Kitchen cutting board suggestions

Have you thought of using cooking mats? Inexpensive, dishwasher safe and easy to store. You can check them out here.

No plastic board should knock the edge off a good knife. Of course some people think Henkels are good knives.

Bamboo is supposed to be good, I have a heavy Maple board, a glass board for onions, they make wood boards stink. I use 2 knives, a Chinese cleaver that cost 5 bucks, and a Santoku that cost 30. Been using Santoku's from WAY before they were trendy. I also have Henkels and Wustoff, never use them, junk. Unless your board is made of sandpaper it should not dull your knife.

I prefer wood and make my own using maple countertop material. You should encourage your wife to look into current thinking on wooded boards. They are safer in most instances than other materials.

Second choice is the flexible plastic as suggested by TaktEZ. I use these for catering and they have good feel and being bendable makes them even more versatile. Cheap too.

There are some great plastic boards available now that haven't been in years past: 'sticky' handles that keep them from sliding, soft-enough material that won't dull blades, throw them in the dishwasher, sets that you can designate one for chicken/one for onions, one for vege's, etc.

For years I used an inexpensive, single piece of wood (not laminated) cutting board that I would wash, scrub, and put into the microwave and zap until it came out steaming. I always figured it killed anything that might be harmful. Tough on the board, but that's why I used singel piece of wood/inexpensive...and at that it lasted years, and years.

Just a thought.

I really like our John Boos cutting boards. They are made out of wood but are dishwasher friendly. We have a Boos butcher block island as well and they have both held up very well.
Like most of the people on this forum, I really appreciate the fact that they are made in the US.
Here's the link: http://www.johnboos.com/reside...cfm?category=jbc0002

Shoulda mentioned that the series that you want to look at is the Chef-Lite series of cutting boards. They have a buch of maple butcher block but you can't put those in the dishwasher.

believe it or not wood is better. for some reason the wood inhibits bacteria. boards were inoculated with bacteria and the wood isolated them. i think recent studies have shown wood to be fine. i like one not too big (heavy) yet big enough to cut on and one that has grooves in the side to keep the juices from running everywhere.

jan

I feel your pain. I want a nice wood cutting board but my wife is afraid it will poison the kids or something. I use the white cutting boards from www.etundra.com. We used them for years at the restaurants and they are good and very reasonably priced. I have heard that over time plastic boards get grooves cut into them, sand from the veggies fills the grooves, and that dulls the knives. I have never done a scientific experiment to test that theory. I stay away from glass.

You might be interested in this "review" of cutting boards from Cooks Illustrated online if the link works.

http://www.cooksillustrated.co...view.asp?docid=11874

Maybe a good discussion could be,once we get by the washing with the chlorox solution,which feels better on the hands and the arms,after the first hour,second hour,third hour,fourth hour,fifth hour?

Considering my knives are tools,and I can maintain them?

Hmmm,just a thought.

I haven't sharpened a knife in about 7 years, someone else's. For some reason Henckels seem to come dull from the factory. I do, however, hone my knives before each use. Few strokes through the steels and hones, never have to actually sharpen again (as in remake the edge). As for quality, I have Henckels and Wustoff, my no name Asian knives are far better. A Kong Moon cleaver and a chromoly santuko will eat those big price knives for breakfast. The cleaver was 5 bucks and the santuko 25.

Plastic boards, filling with sand? Put it in the dishwasher mate. That is the ONE benefit to a plastic board. I also like to use plastic for VERY aromatic things like onions and garlic. They can make a wood board pretty stinky. Again, put the plastic board in the dishwasher.

quote:

I have Henckels and Wustoff, my no name Asian knives are far better. A Kong Moon cleaver and a chromoly santuko will eat those big price knives for breakfast. The cleaver was 5 bucks and the santuko 25.

I don't know what grade Henckels and Wustoff you're talking about(they have several), but as someone that has spent the better part of his life standing in a commercial kitchen holding a knife 12-18 hours a day, I must respectfully disagree.

Like most working chefs my knife kit is a collection of knives chosen for only one reason, performance(balance, edge holding, durability). Of the 16 knives in my roll, 9-10 are the brands you mentioned, with one Global, two Dexter-Russell, and a couple of ceramic knives too. Nothings in there that didn't earn it's spot.

And I came dangerously close to recreating the "that's a knife" scene from Crocodile Dundee on the streets of Atlanta in the early '90's when a guy tried to rob me at 3am as i walked to my car. I had a 14" Wustoff chef's knife that ended that discussion real fast, so my love for them is partially sentimental!

If you're looking to buy knives and pretty isn't a concern, the plastic handled Dexter-Russell from your local restaurant supply store is hard to beat. Very reasonable as far as price too.

quote:

Originally posted by Todd G.:

I don't know what grade Henckels and Wustoff you're talking about(they have several),

Between $100 and $200 per knife.