It may seem like a no-brainer, but cutting is one of the most repetitive tasks in the kitchen and we sometimes give less importance than it deserves. Cutting boards are one of the fundamental tools for a cook, but they are relegated to the background behind knives and pans.
Cutting is not trivial, cooking schools teach their students to master not one or two but several cuts (brunoise, julienne, mirepoix…) for which, in addition to a good knife, they will need a good kitchen board. We must distinguish between the presentation tables and the cutting boards, which we will use to work the food. There are times when we prioritize that the table be beautiful, ignoring practical aspects such as hygiene or practicality. Therefore, buying a good cutting board is essential for your kitchen and will allow you to work properly while maintaining hygiene, order, and also safety.
How to choose a cutting board
To properly choose a cutting board you should look at these three aspects that we tell you below.
Choose the material for your cutting boards
Professional cutting boards are made of high-density polypropylene suitable for food use. This material supports knife cuts and is non-porous, thus avoiding the absorption of liquids that could give rise to bacteria.
There are several types of plastic tables, but at the home advise, we only recommend high-density polyethylene cutting boards for their stability and resistance to cuts. “Common” plastic boards are cheaper but their durability is much less, regardless of the fact that high-density polyethylene boards are more durable. You should keep in mind that a board should be renewed when you notice that it looks old and that it is heavily used.
Lastly, avoid using materials such as wood (at least outside the domestic environment) and if you do, use less porous wood such as olive wood.
Read another article about 4 tricks to eliminate the bad smell of chopping boards
Choose the color of your cutting boards
Have you ever wondered why there are cutting boards in various colors? It is not a question of design or the tastes of the cooks. The reason is somewhat more studied and each color has a meaning. The colors of the tables serve so that they are used exclusively by types of food. In this way, we avoid poisoning such as those caused by cross-contamination. Safety in the kitchen must be a maximum for any cook, not only because it is required by manner but also because of the cook’s moral commitment to his guest. Using boards of different colors is one of the measures to guarantee this security.
Colored kitchen boards should be used as follows:
- White boards: they are for dairy products, bread, cheeses, and pastries,…
- Yellow boards: for poultry.
- Brown boards: for cutting cooked meats.
- Red boards: to cut raw meats.
- Blue boards: to cut raw fish.
- Green boards: to cut fruits and vegetables.
Given the current situation, with a significant increase in food intolerances and allergies, the purple tables have been included to be used in handling “free of” foods.
Using these colors properly makes us avoid cross-contamination, mixtures of flavors, or possible poisoning.
Choosing the size and thickness of the cutting board
To finish, you must choose the size and thickness of your cutting board, this will depend on how you are going to use the board. For example, in butcher shops, they use very thick boards. This type of butcher’s cutting board is called a tajo board or blow board. Its thickness is usually at least 5 cm.
The greater the thickness of the board, the greater its stability and therefore the more comfortable the cut. For common knife cuts (not machetes or hatchets), a 2-cm-thick board is usually sufficient.
As for the size, it will depend on the size of the kitchen, but the most common sizes are 30×40 or 40×60. The larger the size, the more comfortable it will be to cut but the more difficult it will be to handle and therefore to wash.
If you need a size that you cannot find in the Amazon cutting boards section, remember that you can write to us specifying the exact size you want and we will make it for you.
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