Cutting Boards
Every kitchen could use a sturdy cutting board. Cutting boards are the cornerstone of meal prepping; they are used to get vegetables ready for stew, meats ready for grilling, fruits prepped, bread sliced, and more. A board will protect your counters and tabletops from getting scratched up by a knife.
What kind of cutting board is appropriate for knives?Theres long been a discrepancy about which cutting board is right for knives. It actually all depends on what type of knife youre using and what youre cutting. There are a few choices.
- Plastic: These boards are typically white. The white board can be easily cleaned by wiping down the smooth surface. These boards are safe to use because they dont have grooves from knife usage where raw meat and bacteria can lurk.
- Wood: Wood cutting boards typically double in both functionality and as a piece of art. Wood cutting boards do take a little extra work thanks to their material. The surface has to be dried right away and oiled as a way to bring it back to life.
- Bamboo: Bamboo cutting boards are made with a type of low-maintenance wood. The board is durable and lasts a long time, and the material is hard enough to not be penetrated by a chefs knife. Therefore, you dont have to worry about creating pockets of moisture where food particles could accumulate. These boards come in different sizes.
Its recommended that you have two cutting boards in your kitchen depending on their size. One board should be made out of wood, and one board should be made out of plastic. The wood cutting board should be used to prep fruits, vegetables, and bread. Thats because pockets of bacteria can be created, so using it to cut fruits, bread, and veggies is more sanitary than cutting meat. The plastic cutting board can be used to cut meats because its easy clean and hard to penetrate with a knife.
How do you use a cutting board?Using a cutting board is relatively easy, but you want to make sure youre following the proper steps so that you remain safe.
- Thoroughly clean and dry cutting board and utensils: The first thing you will want to make sure is that the surface is completely sanitary. This means ensuring that no raw food is lurking in the cracks of the surface. You will also want to dry the board to make sure that nothing that is on the board will get you sick.
- Keep meat separate from bread and veggies: When prepping on your board, keep everything separate in your kitchen to fight against foodborne diseases.
- Wash immediately afterward: Youll want to wash your board immediately and store it in a safe place in your kitchen once dry. That way, you dont leave any time for food particles to rot inside the board.