Seeking Recommendations for WOODEN Chopping Boards to Protect Knives

[Deactivated] on 30/06/2020 - 17:45
Last edited 30/06/2020 - 19:15

Seeking Recommendations for quality WOODEN Chopping Boards to Protect Knives.

Things to consider when posting your comment:

  • Relevance (Only wood; no glass, etc., unless you know of something which is better than wood)
  • Price
  • Types of Wood (Please name the type of tree for those interested in researching issues pertaining to sustainability and habitat protection - I have included a link below to this effect to get the ball rolling, as I think it's very important)
  • Wood Hardness (Is this important?)
  • Wood Thickness (Is this important?)
  • Grain Orientation
  • Sanding & Post-Sanding Treatment (Is this recommended? If so, what type of sanding paper/ treatment? Vegetable oil treatment? Which oil is best?)
  • Weight (Is there an optimal weight?)
  • Size & Shape (Dependent on individual bench sizes, storage capabilities, etc.)
  • Culture-Specificity (What do certain cultures recommend?)
  • Interesting inventions (i.e. Boards which have a secondary function, unique storage function, etc.)
  • Income (Also looking for information which could help people of varying incomes)
  • Cleaning
  • Factoids (any interesting facts, eg. I heard once that germs are neutralised by timber)

Please provide links to products mentioned (where possible).

Sustainability Article

Home & Garden

Comments

  • Hithere on 30/06/2020 - 18:04
    +2

    Get a Bamboo chopping board, ( 39x29x1.8cm) which is manufactured from a sustainable renewable source, from the Reject Shop for $8.

    It'll last for years.

    • TEER3X on 30/06/2020 - 18:56
      +1

      Not wood though

      but I would agree.

      Have little money, get bamboo

      Have more money, get maple.

      • Euphemistic on 01/07/2020 - 05:21
        +1

        Interesting. Bamboo isn’t wood now?

        • Lastchancetosee on 01/07/2020 - 07:38
          +4

          Technically it's a grass, but for the purposes of this discussion practice, it functions and can be an equivalent of wood.

        • [Deactivated] on 02/07/2020 - 16:48

          Thug life. B)

    • lgacb08 on 01/07/2020 - 22:46
      +1

      most of bamboo chopping boards are pressed from smaller pieces and they will eventually come apart, especially not dried properly after wash (and dishwasher will break them down real fast)

      • try2bhelpful on 02/07/2020 - 00:06
        +1

        Who puts their chopping board in a dishwasher?

  • [Deactivated] on 30/06/2020 - 18:05

    So many irrelevant considerations.

    Only four things need to be considered.

    1. Grain density.
    2. Grain orientation
    3. Price
    4. Size
  • Kangal on 30/06/2020 - 18:33
    -7

    Get a stone/marble/granite chopping board. Buy once, set and forget. It's easy to wash.
    It will dull your blades quickly, but that's a good thing. It will make you appreciate a nice edge, as you now have the opportunity to sharpen them. And the heft/weight can be handy in the house, especially as it helps to keep your forearms strong.

    The plus side?
    Yeah, marble is a non-porous material which means trapped Bacteria, Virus, and Proteins do not contaminate your uncooked/cooked food. Seriously, wood is bad. You can't be sure if you buy a brand new one that it's clean. Or after washing it with hot water and soap, as some contamination will still occur. Plastic is a bit better since it is semi-porous, but Plastic gets scratched and cut easily so it becomes more porous.

    • [Deactivated] on 30/06/2020 - 18:59
      +1

      Will have to research this, but thanks.

    • KSMLJ on 30/06/2020 - 19:59

      Is this opposite day?

      Or did you leave out the /s ?

  • AdosHouse on 30/06/2020 - 18:40
    +2

    End grain wooden chopping boards seem to be the best. As for which timber, I'm still looking.

  • pantsparty on 30/06/2020 - 18:51
    +2

    I like Boos boards, I have a couple of their maple boards:

    https://www.petersofkensington.com.au/Public/brands/Boos?iss…

    • [Deactivated] on 30/06/2020 - 19:00

      Love the look of the American Cherry and Walnut.

    • [Deactivated] on 30/06/2020 - 19:12
      +1

      Pulled this info off a description:

      Makers and purveyors of the very best in American chopping boards and butchers’ blocks, John Boos & Company have been producing fine hardwood boards since 1887. A family business based in Effingham, Illinois, their products have gone from the Boos family workshop to the highest office in the land.

      Made from genuine, sustainably sourced American Cherry wood, these beautiful boards preserve the edge on fine cutlery and knife ware and are safe for all food preparation. To maintain them, it’s essential that you treat the wood every three to four weeks with the Boos Mystery Oil and the Boos Board Cream – both designed to seal the wood, polish, and enrich. That way, the stunning hardwood won’t dry, bleach or crack after sustaining repeated washings and chopping – and your board will last for years.

      Ideal for professional kitchens and the avid home cook alike, your kitchen will be all the richer thanks to John Boos & Company.

      Large American Cherry Rustic Edge Cutting Board features:

      Made in the USA.
Made from genuine, sustainably sourced American Cherry.
Rustic Edge Design.
Preserves the edge on fine cutlery.
Safe for all food preparation.

