Cutting board: from history to diversity. Which cutting board is better: Buyer's guide "The 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 housewife. 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 the chopping boards and which one is considered the best?
The history of the cutting board
In antiquity, any more or less even block of stone acted as a cutting board. She served for butchering animal meat. Gradually, it was used to prepare other foods. However, washing such a lump was not easy. The care of the stone cutting board was of poor quality.
After some two centuries, mankind has come 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 XX century.
German chemist Müller and 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, a variety of shapes, sizes and colors.
Types of cutting boards
Cutting boards of the following types are considered invariable and in demand everywhere:
- Wooden - they were and will be, acacia and bamboo are now considered popular materials.
- Plastic - popular due to the variety of colors and ease of cleaning and use.
- Glass - more precisely, from glass ceramics, for discerning housewives they can be in the form of a portrait, still life or landscape.
- Stone (granite or marble) - that came to us from ancient times, but in many respects changed their appearance for the better, are considered "living" and "breathing" boards.
Which cutting board is the best and how to choose the right one?
There is no such thing as the best cutting board. After all, 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 others. It is undeniable 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 in 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 of black, white, gray or brown... All the flaws of the product are visible on them. For those who don't 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 chopping meat with bones, the board must be thicker, more than 3 cm.
As for the material, planks made of soft wood (birch and pine) are considered low-quality, and therefore cheap. Oak, beech and bamboo boards are much more hygienic, safer and more convenient. It is more expensive, but does not blunt the knife, does not absorb water and smell. A board made of glued wood (not a solid piece) lasts longer.
A chef lover is a plastic board. Safe, lightweight, durable, moisture resistant. It should have a rough surface. Products will not slide on this.
For those who do not get a shudder 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 are constantly "slipping away". The ideal board is heat resistant glasswith rubberized feet.
A stone cutting board, namely marble, has antibacterial properties. She is an irreplaceable assistant in working with the test. With her, it is cool, even and thin.
The takeaway is clear: Choosing the right cutting board is not easy. But it is quite possible, if you take into account its shape, color, size and source material correctly and optimally.
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 crockery stores. However, have you ever thought about the fact that some materials (plastic, glass) did not exist before? What did our distant ancestors use, what did they cut the food 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 food for humans, stone blocks with a smooth surface were suitable as a cutting board for large carcasses of meat. On them, with the help of homemade tools, the carcasses were divided into parts. Surprisingly, the stone was the prototype of modern planks.
After some time, wood boards replaced the stone, and they existed in almost unchanged state until the 20th century! Of course, over time, their shape, smoothness improved, because machines and building toolsable to make a piece of wood perfectly flat and smooth. But the essence remained the same - the board was a processed piece of wood, and the products could only differ in the type of wood (usually birch, pine, oak and beech were used), size, presence or absence of handles.
Wood planks: the path from antiquity to modern times
Solid wood boards quickly fell into disrepair: bacteria freely multiplied on the surface of a monolithic piece, and it is not an easy task to thoroughly wash such a product. In addition, the tree shrank, deformed, darkened.
Since the middle of the 20th century, cutting boards have been made of plastic; glass models of boards have appeared relatively recently. However, wooden products have retained their relevance, and such boards can be found in almost every kitchen.
It turned out that wood planks made from compressed 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 best
Here is such the history of the emergence of a cutting board made of wood, 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 does not cause difficulties - quality products can be easily washed even in the dishwasher.
A cutting board should be beautiful, comfortable and functional. You can choose the kind of kitchen utensils that will decorate your kitchen and participate in the creative process of cooking every day.
Kinds
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Decorative cutting board
A cutting board is mainly used to cut food during preparation, or just before serving. There are also boards used exclusively for serving and serving ready meals on the table. Planks like this exist in the culture of Japanese cuisine. Sometimes cutting boards are used as coasters for hot pans in which the dish is served. A separate group is made up of decorative cutting boards, decorated with ornamental carvings, with applied drawings, both by 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 designed for chopping fresh meat, poultry with the help of a chef's cleaver are sometimes called logs, although the latter are a separate piece of utensils more often used in catering establishments, markets, butcher shops or departments, etc.
Forms
A 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 shapes designed, for example, for use with a sink. Often boards have handles for transferring and manipulating when washing, the types of handles are different, from protrusions made of board material to metal or plastic elements, sometimes boards with sub-finger grooves in the end are found. Most planks have holes for hanging them for storage. On the boards, some manufacturers apply grooves 4-7 mm wide and 2-4 mm deep, along the contour of the board, this avoids the drainage of liquid released from food during cutting onto the table surface. A board designed exclusively for slicing bread may have a significant number of grooves all over the surface to prevent crumb spilling. Sometimes the 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 cut products, or waste of cutting food.
