Changed my mind about plastic cutting boards after a chef friend showed me the knife marks

He pointed out all those grooves holding bacteria and said wood actually seals itself shut, so I swapped mine out for a maple board last week and now I'm wondering if anyone else got the same lecture from someone in food service.

3 comments

3 Comments

phoenixw111mo ago

Funny timing on this, I actually just read something about bamboo boards being a middle ground that a lot of people don't talk about. They're harder than wood so they don't gouge up as easy, but they're still natural and supposedly have some antimicrobial properties. Not sure how much I buy into that part, but it got me thinking about what else I might be missing in my kitchen. Your chef friend is right about the bacteria thing though, I remember seeing a study where they compared old plastic boards to wood ones and the wood ones had way less live bacteria on them after a while. I might have to make the switch too, my plastic board is looking pretty rough.

kim.jake1mo ago

Gotta disagree hard here. @phoenixw11, I've actually seen studies that show plastic boards are way easier to sanitize than wood if you just throw them in the dishwasher. Wood is porous even if it "self seals," and those claims about antimicrobial properties are overblown. Plus plastic is cheap and disposable when it gets too torn up, I swap mine out every couple months and it costs like nothing. Wood boards are nice for photos but they warp and crack and then you're stuck with a pricey cutting surface that's ruined.

wilson.joseph1mo ago

I have a buddy who got really into wood cutting boards a few years back. He spent like 200 bucks on this fancy end grain maple board, took a photo for Instagram, and then left it in the sink overnight once. Warped so bad it looked like a potato chip. He still uses it but now all his veggies roll off one side. I just use the same thin plastic board I bought for 8 bucks at a restaurant supply store, it's got knife grooves deep enough you could file your taxes with them, but it's never let me down.