Cutting board: from history to diversity. Which cutting board is best: Buyer's Guide "A wooden board must be soaked in sunflower oil."
A cutting board seems to be the simplest kitchen appliance or utensil. But this attribute is mandatory for every hostess. It is impossible to imagine cooking any dish without using a cutting board. When did she first appear and how old is she? What are cutting boards and which one is considered the best?
History of the cutting board
In antiquity, any more or less even block of stone acted as a cutting board. It was used for butchering animal meat. Gradually, it was used for cooking other food. However, washing such a block was not easy. The care of the stone cutting board was poor quality.
After some two centuries, mankind came to wooden cutting boards. Pine, birch, oak and beech were used. Wood processing in those days was primitive and such boards quickly fell into disrepair. Nevertheless, in this form they “met” the 20th century.
The German chemist Müller and the Soviet scientist Andrianov in the 40s of the twentieth century gave housewives to appreciate all the advantages of plastic cutting boards. They were distinguished by high resistance to heat, acids, solvents and water, hygiene, variety of shapes, sizes and colors.
Types of cutting boards
The following types of cutting boards are considered unchanged and in demand everywhere:
- Wooden - they have been and will be, acacia and bamboo are now considered popular materials.
- Plastic - are popular due to the variety of colors and ease of cleaning and operation.
- Glass - more precisely, from glass ceramics, for demanding housewives they can be in the form of a portrait, still life or landscape.
- Stone (granite or marble) - which came to us from ancient times, but in many ways changed their appearance for the better, are considered "living" and "breathing" boards.
What is the best cutting board and how to choose the right one?
The concept of "the best cutting board" does not exist. Indeed, ideally, there should be at least four of them in the kitchen. One for poultry and meat, the second exclusively for fish, the third "bread", the fourth for vegetables, sausages, cheese and other things. It is an undeniable fact that for meat and raw products it is better to have a plastic board, for thermally processed products - a wooden one. So that family members do not confuse them, it is better to buy boards with pictures: fish, bread, tomato. Or diversify them by color.
The most ideal shape for a cutting board is a rectangle. This is the advice of professional chefs. Any other exotic shape (circle, oval, square) is more suitable for serving.
Suitable size for this utensil is medium. A board measuring 30 cm by 50 cm is more suitable for meat and fish, 20 cm by 30 cm - for everything else. Too small boards do not fit required amount ingredients, you have to cut them in batches, in several stages. Too large boards are problematic to store and wash.
To fully appreciate the natural color of the product, it is better to buy a board in black, white, gray or Brown. They show all the shortcomings of the product. For those who do not care, we came up with bright and colorful boards with a variety of photos and pictures.
If you pay attention to the thickness of the board, then the optimal thickness is 5-10 mm. However, for cutting meat with bones, the board must be thicker, more than 3 cm.
As for the material, boards made of soft wood (birch and pine) are considered low-grade, and therefore cheap. A board made of oak, beech and bamboo is much more hygienic, safer and more convenient. It is more expensive, but does not dull the knife, does not absorb water and smell. A board made of glued wood (not a solid piece) lasts longer.
The favorite of chefs is the plastic board. Safe, light, durable, not afraid of moisture. It must have a rough surface. Products will not slide on this.
For those who are not trembling from the grinding of metal on glass, they came up with bright models of glass boards. They are considered the most hygienic. However, products on such a surface constantly "escape". The ideal board heat resistant glass with rubberized feet.
Stone cutting board, namely marble, has bactericidal properties. She is an indispensable assistant in working with the test. With it, it is cool, smooth and thin.
The conclusion is clear: choosing the right cutting board is not easy. But it is quite possible, if you correctly and optimally take into account its shape, color, size and source material.
It would seem that such a simple element of kitchen utensils as a cutting board does not raise any questions. Now these products are made from different materials, they are sold in all kitchenware stores. However, have you thought about the fact that some materials (plastic, glass) did not exist before? What did our distant ancestors use, what did they cut the products on? Meanwhile, the history of the cutting board is quite interesting and deserves attention.
Stone "board" as a prototype of modern
In primitive times, when hunting and gathering were the only sources of human livelihood, stone blocks with a smooth surface that were suitable in shape acted as a cutting board for large carcasses of meat. On them, with the help of home-made tools, the carcasses were divided into parts. Surprisingly, the stone was the prototype of modern boards.
After some time, stone was replaced by boards made of wood, and they existed almost unchanged until the 20th century! Of course, over time, their shape and smoothness improved, because machines and Building tools that can make a piece of wood perfectly even and smooth. But the essence remained the same - the board was a processed piece of wood, and the products could differ only in the type of wood (usually birch, pine, oak and beech were used), size, the presence or absence of handles.