Separation by food
It is recommended to have several cutting boards for different labeled foods. This minimizes the likelihood of infectious diseases related to the contact of raw and prepared food. Exists sanitary and epidemiological requirements for public catering organizations, the manufacture and circulation of food products and food raw materials in them dated November 6, 2002, which set the labeling 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 in accordance with the product processed on them: "CM" - raw meat, "SR" - raw fish, "CO" - raw vegetables, "VM" - boiled meat, "BP" - boiled fish, "VO "- boiled vegetables," MG "- meat gastronomy," Green "," KO "- pickled vegetables," Herring "," X "- bread," RG "- fish gastronomy."
In addition, a number of food products, such as fresh fish, have a pronounced odor, the presence of which on other products greatly reduces the taste characteristics of the prepared dish.
The European Union has adopted a color system for dividing cutting boards by food. The standard is described in HACCP (from the English. Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points - analysis of hazards and critical control points). White color a cutting board for dairy products, green for vegetables, blue or light blue for seafood, yellow for raw poultry, red for raw meat. For a new board, through-impregnation with natural wax dissolved in oil is desirable.
Materials
Cutting boards have conflicting requirements, 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. Wood of exotic wood species such as hevea and acacia is often used. 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 solid board, or they can be assembled from separate boards glued together in a single package. The latter option provides an economical consumption of material, and also partially prevents deformation of the board when wet. There are boards made of sawn wood (eng. end grain), the cut occurs at the end. As a rule, these are type-setting boards, made of separate bars glued together into a single package. Planks made of plastic are widespread, usually polypropylene. They are superior to wood in terms of hygiene requirements, but 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 impractical to use them for cutting food, since the cutting edge of the knife suffers greatly, the knife quickly dulls. 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 this case the use of such boards is acceptable.
Links
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To make it easier for you to find the ideal, we suggest that you 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 one that best suits your requirements, which we will start with.
Criterias of choice
Convenience, like beauty, is a relative concept and is very individual. Therefore, 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 have not specifically indicated 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
Another point: it is believed that you cannot use one board for cutting all types of products. It is unhygienic even if it has an antibacterial coating.
First, it is difficult to verify, because you will not see dead germs. And secondly, even a simple rinsing of the board after cutting each type of food will take time and complicate the cooking process. It 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 products.
The reasons are quite reasonable. Before cooking, meat and fish may contain pathogens that should not be seasoned with salad. The specific smell of seafood can easily be found in another dish. And a separate board for bread does not have to be washed.
If you don't eat meat - congratulations, necessary minimum reduced to three, but there may be more. And here's a spoiler tip - they don't have to be made of the same materials.
Does size matter
Why is board size important? It affects the quality, convenience and cutting time. When something falls off a cutting board, you need to take the time to pick it up. Plus, it should completely fit the largest cut or cut object - for example, a turkey.
From this point of view, boards that can be decomposed into smaller elements are convenient.
Let's 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 super-modern technologies and materials, they are too young to communicate their durability and please you with their value.
Glass
Glass-ceramic or glass boards are quite popular with our hostesses. Are they really that good?
Pros :
- richness of colors, patterns;
- resistance to moisture and high temperatures;
- rubber feet, thanks to which the board lies firmly on the table.
Minuses :
- high hardness of glass quickly blunts knives;
- on such a board you cannot cut with ceramic knives;
- usually small in size;
- drop - smash;
- specific squeak (not for the faint of heart) when slicing.
Summary: In our opinion, it is better to choose this cutting board for a beautiful presentation of cheese or fruit, and not for slicing and shredding products.
A rock
Boards made of marble, granite, other natural or artificial stone look expensive and have the same positive qualities as glass.
And their flaws are the same, 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.
Wood
Wood boards have been used in the household since ancient times.
Today they are made from soft or hard woods, which shrink quickly or slowly, respectively.
Softwood
Pros :
- low price;
- does not blunt knives.
Minuses :
- the material is easily "chipped";
- susceptibility to deformation - cracks and twisting from water;
- lack of protective treatment;
- instant absorption of dyes and odors.
It is better to use this board for slicing bread. But for meat, it is definitely not suitable.
Hardwood
Planks 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 blunt 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 once every 2 months.
From moisture or drying out, the board can bend and twitch when cutting, but even in this form, it is suitable for serving cheese or meat cuts.
Here is a list of wood specieswhich 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 very hard rubber and does not cut through, but seems to be punched out by a knife, which makes it more convenient to cut on it. And you guess what her only drawback is.
End board
This is not a board in the conventional sense, and not a joint 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.
Benefits :
- does not blunt knives;
- almost eternal;
- environmentally friendly *;
- suitable sizes.
Disadvantages :
- cost;
- special care: the board must not be left in water for a long time, it must not be washed in the dishwasher, it must also be periodically lubricated with a mixture of mineral oil and beeswax.
On the other hand, it is not difficult to maintain an endboard. All that is needed is household attentiveness and a 5-minute wiping ritual every two months, which, incidentally, creates an antibacterial coating.
Rather, the disadvantage of this board is its massiveness, which, combined with the dimensions of our kitchens, will make you think about 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 they used as a binder.
Bamboo
Compared to softwood bamboo board:
- more durable;
- denser and tougher;
- worse absorbs moisture;
- do not deform from high temperatures and humidity;
- is slower to scratch;
But there are still disadvantages, because she:
- 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.
