Cutting is a fundamental aspect of kitchen work, and having the right cutting board is crucial. While various materials are used for cutting boards, it is important to know that some can pose a risk to your liver and kidneys. Our kitchen operations use non-toxic cutting boards to ensure safe food preparation.
It is imperative to consider the materials utilized in cutting boards, as some may contain harmful substances. It is crucial to assess the safety of the cutting board being used to minimize any potential health hazards. Whether wooden cutting boards are safer than plastic ones, and the safety of plastic cutting boards in general, underscores the significance of comprehending the materials used in food preparation tools.
In selecting a non-toxic wood cutting board, it is crucial to consider those free from hazardous chemicals and feature surfaces that do not threaten health. Furthermore, avoiding cutting boards devoid of natural antimicrobial properties is advisable, thus ensuring a secure and sanitary food preparation environment.
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What Is A Cutting Board?
A cutting board is a kitchen item that we use every day and includes the following:
- Chopping up ingredients, both raw and cooked.
- Washing or wiping them.
- Popping them away.
- Forgetting about them.
Cutting boards are essential for preparing food and must possess certain qualities to ensure their effectiveness and safety. A durable and solid construction, capable of withstanding the pressure of a knife without incurring significant damage, is crucial. Hygiene and ease of cleaning are also key factors to consider in selecting a cutting board, ensuring a sanitary and efficient food preparation process.
Cutting boards, or chopping boards, are available in various sizes. While some are designed to remain on the work surface at all times, others are compact enough to be stored in a kitchen cupboard after use. These essential kitchen tools are used extensively daily, performing significant work in food preparation.
1. Extra Large Organic Bamboo Cutting Board With Juice Groove
This cutting board is a fantastic addition to any kitchen, with its multi-functional double-sided design and integrated side handles. It is the perfect tool for all cutting and chopping needs. Its extra-large size also allows it to double as a cheese board or serving tray, making it a highly versatile product for everyday use.
The Royal Craft Wood Cutting Board is made from natural bamboo and offers superior durability compared to conventional cutting boards. Its surface is firm and flexible, ensuring that your knife will not dull with regular use. This versatile cutting board can efficiently and cleanly cut meat, fruits, and vegetables. The innovative built-in drip groove effectively contains juices, preserving the integrity of the cutting surface.
2. John Boos Cutting Board
The John Boos Block CB1054-1M2015150 Maple Wood Edge Grain Reversible Cutting Board is a product of superior craftsmanship, proudly manufactured in Effingham, Illinois. The company has a long-standing tradition of expertise, dating back to 1887, and is committed to using only the highest quality materials. The cutting board is constructed from Northern Hard Rock Maple Wood, widely regarded as one of the world’s most durable and acceptable food preparation surfaces.
The John Boos Block CB1054-1M2015150 Maple Wood Edge Grain Reversible Cutting Board boasts a dual-sided design, with one side featuring a flat surface and a juice groove. The integrated handgrips on each end provide ease of use for lifting, moving, and cleaning. This cutting board is a preferred choice among top chefs and restaurants worldwide, known for its durability, safety, and ease on knives.
3. John Boos Maple Classic Reversible Wood End Grain
The John Boos Block Classic Reversible Maple Wood End Grain Cutting Board is expertly crafted in Effingham, Illinois, USA, using traditional techniques passed down for generations. Made from durable Northern Hard Rock Maple Wood, this cutting board is widely recognized as a top choice for food preparation among top chefs and restaurants globally.
The John Boos Block Classic Reversible Maple Wood End Grain cutting board should be hand washed and dried for optimal maintenance. It is recommended to regularly apply John Boos Mystery Oil in dry climates and use John Boos Board Cream to seal the wood surface after application to preserve its quality. Wooden cutting boards are gentler on knives compared to plastic ones.
4. Sonder Los Angeles, Thick End Grain Walnut Wood Cutting Board
The Alfred End Grain Cutting Board is renowned for its remarkable durability and ability to withstand heavy chopping. Its unique end-grain construction enables knife cuts to be absorbed by the wood fibers, effectively preserving your knife’s sharpness over extended periods of use. Additionally, the cutting board has a juice groove that can retain up to 3.5 ounces of liquid, preventing unwanted overflow during meal preparation and serving.
The butcher block-style cutting board is ideal for cutting fruits and vegetables and carving meats like brisket, roast, and prime rib. With its thick construction, it is designed to withstand heavy-duty chopping. The removable rubber feet on both sides provide added stability during slicing and chopping. The integrated finger grips allow easy lifting, flipping, and transfer from the kitchen to the dining table.