Wooden boards: the path from antiquity to the present
Solid wood boards quickly fell into disrepair: bacteria freely multiplied on the surface of a monolithic piece, it is not an easy task to wash such a product with high quality. In addition, the tree shrank, deformed, darkened.
From the middle of the 20th century, cutting boards began to be made of plastic; glass models of boards appeared relatively recently. However, wooden products have retained their relevance, and in almost every kitchen you can find such boards.
It turned out that wooden boards made from pressed fiber are much more practical and durable than products made from a single piece of wood. Such innovative boards, for example, Epicurean, with an absolutely natural composition, do not absorb moisture, do not deform and serve for a long time. Today they are used by professional chefs, and also acquired by people who know a lot about cooking.
Natural material is the best
Like this the history of the wooden cutting board, which is unlikely to ever disappear from the kitchen. Despite the availability of plastic boards, everyone subconsciously feels that there is nothing better and safer than natural wood. And the care of such boards today is not difficult - high-quality products can be easily washed even in a dishwasher.
A cutting board should be beautiful, comfortable and functional. You have the right to choose such kitchen utensils that will serve as a decoration in your kitchen and take part in the creative process of cooking every day.
Kinds
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Decorative cutting board
A cutting board is mainly used for cutting food during cooking, or just before serving. There are also boards used exclusively for serving and serving ready meals to the table. Similar boards exist in Japanese food culture. Sometimes cutting boards are used as coasters for hot pans in which the dish is served. A separate group consists of decorative cutting boards, decorated with ornamental carvings, with drawings applied both with paints and by burning. It is not recommended to use such boards for cutting food, as particles of paint and varnish can get into the food. Cutting boards for cutting fresh meat, birds with the help of a chef's billhook, are sometimes called decks, although the latter are a separate item of utensils more often used in enterprises Catering, markets, butcher shops or departments, etc.
Forms
The traditional cutting board is rectangular in shape. The sizes of cutting boards used in everyday life vary greatly, from 10 cm by 15 cm to 30 cm by 40 cm and more. The thickness of the cutting board rarely exceeds 2-3 cm. Plastic cutting boards are usually much thinner, 5-10 mm. There are also round, oval, fish-shaped cutting boards, boards of complex geometric shape, designed, for example, to be used with a sink. Often the boards have handles for carrying and manipulating during washing, the types of handles are different, from protrusions from the board material to metal or plastic elements, sometimes there are boards with sub-finger recesses at the end. Most boards have holes through which they can be hung for storage. On the boards, some manufacturers apply grooves 4-7 mm wide and 2-4 mm deep along the outline of the board, this avoids the flow of liquid released from food during cutting onto the surface of the table. A board designed exclusively for slicing bread may have a significant number of grooves over its entire surface to prevent bread crumbs from spilling. Sometimes a set with a cutting board includes a ceramic or glass container installed in a special recess on the board, and can be used as a place for temporary placement of chopped products, or waste cutting products.
Separation by food
It is recommended to have several cutting boards for different foods labeled. This minimizes the likelihood of infectious diseases associated with the contact of raw and prepared foodstuffs. Exist sanitary and epidemiological requirements for public catering organizations, production and turnover in them food products and food raw materials dated November 6, 2002, which established the marking rules:
“In order to prevent infectious diseases, cutting equipment is assigned to each workshop and has a special marking. Cutting boards and knives are marked according to the product processed on them: “SM” - raw meat, “SR” - raw fish, “SO” - raw vegetables, “VM” - boiled meat, “VR” - boiled fish, “BO "- boiled vegetables, "MG" - meat gastronomy, "Greens", "KO" - pickled vegetables, "Herring", "X" - bread, "RG" - fish gastronomy.
In addition, a number of food products, such as fresh fish, have a pronounced smell, the presence of which on other products greatly reduces the taste characteristics of the cooked dish.
