Chopping Board - Analysis and Buying Guide - 2023
Whether you learn to cook at the Institute of Hotel Management, Catering and Nutrition, Pusa or through a series of YouTube videos, one of the first things you learn at this school is that you need a good Chopping board.
For slicing, chopping, mincing, shredding and much more, a Chopping board is an essential and versatile kitchen tool.
From afar, it would seem that all Chopping boards are created equal. After all, they are nothing more than boards of wood, plastic and glass that are placed on a countertop.
But when selecting a Chopping board, quality is key for several reasons:
A bad board will not allow a cook to perform his tasks with the knife correctly.
A board with an uneven surface or splinters could ruin your meal prep or even send you to the ER for stitches.
We spent hours researching the Chopping board space, learning everything we could about Chopping board materials, care, and tips.
At Real Indian, we want to help you find the Chopping board model that works best for you. To help us with this task, we enlisted the help of Ram Patil, our resident expert and the Executive Chef of Bon Appétit Management Company. Ram offered his input as we selected and reviewed the best Chopping boards on the market today.
With his guidance, we're proud to present five great recommendations in the product list above.
If you'd like to learn more about Chopping boards, please continue reading this buying guide, in which you'll find plenty of helpful advice from the team at Real Indian as well as our resident expert, Ram.
Chopping Board Materials
Chopping boards are made of wood, plastic resins, and tempered glass. Simple? Not at all. There are pros and cons to each material, and a lot depends on whether the Chopping board is being used for home or commercial purposes.
Wood
A wooden Chopping board could be made from various natural materials, including maple, walnut, cherry, and teak. Bamboo and composite materials also fall under the umbrella of wood.
Maple, walnut, or cherry hardwood boards are heavy and expensive. These fine wood boards are super durable; restorers value them for their reliability. Hardwood boards require ongoing maintenance (such as lubrication between uses) and cannot be placed in a dishwasher.
Bamboo is lightweight and especially good for home use. However, Ram warns us that the end grain of a bamboo board is softer and more likely to split or crack.
Teak is an ideal material for Chopping boards because it is durable. Although it requires occasional lubrication between uses to stay cool, it tends to hold oil well, says Ram.
Wood Fiber : The Epicurean line Chopping boards are in their own material category as they are made from Richlite, a durable wood fiber composite that includes recycled paper. These boards are dishwasher safe, durable, and relatively inexpensive.
Plastic Resins
If you want a table that is very useful and you don't care about its aesthetics, consider a high-density polypropylene model. Plastic boards are strong and durable, and some chefs believe they are just as good as wooden boards.
However, after much use, the plastic boards will be hit with dozens of knife cuts. A similar use on a wooden board lends the material “character” — but on a plastic board, it looks ugly.
On the plus side, plastic boards are dishwasher safe and relatively cheap compared to wood. Many chefs discard their plastic boards (please recycle) when they outgrow their usefulness and buy new ones. The trick is to buy one that is soft enough not to damage the knife, but hard enough to withstand wear and tear.
Tempered Glass
And then there is the Ersko crystal. Some home cooks are drawn to glass Chopping boards because they look fantastic on the kitchen counter. Many feature pastel hues that exude a sense of elegance, but after a lot of use, that elegance can become a problem.
Glass may look cool, but it breaks, Ram reminds us. If it breaks or splinters, it can get into your food, and then you have to throw everything away. Hence the reason the health department will not allow glass on commercial kitchen cooking lines.”
If you tend to use a Chopping board more for show — that is, as a serving tray — a glass model might be fine. But if you like to cut, slice and dice, we recommend that you consider your alternatives.
Care of Chopping Boards
- Sanitation
To sanitize and disinfect a wood or wood resin Chopping board, do not put it in the dishwasher; this erodes the quality of the wood. Instead, clean it with high-quality white vinegar after each use. The acetic acid in vinegar and cheese fights E. coli, salmonella, and staph.
To deodorize and sanitize your wooden Chopping board, sprinkle on some baking soda and follow with a squirt of undiluted white vinegar. After it lathers for 5 to 10 minutes, proceed to rinse with a cloth and cold water.
- Food Safety
Researchers at the University of California examined the merits of various types of Chopping boards as a way to avoid cross-contamination issues.
Cross-contamination occurs when meat or vegetables are cut on a Chopping board and the Chopping board is not properly cleaned afterwards.
The UC researchers found that plastic may be easier to sanitize, but after much use, grooves form in the material where bacteria can hide. Wood may be more difficult to disinfect, but it won't withstand cuts and gouges that harbor dangerous bacteria.
- Size
A larger 11” x 14” Chopping board is ideal for when you want to prepare multiple items at once. The generous size allows ingredients to be kept on the board until Chopping is complete.
Some smaller Chopping boards have a tendency to move on the counter while you're Chopping. To keep a smaller board in place, you could purchase a rubber mat designed to keep the board stationary. Or, you could buy a board with rubber feet or corners.
FAQ
Que. What mistakes do Newcomers to this Product Category make?
Ans. A common mistake homeowners make is putting their wooden Chopping board in the dishwasher. The board may appear unharmed at the end of the wash cycle, but over time, frequent exposure to water, detergent, or heat will degrade the board. It can crack or even split.
Ram warns that buying an expensive board that doesn't fit your needs is another common mistake. For example, a vegetarian who lives and eats alone has different needs than the head chef of a carnivorous household of six.
Que. What should a Cook do when he gets a Wooden Chopping Board for the First Time?
Ans. The first step with a wooden board is to oil it. Ram points out that you don't need to buy the oil that your board manufacturer sells. Any food-grade mineral oil should do the trick, as would a refracted coconut oil. (This type of coconut oil has been refined so it doesn't go rancid.)
Some chefs have also found success oiling their boards with beeswax, tung oil, or flaxseed oil.
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