All about Cutting Boards

I would like to present a summary from a UC Davis paper authored by Dr. Dean Cliver:

1. They found disease bacteria (E Coli and Salmonella) on a wood cutting board died in a short time after use, even on knife-scarred boards. In contrast, new plastic surfaces allowed the bacteria to live longer. Additionally, older knife-scarred plastic boards were impossible to clean and disinfect manually.
2. The study found those using wooden cutting boards were less than half as likely as average to contract salmonellosis and those using plastic or glass cutting boards were about twice as likely as average to contract salmonellosis.
3. Wood boards need only be cleaned with a sponge, hot tap water and dish soap. Plastic/glass boards do have the advantage of being able to cleaned in a dishwasher when wooden boards typically cannot.
4. UC Davis’ conclusions: “…wooden cutting boards are not a hazard to human health, but plastic cutting boards may be” (Source: “Plastic and Wooden Cutting Boards”, from the University of California at Davis, Veterinary School web site, http://faculty.vetmed.ucdavis.edu/faculty/docliver/Research/cuttingboard.htm )
5. Although based on this study, bacteria quickly die when left on wooden boards, personally I would not cut up a chicken or fish on a board, then right away cut up my produce or bread on the same board. In our kitchen we have two boards. We cut the meat/fish on one board and use the other for the produce and bread (or alternatively, clean after cutting meat/fish and before cutting produce). After the prep, clean both. If you desire, after cleaning, boards can be disinfected/sanitized with a mixture of a small amount of household bleach and water. Let that sit for several minutes and dry.
6. From my perspective as a maker of high end knives, plastic, metal and glass cutting boards quickly and significantly dull sharp knife edges. Wooden cutting boards do not and a sharp edge can be maintained longer with only normal sharpening and dressing on a steel.
7. Not all woods are suitable for cutting boards. The most popular would be hard maple, but there are at least 15 woods that have the best characteristics for a good, safe cutting board. These 15 have a nice blend of light, medium and dark woods so a good cutting board need not be bland. The best cutting boards are made of end grain (wood ends facing up at the work surface). These boards are typically about 1 ½” up to 4” thick and made up of ¾” x ¾” pieces. They are the most expensive due to the time required to cut and assemble them. They are both the sturdiest and the easiest on your knives, the end grain is “self-healing”, you will not see the knife cuts on the board as you will with cheaper boards. The next best board is of edge grain construction. These boards are typically made of ¾” wide by 1” to 2” thick pieces. These boards are cheaper to manufacture over end grain. The last type are face grain, these are the boards which are much thinner and lighter. They are the cheapest you can buy, but they are prone to warping and splitting over time.
8. The cutting board you received from us is the end grain type. The woods I used in the mosaic pattern are Maple, Walnut, Padouk and African Mahogany. The woods in the “Brick” pattern are Maple and Walnut.
9. All cutting boards should be protected by a food safe oil and wax when made. I like the coconut oil based products from Caron & Doucet. Their board oil has a coconut oil base which is all natural, no petroleum (mineral oil) and will not go rancid. Their board wax is also all natural. I sell the Caron & Doucet products on my web site as a convenience to my customers. I like to melt one part of wax with four parts of board oil to make a paste, which is easier to apply and goes farther. I apply the mixture to my boards once a month or if the board looks and feels dry. I include a jar of this mixture with every one of my boards. If you would like more information on making the mixture (board crème), send me an e-mail.

Peter Milner, Annie’s Kitchen

petertmilner@outlook.com