wood,plastic or glass?????

[cat17715]

I'm thinking about getting a new cutting board. I have a wood one now. My knives are not real good ones but the kind that never need sharpening. My MIL thinks that plastic are the best. She is an ex-nurse and anything that she can bleach to get clean is the best. She says my "wood" will harbor germs. My mother swears by her glass one. I think of it more as a counter saver than a cutting board but this is coming from a women who now only cooks frozen dinners for herself. Which do you prefer?

[DeniseB]

I always use plastic type cutting boards. Glass boards will dull knives and are noisy. Wood is said to harbor more bacteria. However, I have heard that very hard woods aren't as bad. I always wash cutting boards in the dish washer to keep them bacteria free. Once they have a too many cuts in them, it is time to replace them.

[Mamasue]

I use nothing but wooden boards. I do have four of them though. One is solely for poultry, another one for basic chopping. The other two, largest one is for pasta and other for baking, such as rolling doughs, kneading breads. http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/smile.gif

[This message has been edited by Mamasue (edited 02-05-2001).]

[Leonard]

I also use wood boards. I own several of them. One for chicken, one for other meats, one for vegetables. I do use a large plastic one for baking. They vary in size so I know which is for which. As long as your boards are kept seperate, I think it's a matter of preference.

[MrsReber]

We have two wooden boards that I use exclusively for fruits and veggies. When I am cutting any kind of meat, I get out a plastic type board. I used to have glass- yes it is noisy and it doesn't do the knife a whole lotta good! My SIL did get me these two thin plastic cutting boards that are flexible. They're kind of neat. You can chop things, fold the board and dump them into pots without dropping food all over the floor (the dogs don't like that part at all!).

[sneezles]

I have a wood board that is used only for cooked meats and one that is used only for baking. On two sections of counter space, I have plastic ones that have a lip to hold them in place. I use these for everything else because I can then wash in hot soapy water and rinse in bleach.

[Laura]

I used to use only wood and I would spray it with one of those Clorox cleaners when I cut meat on it. But now I have moved, and I only have plastic (the wood ones were part of the cabinets in my house.) I don't think I will go back to wood. I just feel like I can get the plastic ones cleaner.

[luv2cook]

I only have one cutting board, wood. I don't have room as of yet for any more. Any time I cut meat on it, I spray it with a bleach/water solution and wash and wipe with a papertowel. Read somewhere that papertowel wiping wipes off more germs AND nobody, to my knowledge, has ever gotten sick eating at my house. I am very careful about cross-contamination, too. Glass will dull your knives and is very loud. So is plastic...just my opinion

[phantomcg]

I have a plastic one that I use only for meats and a wooden one that I use for everything else.

Cheryl

[Leslie w]

I have one thick wood board. One side I labeled for meats and the other produce. I have read several articles about the safety of wood cutting boards as long as you use a diluted bleach solution on them after cutting meats. They are just as safe as plastic.

[Chefmom]

Actually, plastic can have large scratches, and bacteria can grow in these scratches.

DON'T get glass, that will destroy your knives. Wood dries out completely and bacteria can't grow. No matter WHAT surface you have, you must use proper cleaning. I always keep Clorox clean-up spray and I use that and let it sit for a few minutes before scrubbing the board. I have several wood and one plastic, and the plastic isn't used much anymore. The wood ones are much more versatile (I can place hot things on them).

The government agencies that begin these rumors in the first place are finally coming back to wood.

Good Luck and Happy Cooking!!
Tami

[JillC]

Here's a link to a page on amazon.com where they review cutting board basics including plastic vs. wood. http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/feature/-/31588/107-1354541-7415703
Jill

[luv2cook]

gawd, I bought a Corian cutting board at a home show here in Houston and not only did it dull my knives really, it scratched - altho they told me it wouldn't. I got rid of it posthaste!

[lorilei]

luv2cook -

Corian /will/ scratch, but can be easily fixed with a bit of steel wool or fine-grain sandpaper. The beauty of Corian countertops (or boards) is that they'll take a ton of abuse, but can be brought back to their original beauty in a flick of the wrist. They also will never stain -- which is a great feature.

To be fair, any surface used for cutting will dull a knife -- Corian may dull them a bit quicker, but this versatile surface is certainly worth a bit of "sharpening time"!

[Binny]

I've seen Corian cutting board in the department stores. I don't know anything about them or how one would maintain them (handwashing or dishwasher safe?). Has anyone used one?

[emilycat]

My mom has Corian counter tops, and 3 cutting board/hot plates that came with. I love to use them when I visit...we always hand-wash them.

I've never seen them available in stores; I would imagine they'd be pretty pricey, though...do you know how much the ones you saw were? I'd love to buy one.

Emily

[Beth]

I have a Corian cutting board that was a cut out from my mom's sink. It scratches, stains, and probably isn't too good on the knives. We pull out the wooden boards a lot, but the Corain one is large enough to cover the "grill" space in our dying cooktop. We use it to give us a work space there, but it will probably go when the cooktop is replaced.

I heard Sara Moulton the other day. I can't remember how she phrased it, but she was saying that they have learned that bacteria is not the problem on wood that was earlier thought. After a few minutes, the bacteria is dead or gone.