Easy Health Tip #13: Got Wood?
August 4, 2006 by Liz Lewis
Filed under Easy Health Tips, How To, Misc., Prevention
Many people think that plastic is a better material for cutting boards because of bacterial concerns. Shinanigans.
A wood board will keep your knives sharper; a sharp knife is a safe knife becasue it’s less likely to slip and if you do cut yourself it will be a clean cut and heal quickly. Dull knives tear. And it is much nicer to look at in the kitchen.
Plastic boards are more easily grooved by knives, and those grooves are like little condos for gross microbes your G.I tract would rather not fight with. Whereas a wood board pulls the bacteria into it, leaving the first 1/8″ of the outside of the board bacteria free (even in grooves), since it’s too dry for them to thrive there.
Here’s how to keep your wood cutting board clean on the inside too: Throw it in the microwave for 30 seconds. It is now 100% bacteria free.
[tags] wood, plastic, cutting, board, kitchen, gadget, gear, cleaning, knife [/tags]
That is a snazzy little tip right there.
Actually nothing dulls your knives faster than a wood cutting board. as for plastic cutting boards if you can smell the bacteria its safe to use.
Chef Andre spake thusly:
“… if you can smell the bacteria, it’s safe to use.”
Reminds me of a sig line I saw once on someone’s email: “Red meat isn’t bad for you. Fuzzy blue-green meat, now /that’s/ bad for you.”