Cutting Board Controversy

Plastic cutting boards: still safer than wood.

Photo © U.S. Dept. of AgricultureA thoughtful reader kindly sent me a fascinating article on cutting boards. Originally published in the Feb. 6, 1993 edition of Science News, the article describes research claiming that wooden cutting boards possess some sort of bacteria-killing properties, thus making them less likely to contaminate food than plastic or acrylic cutting boards. "Pathogens prefer plastic," the article declares.

Fifteen years later, however, experts are still recommending nonporous plastic cutting boards, and local health departments continue to prohibit the use of wooden cutting boards in commercial foodservice.

So what happened? A careful reading of the article reveals the disconnect between what the researchers observed and the conclusions they drew from those observations. It's a great example of why it's never a good idea to let someone else do your thinking for you — because scientists make mistakes just like anyone else.

The claim was based on an experiment in which wooden cutting boards were infected with common food-borne pathogens and then allowed to sit overnight. The next morning, researchers found that "99.9 percent of the bacteria were unrecoverable and presumed dead."

Presumed dead? That's quite a leap, especially when, by the researchers' own admission, "We've not recovered the little critters' dead bodies." They did allow for the possibility that, instead of dying, the "little critters" may have simply taken refuge within the nooks and crannies of the porous wood, where they would then be free to breed like — well, like bacteria. And since we know that bacteria can live on a cutting board for up to 60 hours, that wooden cutting board could be hosting an entire colony of pathogens by then. "As best we can tell, that isn't going to happen," one of the scientists said, though he did not specify why he didn't think it would happen.

As for what mechanism or agent might be responsible for wood's alleged antibacterial powers, the researchers admitted that they had no clue. One begins to see why this particular piece of "science" didn't exactly blow the doors off the conventional thinking on food safety.

Finally, though, the kicker: One of the microbiologists responsible for the study shares his recommended technique for cleaning wooden cutting boards: "A good wipe will do fine – and if you forget to wipe the board, you probably won't be too bad off." The entire 1993 article is available here. (My thanks to the reader who sent it to me.)

But if you want the real facts on cutting boards, check out this article on cutting boards and food safety.

Choosing a Cutting Board

There's no doubt a cutting board is an indispensable tool in the kitchen, but how do you choose the best one for your needs? Here's what you need to know about choosing a cutting board.

Size: For everyday use, buy the biggest cutting board that you can afford and for which you have counter space. Chopping tasks are so much easier when you have plenty of room on your cutting surface – it gives you not only enough space for the finished chopped veggies or fruit but also for the waste scraps. Plus, if the board's big enough, you can also push chopped ingredients to the edge and keep them there as you're prepping all of your ingredients.

You might also want one or two smaller cutting boards. A tiny one (i.e. 6 inches square) is ideal for cutting a piece of fruit for breakfast or lime wedges for drinks, and a medium-sized one is also good for smaller jobs when you don't want to haul out the larger board.

Weight: If you take my advice and buy a large cutting board, make sure that its weight is manageable. Thick wooden boards are especially heavy, which is good in that they won't slide much on the countertop, but they can be cumbersome to take out, wash and put away. If hefting a heavy board is an issue, then choose a lighter, thinner material for your largest board, such as a resin-paper composite or plastic.

Extras: Today's cutting boards aren't just boring slabs of wood; many of them have added features. These can be as basic and traditional as a channel to capture juices as you're carving a steak or a turkey, or more innovative, such as built-in prep bowls or measuring cups. Some boards even can fit right over your sink, which helps create space in a counter space-starved kitchen, and often these types of boards have colanders that fit right into the board. Features like this are great, just be sure that the bells and whistles don't infringe too much on the space of your board, and also that the features are ones you'll actually use. (For some great

How Many: So how many boards do you actually need? As I said before, it's nice to have a large board, plus one or two smaller ones. I also have a smaller board that is reserved only for cutting fruits or bread, so that I won't risk eating a piece of sliced fruit that has absorbed onion or garlic flavor that has seeped into the board. Then, of course, there are the sets of coded cutting boards or mats intended to be used for different types of foods, to avoid cross-contamination. If you are concerned about bacteria, these are a great option, and usually these types of boards are made of flexible plastic so they're lightweight and don't take up much space. Ultimately, only you will be able to determine how many boards you need, and of what sizes – just make sure that you're actually using the ones you have; if you have a size that you never use, give it away so it won't continue to take up space in your kitchen.

Cutting boards are available in a wide range of materials. Here's what you need to know about each type.

Wood

Pros: The traditional material used to make cutting boards, wood is attractive, seasons nicely, and is a gentle surface for knives. Although some believe that wooden cutting surfaces are unsanitary, studies (like one done by researchers at University of California – Davis) have shown that bacteria on wooden cutting boards is absorbed beneath the surface, where it dies without, making it unlikely that the bacteria would spread afterward (Still, you should take caution and wash a cutting board after each use – and when you're about to switch to cutting a different type of food – with hot, soapy water. You can sanitize it with a mild bleach solution of 1 teaspoon bleach per 1 quart of water).