5. Greener Chef Organic Extra Large Bamboo Cutting Board
The extra-large size of the Greener Chef’s all-natural bamboo cutting board optimizes meal preparation efficiency. This kitchen essential, made from Moso, offers a durable and safe surface for slicing and dicing. The deep juice groove minimizes mess, making it an ideal choice for any kitchen. Furthermore, its utilization of Moso material ensures that your knives remain sharp with prolonged use.
The versatile design of the large bamboo cutting board allows for use as a surface for food preparation and as a platter to serve bread, cheese, and other items. Regular maintenance, including seasoning with food-grade cooking board oil and cleaning with soap and water, helps keep the board looking new. The durable construction of the board, made of Moso bamboo, ensures that it will not split or crack, providing long-lasting use.
6. Heim Concept Organic Bamboo Cutting Boards
The cutting board boasts a smooth bamboo surface that is gentle on your knives, reducing wear and tear to cutlery. It is constructed from organic bamboo, providing a high-quality surface absorbing minimal liquids.
The cutting board boasts a smooth bamboo surface that is gentle on your knives, reducing wear and tear to cutlery. It is constructed from organic bamboo, providing a high-quality surface absorbing minimal liquids.
7. Label Wood Cutting Boards with Large Canadian Maple
The cutting boards are expertly crafted from Canadian-grown maple hardwood, known for its exceptional durability and sustainability. This versatile material suits heavy-duty chopping, carving, slicing, and decorative knife work demands. The smooth, easy-to-maintain surface is ideal for a broad range of food preparation tasks, making it a reliable choice for carving meats, slicing fruits and vegetables, and cutting hard cheeses. These cutting boards are strong and easy to clean, ensuring longevity and optimal performance with every use.
The Maple hardwood cutting boards are known for their low maintenance requirements and durability. Regular washing with warm water and dish soap keeps the board clean. The fine, even grain of the wood gives the boards a high-quality finish, making them an eco-friendly option for various cutting tasks, from heavy-duty carving to precise fruit and vegetable slicing.
8. Bamboo Cutting Boards For Kitchen Wood Cutting Board
The Ultimate Cutting Board Set is a safe and reliable, top-notch cutting board. It is designed to meet your daily cutting needs, making it the perfect alternative to cheaply made boards. Made from high-quality Moso bamboo wood, this cutting board is safe to use and will not cause any dulling of your kitchen knives. The Ultimate Cutting Board Set is an exceptional addition to any kitchen.
The Freshware bamboo cutting boards are engineered for strength and stability, boasting impressive resistance to cracking and sliding. These boards are easy to clean, require only soap and water, and can be air-dried for optimal care. You’ll achieve a healthier, more nutritious diet by incorporating Freshware bamboo cutting boards into your kitchen.
9. Farberware Bamboo Cutting Boards
The Freshware bamboo cutting boards provide a superior option to traditional wooden cutting boards with their gentle impact on knife blades. Their quick and easy cleaning process and reversible cutting surface make them the perfect choice for daily food preparation tasks such as slicing fruits and vegetables.
Furthermore, these cutting boards can double as stylish charcuterie boards or cheese boards, offering an attractive platform for serving cheese, meats, olives, bread, and other appetizers.
10. HOMWE Kitchen Cutting Board
The set of cutting boards is designed to cater to different needs, with three sizes – small, medium, and large – making them ideal for multi-course meals or extended use. These plastic cutting boards serve multiple purposes, such as slicing fruits, carving meats, cleaning fish, etc. Their heavy-duty, durable plastic construction can withstand the rigors of chopping, slicing, dicing, and sharp knives, and it does not retain stains or lingering odors.
How do you know which material is non-toxic?
Numerous cutting boards available in the market may appear safe, yet they may conceal hazardous substances. Many boards claim to be “eco-friendly” but contain harmful chemicals such as formaldehyde. To ensure the health and safety of your family, it is crucial to identify the most secure cutting boards. It can be accomplished by thoroughly examining the different types of cutting boards and understanding their composition.
Plastic
Plastic cutting boards are generally discouraged, as they may leach hazardous substances into your food over time. While some claim that Polyethylene (PE) is a safer alternative, research has shown that it may contain plasticizers linked to liver damage and hormone disruption. Additionally, cracks in plastic cutting boards can serve as a breeding ground for bacteria, further increasing the risk of contamination. Furthermore, toxic anti-bacterial chemicals such as triclosan, a potential endocrine disruptor, are concerning and harmful to aquatic life.
Additionally, it has been observed that plastic cutting boards can be problematic as they contain plasticizers such as bisphenol, which can have adverse health effects. Examining plastic cutting boards thoroughly for deep cuts is recommended, as they may serve as harboring grounds for bacteria. While it cannot be definitively stated that plastic cutting boards are toxic, it is acknowledged that they come with certain risks and hazards.
