Sunday, July 24, 2011

Cutting Boards

So I got this article to write on cutting boards. You know the kind I'm talking about, the big old chunk of wood boards that were popular in kitchens right up until some hippy schmuck decided they were "unsanitary" and harder to clean. I admit I fell right into this like a good little follower when I was outfitting my own kitchen, and opted for one of those fancy acrylic boards instead. I even had a glass cutting board at one time which in retrospect seems a little... well, odd.

In the process of researching this article I found out some things that made me remember fondly my mothers old cutting board and what a staple it was in our kitchen as I was growing up.
First of all, I found research had indicated that the USDA has never really said to not use wood boards. They do however, recommend close-grain wood boards (and maple especially) up there with the acrylic boards. Interestingly enough, glass boards were not recommended at all by the majority of the experts due to the danger of breakage. 

Wood boards can be made of a variety of close-grain wood, including bamboo and many times you find them with interesting patterns in the wood grain and color, making them true folk art pieces. As a matter of kitchen decorations, I think I might have to start looking for old boards, but I'm betting I won't find many that are older or unique simply because they last forever and people don't tend to get rid of them!

So the USDA has said that wood boards are actually ok?  COOL! Because I found out some other things as well. Edge-grain boards are very durable and strong. Think of some old mountain man (or woman!) chopping wood on a tree stump.

I realize this may be a stretch for some of you city folks, but work with me here, 'k?

The tree stump, if you look at it straight down, is the "edge grain" of the tree, the strongest side of the wood. Hence why it works so well, and is so long lasting, for things like chopping wood. For that matter, I don't care how excited you are about chopping potatoes, unless you are cutting them up with an AXE you will be fine with a good quality, edge grain cutting board.

Another thing I realized, that I guess I already knew but had forgotten, was that natural wood is self-healing to some degree. This means that with time those little cuts and nicks that occur naturally in the course of every day use, will close up on their own. They may leave a mark, but in truth this just gives the board some character.

Apparently there is a proper way to care for and maintain a cutting board. Treating it with a mixture of 10 parts mineral oil to 1 part paraffin will keep the wood from drying out naturally. Wood being very porous will soak moisture and then dry out, which expands and shrinks the wood. This loosens the binding and can greatly cut down on the useful life of a board. A rule of thumb is a new board should be oiled once a day for a week, once a week for a month and once a month forever. All sides of the board should be liberally coated.

Reading this I was reminded of my mother's old cutting board, a big old chunk of wood very much like the one pictured here, that we used the entire time I was a kid at home.  I don't remember ever oiling it, but I do remember that it was soft to the touch, honed by years of use. It had old battle wounds and to my memory, was a platform for cutting everything from vegetables from the garden, to chicken meat, to whatever us kids decided to mutilate on it. Washing it was dunking it in water (strictly preached against) and drying it was wiping it off and putting it back under the cabinet. Thinking about it, I'm sure the lab rats would have a FIELD DAY with locating all the different bacteria found on that old board, but in truth... we were a healthy bunch and I have to think if it harbored that many germs we'd have all been dead from the bubonic plague or something similarly nasty.

To this day it stands proudly on the counter on it's little feet, and my mother uses it regularly. It is still heavy and strong, still thick and soft, still carries old battle scars from ages ago and frankly, I'm kind of looking forward to seeing it again. It's one of those things from childhood that just sticks in your memories I suppose.

Doing a quick search this morning brought me to Arizona Wood Crafts that does some beautiful boards, as well as Cutting Boards, Etc which feature some really neat designs as well. Actually, a site like The Maple Cutting Board Gallery could get me really excited about collecting these boards. They are exquisite!!  Who would have known that a simple chunk of wood could be so beautiful and so functional at the same time. I am really looking forward to finding a great piece or two for my own kitchen and am sure I will enjoy the search.

And Mom? Don't get rid of the old cutting board either.. I have a feeling it's going to become an heirloom piece.





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