A chopping board is a durable board that can be used to keep material on to be cut. The most common kind is that of the kitchen cutting board that is used to prepare food. But there are other types of chopping boards that are used for cutting raw materials such as leather or plastic. The chopping boards used in the kitchen are mostly made of either glass, wood or plastic. There are also chopping boards made out of other materials such as glass, steel, marble or corian. These are those which can be cleaned more easily than those made of wood or plastic. But these boards tend to damage knives. Irrespective of the material, regular maintenance of a cutting board is very much needed. In choosing the material of the cutting surface, there are many advantages and disadvantages. This primarily depends on the usage.
The wooden chopping board does have some positive aspects over the plastic ones in that wood is self healing. The shallow cuts in the wood will conceal on their own. Besides wood also possesses natural anti-septic properties. The hardwoods which have compactly grained wood and small pores are perfect for wooden cutting boards. Proper hardness and tight grain aids in the reduction of scoring of the cutting surface. It also helps with the incorporation of liquid and dirt into the surface. For instance, red oak, even though it is a hardwood, has large pores. This makes it preserve dirt, even after cleaning. Thus this makes red oak a poor choice for the material of a chopping board.
The tight grains and natural colouration of teak make it an immensely popular material for chopping board. This is appropriate in terms of both aesthetic and robustness purposes. The existence of natural oils in this tropical hardwood allow it to keep away moisture and warping and microbes. Wooden boards require extreme care using mineral oil to cast aside warping. They must also not be left in puddles of liquid. Attention must be paid when selecting wood, especially tropical hardwood. The reason behind this is that some of the species bear toxins and allergens. In spite of technically being a grass, laminated strips of bamboo also make an attractive and tough cutting board material.
Hygiene of chopping boards is a very gentle process. The reason is because bacteria can reside in the slots that are produced as a result of cutting, or in the liquids left on the board. So, many times it is asked to cut raw meat, poultry and fish on different chopping boards from vegetables or other foods, these are commonly called colour coded chopping boards A very dilute bleach solution is the best remedy for cleaning chopping boards of all types.
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