Wood
There are two types of Wooden cutting boards: hardwood and softwood.
Cutting boards made from hardwoods: These boards are crafted from high-quality hardwoods such as maple, walnut, oak, cherry, beech, and teak. They provide a firm cutting surface less prone to scarring than plastic or softwood boards. Hardwood cutting boards are made from a single, solid piece of wood, making them an excellent option for those seeking a non-toxic cutting board solution.
Softwood cutting boards: Softwood cutting boards are crafted from materials such as cedar or pine and are known to be less durable than their hardwood counterparts. Their gentle nature may result in visible scars or marks with frequent usage of sharp kitchen knives.
Bamboo
Bamboo cutting boards are highly suitable for a non-toxic and environmentally friendly surface. Proper maintenance can ensure a long lifespan of their durability and lightweight qualities. However, it is worth noting that compared to wooden cutting boards, bamboo cutting boards tend to be more rigid and may cause quicker dulling of knives, and the best cutting board for Japanese knives.
Bamboo cutting boards are constructed from individual pieces of bamboo that are joined together using adhesives. However, these adhesives often contain formaldehyde, a potentially harmful substance. Some bamboo cutting boards are also bound using a melamine-formaldehyde resin. Although this may provide greater durability, it also carries the risk of leaching melamine if the cutting board becomes scratched and is then exposed to hot or acidic foods.
The World Health Organization has warned about the potential health risks associated with formaldehyde exposure, commonly found in the adhesives used for bamboo cutting boards. Epicurean cutting boards are a highly desirable choice as a safer option, characterized by their lightweight, non-porous design crafted from natural wood fiber. These cutting boards offer low maintenance and are safe for dishwasher use.
Glass
Glass cutting boards offer several advantages, including the absence of potentially harmful substances and a low cost of ownership. They are straightforward to clean but have some drawbacks, including a tendency to dull knives quickly and a noisy surface. And susceptibility to breakage upon impact. Regardless, glass cutting boards offer a chemical-free alternative that is easy to maintain.
Rubber
Natural tree latex cutting boards offer a non-toxic alternative with several advantages. Their softness ensures that they will not cause your knives to become dulled. Additionally, their non-slip surface ensures that food remains stable while being chopped. And they do not absorb liquids, making them ideal for meat preparation. However, care must be taken in their usage as their soft material can easily become damaged.
Best types of wood for cutting boards
Maple: Maple wood is superior to hardwood cutting boards due to its exceptional strength. And dense pore structure effectively resists the infiltration of moisture, bacteria, and staining agents.
Walnut: The surface of a Walnut cutting board is softer, providing better protection for your knife blade when compared to Maple.
Beech: Beech wood is known for its exceptional resistance to scratches, making it an ideal option for a cutting board.
Teak: Teak, a tropical hardwood, boasts outstanding oil retention, reducing the risk of warping and maintenance needs. However, be aware that its high silica content may result in faster dulling of knife blades compared to other hardwoods.
End-grain vs. edge-grain.Which should you choose?
We will provide an overview of the key differences between end-grain and edge-grain cutting boards.
End-grain Cutting Boards
End-grain cutting boards are known for their superior antibacterial properties. Their unique checkerboard pattern of vertical wood fibers is gentle on knife blades, allowing them to slip between the grain. The design also effectively traps bacteria, making it a more hygienic option than edge-grain boards. However, end-grain cutting boards are more expensive, absorb moisture more readily, and require more maintenance than edge-grain.
Edge-grain Cutting Boards
Edge-grain cutting boards are constructed from parallel wooden boards arranged lengthwise. They are more cost-effective than end-grain cutting boards. But have a shorter lifespan due to their rough surface that dulls blades quickly. However, their concealed grains require less maintenance than end-grain boards, as they are designed to resist moisture.
How to Clean Non-toxic Cutting Board Oils?
For the longevity of your cutting board, proper maintenance is crucial. Not all cutting boards are dishwasher safe. So cleaning them with water, soap, or a mixture of bleach or vinegar is recommended. For a quick cleanup, simply wiping the board with lemon juice suffices. Scrubbing the surface with coarse salt can effectively remove any buildup for a deeper clean.
- After cleaning and drying, apply non-toxic cutting board oils.
- Pure tung oil: Comes from the China tung tree. Walnut oil: the walnut tree’s pressed nuts.
- Shellac: Asian lac bug secretions.
- Beeswax: honey bees.
- Fractionated coconut oil is taken from coconut oil that doesn’t go bad.
- Food-grade mineral oil: highly refined, Non-toxic, odorless, and flavorless.
- Oil after every 2 or 3 months when new and after a year every 3-4 weeks.