      Care instructions:

      Wipe with a damp cloth or hand wash with mild soap and water. Do not leave wet or submerged in water. Treat with Boos Mystery Oil and/or Board Cream (available separately) every three to four weeks to adequately maintain.

      Dimensions: 54cm (l) x 4.5cm (h) x 32cm (w).

      Sounds good to me but will check out maple, too.

  • frondono on 30/06/2020 - 19:59
    +1

    There's always Hi-soft rubber cutting boards.

    • [Deactivated] on 30/06/2020 - 21:27

      I was hoping for a comment about those, thanks, but I'm inclined to think synthetic entropy is not my cup of tea.

    • [Deactivated] on 01/07/2020 - 00:56

      I realised rubber is in-fact natural… Silly moi. Still, I wonder if there could be any additives used during the process. Worth looking into it for when I get serious and purchase a proper knife set. I think the hardness of Japanese knives could be unsuited, though, European knives being made from a softer steel.

  • KSMLJ on 30/06/2020 - 20:19
    +6

    Former chef with a keen interest in food science here.

    I think you are way over-thinking the whole thing.

    My main chopping board is a $5-6 Ikea bamboo board.

    It's practical, lightweight, quick drying (air-drying only).

    4-5 years old, & I use it almost everyday.

    Waiting for it to break so I can buy a new one. But it's not happening anytime soon.

    My other boards are a heavy duty board (for stuff like bone chopping), carving board (which can double up as a cheese board), and a light plastic board (for light veg or fruit work).

    I have almost never used these other boards ever since I got the Ikea one.

    You do not need a flashy chopping board unless you have a Youtube channel you need to showoff on.

    Basically, as long as it's wood, all you need to consider is price and size.

    It's a chopping board.

    Not a new car. Or wife, for that matter.

    • [Deactivated] on 30/06/2020 - 21:25
      +1

      Oh, if I was seeking recommendations for a car, or a wife, haha, I'd be much more comprehensive. This is a walk in the park. She'd have to be a down-to-earth scientist/ nerd with a sense of humour, who wears zero make-up, just for starters. I don't want to choke on make-up fumes every day and night. Thanks for the chuckle :) Your advice is definitely appreciated but I am a little concerned about the unique fibrousness of bamboo as opposed to hardwood. Do you find your knives get dull often or just as much as with hardwood?

      • KSMLJ on 30/06/2020 - 22:08
        +2

        I hone my knives before every use, and sharpen them on whetstones every 9-12 months.

        So I do feel the bamboo boards are similar to the hardwood ones.

        You sound very protective of your knives.

        Or just don't want to sharpen them that often?

        Get a good steel, helps to maintain that edge with minimum work.

        • [Deactivated] on 30/06/2020 - 23:21

          I'm even more protective about my wives. :) But seriously, not really. Just seeking basic info.

      • try2bhelpful on 30/06/2020 - 23:35
        +5

        Mate, I’m probably too old and taken but you’ve just summed me up. Worked in IT for 30 years, love to laugh and I refuse to wear makeup: what a waste of money.

        • [Deactivated] on 01/07/2020 - 00:41

          There ought to be more like you. :)

          • try2bhelpful on 01/07/2020 - 14:21
            +1

            @[Deactivated]: Just to, maybe, add another log on the fire; the man and I have never bothered to get married because we preferred to put all our spare money into paying off the house loan.

            • [Deactivated] on 02/07/2020 - 16:44

              @try2bhelpful: I'm addicted to saving so I love the sound of that.

              • try2bhelpful on 02/07/2020 - 16:56

                @[Deactivated]: Absolutely. Why waste money in a big party, and trying to squeeze into a frou frou dress (the 80s, shudder), when the wedding cost was worth a deposit. Then one wage went straight into the loan and we lived on the other. We now own a warehouse, we converted, in Fitzroy and we finished paying the loan off in 2001. We both got pretty good payouts from our last jobs and are kicking back living off our savings, and assorted share dividends, until we decide to kick into the Super. Will leave that go a few years until we see what the washout will be.

  • SuperMick on 01/07/2020 - 11:21
    +1

    Also an ex chef, I use a jarrah chopping board had it for years, and a bamboo board. I hone my knives every time that I use them. With the jarrah board, after washing with soap and water, it gets dried and canola oil lightly rubbed in. Bamboo board, soap and water and dried. When I was working it was all multi coloured plastic boards.

    • AncientWisdom on 01/07/2020 - 15:35
      +1

      I also have a jarrah board a woodworker friend made. About 350x350. Jarrah is a hardwood. It's perfect and gets used for 95% of the chores around the kitchen. I would often just wipe it after chopping and only clean it with soap when it looks like it needs it. Needs an oil once in a while (I use olive oil cause it's right there). I have a Japanese chef knife that gets sharpened on a whetstone when dull (not very often).

      I suggest going to a rural market and have a look at what the woodworkers got and suggest.

      • [Deactivated] on 02/07/2020 - 16:38

        Great idea!

    • [Deactivated] on 02/07/2020 - 16:38

      Hmm, I should've thought of Jarrah but I'm leaning towards the Boos Cherry. I love the colour and occasionally splurge a little to reward myself. Bamboo seems quite popular but since everyone hones their knives frequently, it's hard to determine whether they dull knives. Perhaps I'll check Reddit or YouTube.

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