Today, you can find all sorts of cutting boards varying in size, shape, material, and use. It’s up to you to decide which of them would be an ideal addition to your kitchen.

Materials

There are four common materials used in making chopping boards. Topping the list is wood.

Wood has always been a building material, so it’s no longer a wonder that you can find chopping boards made out of it. This type of board will also look good in any country-home setting and always has a charming appeal.

More than that, though, wood usually contains anti-septic properties, which means it can “disinfect” your chopping board immediately. Moreover, if you can pick one properly, such as one that is made from maple, you will discover that the chopping board doesn’t leave any cutting traces. It also doesn’t hold on to dirt and liquid, which will not only destroy your board immediately but also contaminate the food you prepare. One of the downsides of wood is that it’s quite difficult to clean. Also, if it has a lot of cuts or cracks, it becomes a breeding ground for bacteria.

Besides hardwood, bamboo is also a well-known chopping board. It’s preferred because it doesn’t allow bacteria to reproduce, and is also resilient and very durable. It is also perfect for any Zen kitchen.

Another material used is glass. Tempered glasses can come in a variety of shapes and color, so it’s very easy for you to play around the design of your kitchen with them. Of course, they look elegant. They are also very easy to clean and are safe to wash using your dishwashing machine.

However, there are a lot of issues associated with glass cutting boards. For one, though they are highly durable, they can also cause damage to the edges of your knives. This is because they are a lot stronger than steel. They can also be too slippery that you may end up injuring yourself.

Moreover, they are very heavy to carry and are definitely much expensive than wooden chopping boards.

If you’re looking for a much cheaper chopping board, then you should go for plastic. It’s also very handy too, something that you can bring when you want to camp or travel somewhere else. Though it’s known to breed bacteria because knives can create grooves, edges, or cuts right into plastic chopping boards, you can immediately get rid of them through proper cleaning. Unlike glass and wood, this one is very easy to clean with the use of bleach and other strong cleaning materials.

A more complex material for your chopping board would be marble. Though it is a perfect partner for a granite or slate countertop, you may want to consider this the least. It can easily react to acidic foods, such as vinegar and tomato, which will eventually dissolve the marble chopping boards. The chemical properties of marble may then move on to the food that you’re preparing. This also doesn’t react well with knives because it’s abrasive. You can reserve this for preparing chesses or for creating dough instead.

How to Pick Your Cutting Board

If you’re having a hard time choosing your own chopping board, you can use the following guidelines:

The bigger the better. A lot of home owners would prefer smaller chopping boards since they fit their dishwashing machine, easier to handle, and more convenient to clean and put away. However, it’s basic for you to have at least one large chopping board.

You need a large working space to be able to save time and become more efficient. Besides, it’s also hard to maintain a lot of small chopping boards. Moreover, since most of the large chopping boards are thick, they don’t easily get damaged by constant use of knives and other sharp objects.

There’s just one thing you need to remember when choosing your large chopping board. It should never go beyond the size of your sink. This way, it would be easy for you to clean it after use.

Decide on the purpose of the cutting board. Though these boards are generally used for, well, cutting, some of them have specific purposes. For example, those that have grooves in them are more ideal for cutting raw meat because the juices can be trapped in between these grooves.

There are also cutting boards that have slats in them, which are more superb for preparing breads. Crumbs, which can then be found in the slats, can immediately be removed without really causing a lot of mess on your countertop.

Generally, though, you need a smoother surface for your cutting board, so it would be easy for you to move your ingredients from your chopping board into your cooking utensil such as pans or skillets.

Have two separate chopping boards. To avoid cross-contamination, it’s best to maintain at least two chopping boards. This means that you will have one intended for your meat and the others for your fruits and vegetables. It would also make you more productive, since you don’t have to wash the chopping board thoroughly before you can cut the rest of your ingredients.

Cleaning Your Chopping Board

It’s important to clean your chopping board immediately after use. Otherwise, it could allow the multiplication of bacteria and other micro-organisms that can be harmful to your health and well-being.

The first step is to wash the cutting board with clean water and soap. You have to be careful about using cleaning solutions as some of the chopping boards don’t react well to them.

You should also not allow your chopping boards to remain submerged in water for a long time, especially if it’s made of wood or if the water itself is dirty or look contaminated.

If the chopping board already looks worn out, has a lot of dents or marks, and knives can already cut through them, it means that you have to replace it.