Chopping board - Wood VS Glass VS Plastic

[xsquared]

We have always used wooden chopping boards, but somehow them are in dire need of replacing.

I thought that wood were meant to be the most hygienic option, but it makes sense that with its porosity, it makes them.mire susceptible to harbouring bacteria and mold growth. Also, the more you wash them, the wetter they get and they buckle over time.

So, if you use a non wooden one, which type do you use? I'm not going to spend a fortune on one but I would like one that's durable.

I dont understand how a wood board gets mouldy?

Also to answer a question above, I dont cut raw meat on the chopping board, I do it on a plate or with scissors above the pan

As others have said - just hot water, fairy liquid and a good scrub. Mine has never gone mouldy; in fact, the only time a wooden tool has gone mouldy in my experience is if it's been sat in water for a long period.

Easily avoided by not leaving it sat in water for a long period.

Re strong smells: you can sprinkle some coarse salt on the board and scrub it with half a lemon. I do have three boards on rotation for different foods and one of them is garlic-only.

Yes, mold in the cracked bit.

It won't crack if you don't leave it in water.

Too late for that.

Buy a new one and don't leave it sat in water?

This. Provided you wash the chopping board in hot soapy water, no need to worry about bacteria.

The reason why I started this thread.

Wooden every time. I ditched our plastic ones years ago after I'd had them years but we started getting tiny bits of plastic coating our food from where it had degraded over time.

Glass or marble will just ruin your knives and make them blunt much more quickly.

Wood is naturally hygeinic. Don't soak it in water, just give it a good scrub with hot water and washing up liquid and it will be fine. I oil ours every few months (literally just rub some sunflower oil into the wood with a cloth) and they are great.

I wash our wooden chopping boards after use in hot soapy water (fairy liquid) and leave to air dry on the drainer.

Done this for decades. Never had mould! Replace them when / if they get tatty. Sometimes use them as serving platters too.

Going against the grain, I’ve got some plastic chopping boards bought years ago in Sainsbury’s. They are evidently very durable and go in the dishwasher.

Thanks for all your responses. My preference is for wooden over plastic for the reasons already mentioned.

We have a glass one left by the previous occupant, but it was clear why they had left it!

Re mold issue, I generally do try to just use a damp cloth from hot soapy water, and let it air dry. If someone else washes up however, they submerge it in the washing up water and leave it to drain on the dryer
I think that's the main thing that contributed to its demise. It is also rather old however, that I'm too embarrassed to mention its age here!

Thank you everyone re your washing a wooden chopping board advice

I’m going to buy myself a couple

I’m fed up of my plastic ones and I want to replace a couple anyway I’ve decided

I have both wooden and plastic cutting boards (only two of a set of four -- the Joseph Joseph ones), and use them interchangeably. Glass is a complete no-no because of blunting the knives. Plastic boards for meat and fish and garlic, and then into the dishwasher. Wooden boards wiped, rinsed in hot water, with Fairy Liquid and dried.

It is also rather old however, that I'm too embarrassed to mention its age here

My wooden bread board is in daily use and it belonged to my grandmother. She died 35 years ago! My dad thinks she bought in in the 1940s.

I have plastic/wood no glass but I use stainless steel ones most, I know they blunt the knives but sure I just sharpen them again! I have a very large stainless steel one that slips over the counter edge so it's very handy, It is the most hygienic I think especially for meat type things. I do have a wooden one I use for cooked roasts as it has spikes to hold the meat and a channel to gather juices. Have a few plastic too but dont use them as much anymore, have a particular one for garlic and onions mainly.

I find its hard to find a wooden board these days that isnt some bamboo put together thing that falls apart after a while.

I only have one solid board left, the others are bamboo

As a chef I go plastic with a separate coloured one for raw meat as we would at work.
Too many scratches they get binned and replaced.
I do have a couple of wooden boards for display or bread purposes.

@xsquared don’t be afraid to mention the age of your board. I mentioned still using one that’s 127 years old. My other boards are 40 and about 35 years old. I’m looking forward to getting my hot little hands in my mother’s board one day, too.

We use a wooden chopping board for everything except meat and fish (plastic). It gets washed with hot water in the sink. Better quality ones won’t fall apart but they are hard to find now. Our two last ones were IKEA, each lasted over 10 years. The previous one did get a bit of dirt in a split but it was regularly cleaned.

The replacement I just bought is from Procook, real beechwood, large sections, it’s great. https://www.procook.co.uk/product/long-grain-chopping-board-45-x-30cm-1

Lemon juice and salt.

100% wood. for all the knife/control reasons mentioned above.

But you do need to look after it. Never leave it soaking in water. - Ours gets put behind the tap to drain and sometimes water builds up there so I have to be careful to go over it and wipe it down/soap up the water as otherwise it can start to look mouldy on the side which is in the water.

I clean mine with cloths and soapy water, then dry with a hand towel and leave to airdry. Occassionally I like to oil them -- but don't do it as often as I should. My every day one was made my a friend as a gift for my birthday 10 years ago. I use it every single day and it's still going strong, but I concede that more frequent oiling would probably have it looking and feeling even better!!!

@Lavendersong It's really important to wipe down and clean the board promptly. I can sometimes give it a good wipe down twice or even three times just while preparing one meal. I use washing up soap to give it a good scrub at the end of the evening. You do need the soap to get rid of any bacteria etc.

I don’t even bother with à chopping board nowadays. I just use a plate. Knives just get sharpened when they need it.

Doesn’t the noise of metal banging into ceramic bother you?

Maybe I’m too sensitive! Or chop too hard…

Me too.