The cutting board is at least as important as your knives.
Why buy a knife for hundreds of dollars if you still have a cutting board that does not handle it well?
There are lots of different variants of cutting boards. Some are less good, while others are excellent.
Some of the types available are:
- Wood (Here are several variants, both good and bad)
- Plastic
- laminate
- Wooden boards
Here there are several different variants best here is a cutting board made of end wood.
Cutting boards made of end grain
A cutting board in end grain requires a lot more work to produce as pieces of wood must be glued together and paired in such a way that the board will not settle after some time. This also makes the end wood cutting board much more expensive. Most often it is the end wood you see in so-called butcher blocks. However, it is one of the absolute best cutting boards you can own.
The great thing about end wood is that it heals itself when you cut it.
When you cut with a sharp knife against the end wood, the fibers divide a little and then contract again. This means that very little of the material is destroyed when you cut.
However, end grain has a tendency to absorb more fluid which makes it important to handle it well.
Oil it a little now and then, so it stays fresh and stylish for many, many years. You can call a cutting board of end grain the Rolls Royce cutting boards. It is really worth every penny. Well used, but really solid and after an oiling it is like new again.
Bamboo
Bamboo cutting boards are relatively inexpensive and often look very good which makes them an attractive alternative, but they are fraught with a major problem. They contain too much glue. The bamboo pieces are very small, which means that it takes a large number of glue joints to get all the small pieces of bamboo together. The glue is usually very hard and in practice, you almost only cut against the glue, which will damage your knives.
When bamboo grows, it can sometimes grow with small grains of sand, which then end up in your cutting board.
These can occur after a period of use and then damage your knives.
Bamboo, at least, I think is not a good alternative.
Plastic
Plastic cutting boards are not as environmentally friendly as those of wood.
But personally, I think that a cheap plastic board is a good complement to a wooden board – to use for eg. chicken, fish or onion. The plastic board is easy to handle and convenient to throw into the dishwasher. When it starts to get scarred, I throw it in for recycling and buy a new one.
The advantage of plastic is that it is incredibly cheap. This means that when a cutting board becomes ugly and tedious, you just have to throw it and buy a new one.
In addition, it does not need to be taken care of very well, and works great for washing in the dishwasher. However, it is easier to become a bacterial cure, as a plastic cutting board gets deeper notches and notches when you use them, where the bacteria thrive and thrive.
Laminate
Cutting boards of these materials are made of wood or cardboard fibers joined with glue or resin. They are easy to clean, can be decorative and are more durable than plastic and wood. Being tougher also means that they are tougher and are therefore not as kind to your knives.
Often these cutting boards can be washed in the machine, which is an advantage.
Some companies use recycled cardboard or recycled wood, which is good. When this is then “wrapped”, the board is no longer environmentally friendly.
How to take care of your cutting board
Wash off the cutting board with detergent and warm water as soon as you are done.
Never immerse a wooden board in water and do not flush water on it for longer than necessary
If the board can withstand machine wash, this is an easy way to clean it, but choose a program where the water is 60 degrees or more to get rid of bacteria.
If you want a quick cleaning you can have a spray bottle with either white vinegar or 5% vinegar. Spray on and wipe with paper towels. Vinegar and vinegar have fantastic disinfectant properties and are all-natural!
If you want to do a rough cleaning you can mix 1 dl vinegar with 2 teaspoons bicarbonate. Pour out and let it work for a minute and then scrub with warm water. Rinse and dry.
A bactericidal cleanser is to wash off the board, cover it with salt, preferably coarse salt, and scrub with a root brush. Leave on for 30 minutes and rinse. Dry.
To remove odors, you can pour bicarbonate or baking powder on the cutting board.
Wait a while and wash off with warm water.Be sure to keep the cutting boards dry as no pathogenic bacteria survive without moisture for an extended period of time. For this reason, it may be good to have more boards to alternate between – and give you an excuse to get that extra cutting board you thought was so great!
Oiling of wooden boards is done to clog pores and cavities against moisture and bacteria and give it a better protection against water.
Paraffin oil is the most common and easiest oil to use because it does not harden – at the same time it is not harmful to the body. If you do not want to use a petroleum product.
We recommend buying extra virgin organic coconut oil. Coconut oil is the least prone to organic oil. In addition, the coconut does not belong to the nut family, so allergies are extremely rare. As the oil penetrates into the wood, the beeswax helps to clog pores and small cavities on the surface and gives a lovely, deep glow. The beeswax has good water repellent properties and can be used with the oil or just to get a nice shine on the surface.
One quick way is to pour the oil on a clean and dry board and rub it with a cloth or paper towel. What is not absorbed after an hour, you wipe with a dry cloth. Remember to oil the entire cutting board regularly and not just the top. Oil the board when it looks dry when it gets lighter (drier) stains, or after a deep clean.
A more thorough way is to melt some beeswax in oil in a water bath on the stove. Water baths are important so you don’t risk an oil fire in the kitchen! Mix the two ingredients with a fork and apply with a cloth or paper towel. Repeat until the board cannot absorb more oil. Wipe off the excess from the last application with a dry cloth after four to six hours and then polish the board with a clean cloth. This process is also suitable for new, untreated boards. Expect 4-5 applications before