Cons:Wood warps easily, particularly if it gets submerged in water for a length of time. Also, boards that are joined together with glue can separate or break apart. Wood absorbs odors and can scorch if something very hot is put on it. A good wooden cutting board can also be fairly expensive.

Plastic

Pros: Plastic cutting boards are inexpensive and lightweight. Plus, they're usually dishwasher-safe, which makes them a snap to clean. They're readily available in all sorts of shapes, sizes and colors.

Cons: The aforementioned UC-Davis study found that although new plastic cutting boards can be sanitized thoroughly, those that have been scarred by knives, are not as easy to keep bacteria-free because of the small, deep cut marks. Plastic boards also stain and show signs of wear easily.

Glass

Pros: Glass cutting boards often come in decorative designs.

Cons: Glass boards will dull knives quickly. What's more, the surface is so slick that knives can easily slip. Not recommended.

Bamboo

Pros: If you're concerned about the environment, bamboo is a great choice for a cutting surface because it is made from a sustainable, fast-growing resource. Bamboo does not absorb as much moisture as wood, so it won't warp, shrink or swell as much.

Cons: Bamboo is a harder surface than wood, so it could dull your knives faster.

Composite

Pros: Made of a range of materials, composite cutting boards typically combine natural materials, such as paper or wood, with synthetic materials like plastic (One example is Epicurean's recycled paper and resin cutting boards). This often gives the best of both worlds – a gentle-on-knives cutting surface that is still durable enough to go in the dishwasher.

Cons: Usually these boards are thin, so they might slide around on your work surface.

Still undecided? Check out some of the coolest cutting boards for more inspiration.

Epicurean Cutting Boards

Thin and lightweight, this cutting board is easier to wield than a heavy wooden slab.

The Epicurean line of cutting boards is taking the specialty cookware store by storm. Thin and sleek, these boards promise to be dishwasher safe, environmentally friendly and knife friendly. I decided to give them a test run to see how they measured up to their claims.

I decided to test the largest size (17 by 14 inches) of the recycled line, which is made of a composite of recycled cardboard and resin. The board is only about half an inch thin, which means it's lighter to lift and carry than most wooden boards, and is also easier to store than thicker boards; unfortunately the lightness also means that it can slide on the counter. Anchoring it with a damp dishtowel can solve this problem. The company claims the board is knife-friendly, meaning that the surface has enough "give" to keep a knife from dulling quickly. Wood, of course, is the most forgiving cutting surface for a knife blade. The board felt brittle beneath my knife, loudly clicking under the knife strokes, a sound I associate with cutting on surfaces like plastic. But over the course of a couple of weeks of use, I didn't notice any significant dulling of my cutlery. What's more, the board started showing scratches from the knife. While this detracted from the beauty of the board, it did show me that the surface is softer than I thought, thus good for my knife's blade.

Water seems to bead up on the epicurean board, making it easy to wipe clean between tasks. But best yet, at the end of your cooking session, you can throw the whole thing in the dishwasher.

The company claims that all Epicurean Cutting Surfaces are stain- and heat-resistant. Besides the recycled line, the company has several other product lines that boast everything from juice grooves to storage cups for sauces to gripper corners.

The 17x14 inch Recycled Epicurean Cutting Board sells for around $35.

Color-Coded Cutting Boards

One of the most common causes of food-related illness (a.k.a food poisoning) is something called cross-contamination, or the transfer of harmful bacteria from one food product to another by way of contaminated tools, equipment or hands.

In many cases of cross-contamination, cutting boards are a prime culprit. For that reason, using separate, color-coded cutting boards for different ingredients is a great way of preventing cross-contamination.

The colors help you keep track of which cutting boards are for reserved for which types of foods, so that you're less likely to cut lettuce on the same board you just used for prepping raw poultry.

Sound complicated? Fortunately, you don't need to adopt the entire system in order to cook more safely at home. Even having one separate, distinctively colored cutting board that's reserved just for raw meat is a great idea — one that will go a long way toward minimizing your chances of a food-related illness.

Here are the different cutting board colors and their meanings:
Green: Fruits & VegetablesYellow: Raw PoultryBlue: Cooked FoodWhite: Dairy ProductsTan: Fish & SeafoodRed: Raw MeatYou can buy a complete set of color-coded cutting boards including all the colors listed above. Or you can buy the colors separately, in case you don't want the whole set. Compare prices.

Cutting Board Basics

Wondering about the best kind of cutting board to use to help avoid a food-related illness? Here's all the info you need. Nonporous surfaces like plastic or glass are easier to clean than wood and thus better in terms of food safety. Wood is naturally porous, and those tiny fissures and grooves in wooden cutting boards can harbor bacteria. Which is why cutting boards made of wood aren't allowed in commercial kitchens. That being the case, why use them at home?

As for glass cutting boards, they're just awful for your knives and aren't allowed in commercial kitchens, either. Why? Because things get dropped in kitchens, and broken glass in the soup is a real no-no.

Bottom line: Use plastic or acrylic cutting boards, not wood or glass.