© www.choppingboards.org.uk
The owner of this website is a participant in the Amazon EU Associates Programme, an affiliate advertising programme designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.co.uk.
Your one-
Various factors need to be taken into consideration when you’re deciding whether to buy a wooden chopping board or one made of plastic or other synthetic material.
A prime consideration is on the subject of hygiene and risk of contamination and food poisoning.
Is ease of cleaning particularly important to you? Do you want a board that doesn’t wear out knife blades more quickly than others? There are lots of things to consider.
The general consensus of opinion is that plastic chopping boards are safer when it comes to harmful bacteria.
Official health groups have spent years urging chefs and cooks to use non-
Many local health departments have banned the use of wooden chopping and cutting boards in the commercial preparation of food.
They hold the view that bacteria is less likely to survive on plastic boards which have been thoroughly cleaned, thereby all but eliminating the risk of food contamination.
But there are others who believe the contrary is true and that wooden boards are in fact a safer option.
Two top American microbiologists discovered in 1993 that when they inoculated wooden chopping boards with cultures of food poisoning agents, a staggering 99.9% of the bacteria were presumed dead within three minutes. Yet none of the bacteria which were placed on plastic chopping boards died.
When the plastic boards were left overnight at room temperature they discovered that
microbe populations had grown -
They put forward the idea that wood has some kind of antibacterial power but admitted they had no idea what agent or mechanism was responsible for it.
There’s no doubt that plastic boards are a better choice if quick cleaning appeals
to you -
Wooden chopping boards can be wiped with a mild detergent or sanitising spray, and some people rub coarse salt into the surface to kill off bacteria and remove fine traces of food. They also need to be oiled regularly with a food grade mineral oil or certain wood oils.
One great benefit of wooden chopping boards is that they are considerably more friendly towards knives and the blades will last much longer than they will if you use a plastic or other synthetic board regularly.
Plastic chopping boards will do just fine for normal day-
However if you are likely to be getting into chopping in a big way, a heavy duty traditional wooden chopping block may be the way to go. This should last for many years if looked after carefully and will stand up to anything challenge you throw at it.
Either way, there’s no shortage of chopping boards to choose from these days -
If you still can’t decide which is the best option for you -
And of course, you could even go one better and buy a dual chopping board which will
give your the best of both worlds -
MORE READING
Cleaning and care of chopping boards
Advice on seasoning your chopping board
Chopping boards and cross contamination
ALL WOODS |
MAHOGANY |
OAK |
BEECH |
OLIVE |
OTHER WOODS |