Bottom Line: Bamboo cutting boards are in demand because of their price-performance tradeoffs. They are better than glass and softwood counterparts, but worse than hardwood and polypropylene boards.
Plastic
As in the case of wood, plastic is different from plastic, because there are cheap and very expensive models. Let's start with the first, more affordable ones.
Thin plastic
Pros :
- nice price;
- does not absorb odors;
- can be washed in the dishwasher;
- diverse 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.
Nevertheless, the plastic that folds along the folds is very convenient for washing fruits, vegetables and pouring the sliced \u200b\u200binto the pan.
This cutting board is better than analogs made of thick plastic in that, due to its compactness, it is convenient for use on hikes, because it can be folded compactly along the folds.
There are planks made of plastic with antibacterial coating, 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 cannot 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.
Especially great are the large professional boards used by chefs in restaurants.
Benefits :
- roomy;
- rough (non-slip);
- eternal;
- do not blunt knives;
- do not absorb odors;
- wash well;
- are not afraid of high temperatures;
- are not deformed.
Disadvantages :
- heavy;
- difficult to find in a regular store;
- expensive.
Silicone
The soft rubber mat was named a board conditionally - for its functions. The advantages are that such a board does not fidget on the table, folds into a roll and does not blunt knives.
True, it cannot be used either as a tray or as a stand. But it will come in handy on a hike.
Modern cutting boards are often made in combination, combining positive traits natural wood and reticulated polyethylene. There are also boards with silver nanoparticles that destroy bacteria and do not need to be thoroughly washed.
Which board is better?
Do you doubt which board to take - wood or plastic? Take both. The first is more natural, the second is more hygienic and durable.
If once again - for you only a joy, and the volume of cooking can not be called large - then bamboo, plastic, and wood 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, or better - professional plastic.
And if you cook a lot and get used to things, that is, size and durability are key factors - opt for an end wood board.
Are you worried that particles of plastic, glass or ceramic knife get into the food you cut? From this point of view, the tree appears to be 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 the loser in convenience (or other qualities) of the cutting board will always find another use. After all, as they say, she does not ask for food.
Whatever choice you make - let it please you!
Cutting boards occupy an important, if not honorable, place among them. 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, exactly from cutting board quality depends on how long the knife will serve you without losing its sharpness. Therefore, the choice of board must be approached thoroughly.
Several boards in the kitchen are the norm
It is usually recommended to have not one, but several boards - for different tasks: meat and fish products are cut on the same board (it is considered correct to have a separate cutting board for both fish and meat and poultry, but this is probably 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 to cut vegetables and herbs that have a strong smell - mint, basil and others like them), on the fifth - cheese , and use the sixth as a handout.
Size matters
Of course, there should be different boards at hand - both small (for onions, for example, you usually don't have to cut a whole mountain), 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 hand movements will not be constrained, the knife will slide freely, and the food will not fall on the table or worse on the floor.
What materials are cutting boards made of?
Plastic... Cutting boards made of this material are the main "competitors" of wood boards. Among their advantages: high practicality. 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 gaps appear on them - shelters for microbes). They also come 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 in place, unless you take action and put a napkin or towel under it (preferably slightly damp). In no case should you put hot dishes on such a board - high temperature plastic does not stand up.
Glass... First, about the advantages: they look very beautiful, they are great for table setting and to decorate the interior of the kitchen. Just take care of them - rinsed and order. They are made, as a rule, of their heat-resistant glass up to 260 ° C, so that it is quite possible to use them as hot coasters.
Disadvantages: the edge of the knife is blunt once, 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 edges, whether the layers of plywood are tightly glued; 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, it has a synthetic coating, which quickly dulls the knife. In addition, the glue used for gluing sawdust may contain formaldehyde resins that are hazardous to health (by the way, this also applies to plywood cutting boards).
From wooden bars or end... The surface of these boards consists of the ends glued together with bars. Such boards delaminate just as quickly and are dangerous because glue particles can get into food. However, they are less deformed (if you do not leave them for a long time in a humid environment).
Wood... Solid wood chopping board is traditional and perhaps the best of the above options. Although there are some drawbacks here: 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 take care of and are lightweight. Here are just short-lived and quickly grind off under the influence of a knife. Boards made of hardwoods (hevea, ash, oak) have exactly the opposite qualities: they are less afraid of moisture, will last a long time, but they are heavy.
Requires careful care: they must be thoroughly rinsed with hot water (for hygiene reasons: microscopic cuts and cracks that form over time accumulate microbes) and wipe and dry properly. It is recommended not to store wooden cutting boards in a desk drawer, but rather to hang them on a nail or place them on a special shelf to ventilate them.
Beauty in the kitchen
On sale there are many decorative boards, original and unusual in shape, painted by Gorodets or Khokhloma craftsmen in the traditional style. Cutting boards like this will be great addition to the kitchen interior, will bring zest and add comfort. Use them for their intended purpose if possible (in case varnish coating there is only one side, and the other side is working), then it's a pity. But hung on a carnation, they will look great.
