

Marble, ceramic, and glass cutting boards are best used as serving surfaces – the food is already cut and is displayed proudly on a nice cold cutting/serving surface. No knives involved. I do not recommend striking the surface of a knife’s edge on a hard surface. It will cause damage to both the surface and the knife's edge.

Wood cutting boards are a favorite. They are sturdy, are not knife abusive, and do not add flavor to your food. If you get a nice thick butcher block it can be maintained with mineral oil and sanded down when the surface gets over nicked.

Bamboo, a grass, is a terrific cutting board surface. It is durable yet gives. AND, it is stylishly eco-friendly. Maintenance is minimal and can be treated as wood.

Plastic cutting boards are the most hygienic. They come in a variety of colors, too. This lends well to the cook that uses red for meats, white for dairy, and green for vegetables. Classifying your cutting surfaces cuts down on cross contamination in the kitchen. Many plastic cutting boards are dishwasher safe. The only downside to plastic boards is that they don’t stay pretty for long. However, if you can get past the loss of the surface beauty increased hygiene and causing minimal wear during knife usage works well.

When choosing a cutting board you will also have to think of: where your board will be stored, used, and for what purposes. If you do not have much space – a slender plastic board may be just what you need. It will be prominently displayed on a countertop? Try a beautiful bamboo or wood board with skid resistant feet. Do you slice juicy items and want to retain the juices? A cutting board with a well can handle that.

Do you regularly mince herbs? Try a mincing board and mezzaluna combination. A mincing board is a cutting board that in curved, in some cases like a bowl, in others a furrow. A mezzaluna is a moon shaped blade with centered handle. Usually the mezzaluna and mincing board are sold as a set where the curve of the blade and curve of the board are a matched set.