The European Union has adopted a color system for separating cutting boards by food. The standard is described in HACCP (from the English Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points - hazard analysis and critical control points). White color cutting board - for dairy products, green - vegetables, blue or blue - seafood, yellow - raw poultry, red - raw meat. For a new board, through impregnation with natural wax dissolved in oil is desirable.
materials
There are conflicting requirements for cutting boards, on the one hand, the material must be hard enough so that there are no cut marks, scratches in which food particles can remain, on the other hand, the cutting board must be soft enough so that the cutting edge does not become dull or chipped. knife. Also, the cutting board should not absorb moisture, odors. The most acceptable is hardwood, such as birch, oak, beech. The wood of exotic wood species is often used, such as hevea, acacia. Hevea practically does not absorb moisture, is quite hard and has a very beautiful structure. For the manufacture of decorative cutting boards, cedar, aspen, and pine are also used. Wooden boards can be made from a single board, or they can be assembled from individual boards glued into a single package. The latter option provides an economical consumption of material, and also partially prevents the board from deforming when wet. There are boards made from saw cut wood (Eng. end grain), the cut occurs at the end. As a rule, these are type-setting boards, from separate bars glued into a single package. Boards made of plastic, usually polypropylene, are common. They are superior to wooden ones in terms of hygiene requirements, but are significantly inferior in aesthetic terms. Also, plastic boards are too slippery, which makes it difficult to handle foods such as fish, raw meat, and the like. Boards made of glass, natural stone, ceramics can be used to serve dishes on the table, but it is not advisable to use them for cutting food, as the cutting edge of the knife suffers very much, the knife quickly becomes dull. However, there are some types of operations, for example, when processing fish, when the cut occurs in a horizontal plane, and the cutting edge of the knife does not touch the board, in which case the use of such boards is acceptable.
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To make it easier for you to find the perfect one, we invite you to familiarize yourself with the characteristics of the most popular types of cutting boards, the materials used, their pros and cons. Although, they say, nothing is perfect, it is quite possible to find something that best suits your requirements, which we will start with.
Criterias of choice
Comfort, like beauty, is a relative and very individual concept. So you don't have to agree that a good cutting board is:
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But some of these parameters, you see, are important to you and will help you decide on the choice of material and shape of the cutting board.
We specifically did not indicate such a factor as cost.
Everything is obvious here: you will have to fork out for a good thing, but not always a high price indicates the same quality. In order not to be mistaken, use the experience of friends, acquaintances, listen to word of mouth, reviews and our recommendations.
There is safety in numbers
One more point: it is believed that one board cannot be used for cutting all types of products. It is unhygienic, even if it has an antibacterial coating.
Firstly, it is difficult to check, because you will not see dead microbes. And secondly, even a simple rinsing of the board after cutting each type of food will take time and complicate the cooking process. Turns out it's also impractical.
The ideal amount would be 4 cutting boards:
- for raw meat;
- for fish;
- for bread;
- for vegetables, fruits and cooked foods.
The reasons are well founded. Meat and fish before heat treatment may contain pathogens that should not be seasoned with salad. The specific smell of seafood will easily end up in another dish. A separate board for bread does not have to be washed at all.
If you don't eat meat- congratulations, necessary minimum reduced to three, but there may be more. And here's a little spoiler tip - they don't have to be made from the same materials.
Does size matter
Why is board size important? It affects the quality, convenience and cutting time. When something falls off the cutting board, you need to take the time to pick it up. Plus, it should completely fit the largest cut or butchered object - for example, a turkey.
From this point of view, boards that are laid out into smaller elements are convenient.
Let's take a look at what cutting boards are made of today.
materials
Most often, glass, wood, bamboo, plastic are used for the manufacture of boards, less often - stone, metal alloys and combinations of the above.
As for the super-modern technologies and materials, they are too young to report their durability and please you with their cost.
Glass
Glass-ceramic or glass boards are quite popular with our hostesses. Are they really that good?
Pros :
- richness of colors, drawings;
- resistance to moisture and high temperatures;
- Rubber feet keep the board firmly on the table.
Minuses :
- high hardness of glass quickly blunts knives;
- on such a board it is impossible to cut with ceramic knives;
- usually small in size
- drop - break;
- a specific creak (not for the faint of heart) when cutting.
Summary: In our opinion, it is better to choose this cutting board for a beautiful presentation of cheese or fruit, and not for cutting and chopping products.
Stone
Boards of marble, granite, other natural or artificial stone look expensive and have the same positive qualities as glass.
And they have the same flaws, except for the size. Well, here another nuance arises - a large stone board will be too heavy and uncomfortable. But small boards are very convenient to wash.
Tree
Wooden boards have been used in the economy since ancient times.
Today they are made from soft or hard woods, which are respectively quickly or slowly hemmed.
Softwood
Pros :
- low price;
- does not dull knives.
Minuses :
- the material is easily "split";
- susceptibility to deformation - cracks and twisting from water;
- lack of protective treatment;
- instant absorption of dyes and odors.
It is better to use such a board for cutting bread. But for meat, it is definitely not suitable.
