It’s hard to imagine a kitchen without a cutting board. Besides its main function, it can serve as a hot pad and a decorative element. How many boards do you need? How to choose a cutting board? Everyone decides for themselves, but there should be at least two – for products that are consumed without processing and for meat and fish. Ideally, there should be about ten boards.
Basically, four are enough for a household:
- For bakery products;
- For fish;
- For meat products;
- For everything else.
What are the boards made of?
Wood
The most common material. A big advantage is that products do not slip off such boards, and the board itself does not slip on the table. The wooden surface does not dull knives and does not make unpleasant sounds when cutting. Depending on the type of wood, the characteristics of cutting boards are different.
- Oak. Resistant to moisture, does not absorb odors, and is not prone to deformation. But such a board is somewhat heavy, and the price is high.
- Hevea. Long service life, do not deform, are resistant to moisture, do not absorb odors, and the price is quite acceptable.
- Acacia. Not afraid of moisture, damage, resistant to strong aromas. The downside is the price of the product. Boards made of hard varieties can be made from a solid piece of wood or glued together. It is better to choose the second option, as such products are less deformed by moisture and will last longer.
- Birch, pine. Short-lived, prone to deformation, absorb water and odors. Suitable for cutting bakery products.
Plastic
They are light, strong, and easy to clean. In order for a plastic product to be safe, you should carefully look at the material from which it is made. Polyethylene and polypropylene are considered the safest. A quality plastic board cannot be cheap. Such a board has a rough surface, which allows knives not to dull, and products not to slip off the cutting surface. It should be remembered that hot products should not be cut on plastic.
Glass
Such boards are the most hygienic and wear-resistant, they are easy to clean. But such boards are not for people with weak nerves, not everyone can calmly listen to the screech of metal on glass. Moreover, knives will have to be sharpened very often.
Care of cutting boards
In order to extend the life of the boards, they should be taken care of. Wooden boards after purchase should be lubricated with oil a couple of times a day, then thoroughly washed and dried. Such boards should also be regularly scraped and doused with boiling water and periodically wiped with a vinegar solution (3 tablespoons of vinegar per 1 tablespoon of water). They should not be stored near the stove, nor washed in a dishwasher. Plastic, on the other hand, is very easy to wash in it. And glass products need to be washed with hot water and detergent, then thoroughly wiped. Washed boards should be stored in a suspended state or on stands so that they do not come into close contact with each other. If large cracks or chips appear on the cutting board, it should be replaced.
When choosing, the thickness and size of the board is also taken into account. For example, a small board is used for cutting bread, while a larger board is more suitable for vegetables and greens. The thickness is about 5-10 mm, but for meat, it is better to give preference to a thicker board (about 15-20 mm) if you suddenly need to beat a piece of meat or chop meat with bones.