Cutting Boards?

My first cutting board was made of thick white polytherine or plastic, idk?
It came with block knives set from Wal-Mart. Now it's all dirty/germy in groves where knife cut it, I haven't used it for last 5 yrs.
My current cutting board started out its life as a Cosco cheese assortment plate, cheese was already pre-cut. It's made of thin black plastic tray with low side walls that keeps cut food in place, it doesn't roll of the board onto the table or floor, which is always great! I have been using it for last 5 yrs.
 
for proteins I use either PP or HDPE boards. check Google or eBay for 'scrap' PP or HDPE and cut what you need from there. I have face grain, edge grain and end grain boards. I really can't tell the difference when cutting or how they effect sharpness. I think part of it may be relearning how to cut when you have a 'sharp' (shaves arm hair easily, push cuts newsprint) blade
 
Are the Bamboo cutting boards any good?

There are two issues with bamboo cutting boards. The first is that they are harder than wood and are therefore harder on your knife edges. The other is that some of them have been laminated with toxic glue. I don't know if this is still an issue but it was when bamboo boards were first imported to the U.S. Wood boards are best and the plastic ones are second best. Anything else should probably be avoided.
 
I love the thin flexible plastic mats, since they do the least harm to the edge... in fact, its like they aren't even there! I like my bamboo boards since they wear well, and from an enviro standpoint, bamboo is better than plastic, and cheaper than other timber. Bamboo is still better than glass, you might get more abrasive wear, but at least you aren't getting the impact deformation that glass causes.
 
I just bought and sanded down a Boos endgrain board. I sanded down enough to get the light scratches out, but there's 2 deeper ones that I don't want to go after. What else should I do before I oil it back up?
 
I have some beautiful wood boards and plastic ones. I use the plastic ones. The wood ones get taken out for decoration or for serving appetizers, etc. Too pretty to use especially because I am lazy about taking care of them. Same reason my kitchen knives are stainless with fibrox or plastic handles. Everything just goes into the dishwasher.

The plastic ones are not the hard plastic that would seem to be as bad as glass. I have several plastic ones of different sizes, and toss them in the dishwasher after use.

If I use the wood ones (or my wife's grandmother's great old cast iron frying pan) I will take care to properly maintain them, but just would rather not have take that step. Probably if I didn't have a dishwasher they would get a lot more use.
 
As others have said, end grain cutting boards. Of the commonly available woods, black walnut, rock maple, and cherry are economical, a good hardness, and you can make attractive patterns with the contrast. I personally have a smaller one, about 11"x11" that my wife uses a lot, and I have a zebrano and wenge board that is about 16"x12". Its super heavy, and the wenge is a bit on the hard side. There's a board maker in eastern Canada who uses tamarack exclusively and swears by it.
 
What I personally use most often is edge-grain hinoki-wood boards (a Japanese cypress). The wood is soft and easy on knife edges, and they are very lightweight. I have several in a couple of sizes.

Can I ask where you purchased/obtained your end-grain hinoki boards from? I've been searching high and low but can't find anything like that
 
Not end-grain. Just the standard Shun branded hinoki cutting boards.
 
They are a bit small. They come in three sizes. The largest size they offer is what I consider the only useful size for any reasonable food prep work. That said, I also have one in their "medium" size which I use frequently just because the size is very convenient for small cutting jobs.

I treat them like any other wood cutting boards - mineral oil plus board cream as needed. Wash with a warm soapy washcloth after use and rinse, getting both sides equally wet, wipe dry with a towel and store standing on their side. No issues with warping, separation, or staining. The wood is kind of soft so it definitely develops plenty of little blade marks. I sand them every so often if needed and re-apply mineral oil.
 
I tend to use bamboo for meats as they clean easy. Because I'm lazy, I often use paper plates for jobs like veggies. Easy on the knife, keeps stuff from sliding off the counter and I don't have to clean it afterwards. I will use the same paper plate for a few days if it's only for veggies and just rinse it off or use the plate afterwards to eat off as well.

Thinking more, this is more of a recent thing since moving twice in 2 years and having a bunch of paper plates left over while our dishes were packed up. It's kind of become a habit now.
 
Been using Epicurean boards for years. Can be hard on knives, I have noticed chipping with both VG-10 and N690 blades. So I plan on looking to tougher steels (AEB-L/Elmax/S35VN) with equivalent geometries as workhorses.
 
My local Japanese knife store actually has cork cutting boards that apparently are recommended for keeping your edge sharp.

I am not sure how good they are because I haven't used one but something to think about.
 
Epicurean makes a nice composite board that really holds up. Super knife friendly. Love it.

Yes, these are excellent - https://www.epicureancs.com/product-category/cutting-boards/ We have 4 sizes and have used them for years. Store on edge to ensure you aren't trapping moisture. It is a composite wood (RICHLITE) cutting board after all. BUT - you can leave it out by your BBQ. Lots of versions and sizes.

Kind of pricey so we keep an eye out for new ones sold, every now and again, at outlet stores at a great price.

Happy slicing, chopping and dicing.

Ray
 
Yes, these are excellent - https://www.epicureancs.com/product-category/cutting-boards/ We have 4 sizes and have used them for years. Store on edge to ensure you aren't trapping moisture. It is a composite wood (RICHLITE) cutting board after all. BUT - you can leave it out by your BBQ. Lots of versions and sizes.

Kind of pricey so we keep an eye out for new ones sold, every now and again, at outlet stores at a great price.

Happy slicing, chopping and dicing.

Ray

I've seen those locally, how do they hold up in the dishwasher?
 
I've seen those locally, how do they hold up in the dishwasher?

Sorry - I don't know. I'm the dishwasher. :rolleyes: The do take lots of hot water with no sign of abuse but you'd need to go to the web site and check their recommendations for DW info.

Ray
 
glass and stone/marble dulls your knives, I like the plastic type though wood is supposedly has naturally antibacterial though when you wash a wooden chopping board wet both sides so the wood does not warp.

John.
 
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