Hardwood
Boards made of hardwood - walnut or oak look beautiful and inspire more confidence.
Pros :
- will last a long time;
- environmentally friendly;
- does not absorb dyes, moisture;
- does not dull knives.
Minuses :
- higher price;
- afraid of a long stay in water and high temperatures - you need to wipe dry and keep away from the stove;
- requires care - lubrication with oil and wax 1 time in 2 months.
From moisture or drying out, the board can warp and twitch when cutting, but even in this form it is suitable for serving cheese or meat slices.
Here is a list of wood species, which are great as cutting board material:
- american black walnut,
- brazilian cherry,
- olive.
Walnut boards can be called antibacterial, as this tree contains natural repellents and phytoncides.
The structure of paulownia resembles a very hard rubber and does not cut through, but seems to be crushed by a knife, which makes it more convenient to cut on it. And you can guess what its only drawback is.
end board
This is not a board in the conventional sense, and not a connection of horizontal layers of wood, but a monolith of small glued bars with vertical fibers.
Due to the manufacturing technology, end cutting boards are often referred to as professional cook equipment.
Advantages :
- does not dull knives;
- practically eternal;
- environmentally friendly*;
- suitable sizes.
Flaws :
- price;
- special care: the board must not be left in water for a long time, washed in a dishwasher, and it must also be periodically lubricated with a mixture of mineral oil and beeswax.
On the other hand, taking care of the end board is not so difficult. All that is needed is the attentiveness of the household and a 5-minute wiping ritual every two months, which, by the way, creates an antibacterial coating.
Rather, the disadvantage of this board is its massiveness, which, combined with the dimensions of our kitchens, will make you rack your brains on the topic of its placement.
* We want to warn you against the popular illusion. Have you noticed how often people pay attention to the environmental friendliness of parts, but do not at all check the harmlessness of the glue with which they are connected? Be consistent, ask the manufacturer what he used as a binder.
Bamboo
Compared with soft wood, bamboo board:
- more durable;
- denser and tougher;
- absorbs moisture worse;
- do not deform from high temperatures and humidity;
- scratches more slowly;
But there are still disadvantages, because it:
- is more expensive;
- blunts knives;
- most often represented by small and medium sizes;
- refers to glued boards, which brings us back to the question of the type of glue applied.
Summary: Bamboo cutting boards are in demand because of the trade-off value for money. They are better than glass and softwood counterparts, but worse than hardwood and polypropylene boards.
Plastic
As in the case of wood, plastic plastic is different, because there are cheap and very expensive models. Let's start with the first, more accessible ones.
Thin plastic
Pros :
- nice price;
- does not absorb odors;
- Can be washed in the dishwasher;
- varied in terms of colors and shapes;
- durable.
Minuses :
- no large sizes
- fidgets on the table;
- quickly blunts knives;
- bends, not suitable as a tray;
- unstable to high temperatures.
However, the foldable plastic is very handy for washing fruits and vegetables and pouring the cut into the pan.
This cutting board is better than analogues made of thick plastic because, due to its compactness, it is convenient for use on hikes, because it can be folded compactly along the folds.
There are antibacterial coated plastic boards, but again, how do you test if it works?
Important: before buying, pay attention to what kind of plastic the cutting board is made of, and familiarize yourself with the characteristics of the material. For example, polyurethane does not withstand temperatures above 80 degrees, and, accordingly, will not play the role of a tray for hot dishes.
Thick plastic
Such boards are made from polypropylene, vinyl plastic, polyamide, polyethylene and other types of super-plastic.
Large professional boards used by chefs in restaurants are especially good.
Advantages :
- roomy;
- rough (do not slip);
- eternal;
- do not blunt knives;
- do not absorb odors;
- well washed;
- not afraid of high temperatures;
- are not deformed.
Flaws :
- heavy;
- difficult to find in a regular store;
- expensive.
Silicone
A soft rubber mat is called a board conditionally - for the functions it performs. The advantages are that such a board does not fidget on the table, rolls up and does not dull the knives.
True, it cannot be used either as a tray or as a stand. But it will come in handy when traveling.
Modern cutting boards are often combined, combining positive traits natural wood and mesh polyethylene. There are also boards with silver nanoparticles that destroy bacteria and do not need to be washed thoroughly.
Which board is better?
Doubting which board to take - wooden or plastic? Take one or the other. The first is more natural, the second is more hygienic and durable.
If once again - it’s only a joy for you, and the amount of cooking cannot be called large - then bamboo, plastic, and wooden boards will suit you, and in case of resistance to unpleasant sounds, glass boards.
Do you value a set of expensive knives and want them to last as long as possible? Then by all means choose hard and thick, and better - professional plastic.
And if you cook a lot and get used to things, that is, size and durability are key factors - opt for a wooden end board.
Are you worried about particles of plastic, glass or a ceramic knife getting into the cut products? From this point of view, the tree seems more edible.
It is possible that the decisive factor will suddenly become original design and functionality. It’s always better to have a fallback, and a cutting board that loses in convenience (or other qualities) will always find another use. After all, she, as they say, does not ask for food.
Whatever choice you make, let it please you!
Cutting boards occupy among an important, if not to say - an honorable place. After all, how else - so that we do not intend to cut and crumble, we can not do without and without a board. And by the way, from cutting board quality depends on how long the knife will serve you without losing its sharpness. Therefore, the choice of the board must be approached thoroughly.
A few boards in the kitchen - the norm
It is usually recommended to have not one, but several boards for different tasks: meat and fish products are cut on one board (it is considered correct to have a separate cutting board for both fish and meat and poultry, but this is perhaps more relevant in industrial kitchens ), on the other - vegetables and fruits, on the third - bread, on the fourth - onions and garlic (it can also be used for cutting vegetables and herbs that have a strong smell - mint, basil and others like them), on the fifth - cheese , and use the sixth as a distributing one.
Size matters
At hand, of course, there should be different boards - both small (for onions, for example, you usually don’t have to cut a whole mountain of it), and large ones, on which it is convenient to plan salads. The optimal width of the cutting board should be at least 25x40 cm, then the movements of the hand will not be constrained, the knife will slide freely, and the products will not fall on the table or worse, on the floor.
What materials are cutting boards made from?
Plastic. Cutting boards made of this material are the main "competitors" of wooden boards. Among their advantages: high practicality. they do not wear out for a long time, do not absorb food odors, are easy to clean and are quite hygienic (although over time, scratches and crevices appear on them - a haven for microbes). In addition, they are available in a wide variety of shapes and colors. The disadvantages include the fact that knives quickly become dull on plastic, vegetables slide when cutting - even a corrugated surface does not save. And the cutting board itself does not lie still, unless you take action and put a napkin or towel under it (preferably slightly damp). Under no circumstances should hot dishes be placed on such a board - high temperature plastic won't hold up.
Glass. First, about the merits: they look very nice, great for table setting and to decorate the interior of the kitchen. They are easy to care for - rinsed and tidy. They are made, as a rule, of their heat-resistant glass up to 260º C, so it is quite possible to use them as hot coasters.
Disadvantages: blunt the edge of the knife at a time, the sound of the knife touching the glass surface is not for the faint of heart, they cannot be washed in the dishwasher.
Plywood. Such a board dulls the cutting edge of the knife less and is not very afraid of moisture. True, when buying, you should carefully check the side faces, whether the layers of plywood are tightly glued together; if gaps and air bubbles are visible, this board should not be taken: over time, it will exfoliate and swell from moisture.
Chipboard. On top of the cutting board, as a rule, has a synthetic coating, which quickly dulls the knife. In addition, the glue used to glue sawdust may contain formaldehyde resins that are hazardous to health (this, by the way, also applies to plywood cutting boards).
From wooden bars or end. The surface of these boards consists of ends glued together bars. Such boards delaminate just as quickly and are dangerous in that glue particles can get into food. However, they are less deformed (if not left for a long time in a humid environment).
Tree. A solid wood cutting board is traditional and perhaps the best of the above options. Although this also has its drawbacks: swelling from water, moreover, over time, the board can split in half. Therefore, be sure to pay attention to the location of the fibers - they should only go along, but not across the board. Cutting boards made of soft woods (birch, pine) are considered the best - they protect and have a small weight. But they are short-lived and quickly grind off under the action of a knife. Boards made of hardwoods (hevea, ash, oak) have exactly the opposite qualities: they are less afraid of moisture, they will last a long time, but they are heavy.
Requires careful care: they must be washed well hot water(for hygienic purposes: microscopic cuts and cracks that develop over time can harbor microbes) and wipe and dry properly. It is recommended not to store wooden cutting boards in a drawer, but it is best to hang them on a carnation or put them on a special shelf so that they are ventilated.
beauty in the kitchen
There are many decorative boards on sale, original and unusual in shape, painted by Gorodets or Khokhloma masters in the traditional style. These cutting boards are great addition to the kitchen interior, will add zest and add comfort. Use them for their intended purpose if possible (in case lacquer coating there is only one side, and the other side is working), it's a pity. But hung on a carnation, they will look great.
