Cutting boards - Chopping boards

Cooking and preparing food is an activity that requires the use of several types of utensils and accessories. On top of the list, we find the kitchen knives as the most important and essential tools. However, there are other accessories that every cook needs to have in the kitchen. Just to mention a few: knife sharpeners, spatulas, knife blocks, scissors, and the list goes on and on. Although they are often thought as secondary items, they are actually very important for ensuring a proper preparation of food.

The types of accessories that you'll find in a kitchen will depend on the type of job done in that kitchen. For instance, it is normal to find cake moulds in a baker's kitchen but not so obvious to find them at a butcher's kitchen. Likewise, you would expect to find meat hooks in a butcher's kitchen but probably not in home cook's kitchen. However, there is one type of kitchen accessory that is useful and essential for any type of cook: the cutting board. 

Ideal for the safe use of your kitchen knives, cutting boards are the perfect work surface to prepare food. The usage of a cutting board is beneficial not only for your kitchen knives but also for the care of your worktop and your food ingredients. They come in several designs, sizes, and materials. Because the variety of cutting boards (they could also be known as chopping boards) is big, we have decided to explain you all the main specific things that you need to know about them so that you can choose the perfect one for you.

The main characteristics of a cutting board

When you take a look at the great number cutting boards available here at MyChefKnives, it is normal that you might ask yourself "but which one should I get?" Well, you might simply go by instinct and choose the one that looks the most beautiful, but there three main characteristics that you should take into consideration before choosing your cutting board: the size, the material, and the style.

The size of a cutting board:

The list of options is truly extensive. You can find cutting boards of all sizes. Small, medium, large, thick, thin... you decide. In average, a standard cutting board usually has the dimensions of 30 x 20 centimeters and has a thickness of 1 to 2 centimeters. However, the ideal size for you will depend on how you plan to use it and what you plan to cut on it. Have in mind that the size is not only important for when you cut your food but also for storing the cutting board once you stop using it. 

If you are a home cook who is looking to get a cutting board where you could cut mostly fruits, vegetables, and herbs, then you could choose a standard sized cutting board or even smaller. After all, for preparing meals at home, you usually do not need a very big work surface to cut your ingredients. On the other hand, if you frequently deal with big pieces of meat, we recommend you to get a bigger and thicker cutting board. This is because working with meat usually requires a bigger work surface and some of the types of knives used when preparing meat (for example: a cleaver) are more robust thus they require robust cutting boards, too. Additional tip: choose a cutting board with juice groove so that the juices of the meat can be drained out of the main surface.

The material of a cutting board:

Here again, your choices are varied. There are cutting boards of several different types of materials, but to make it easier for you, we will describe the 3 more common ones:

- Synthetic / polymer / plastic cutting boards: this type of cutting boards is perfect for professional use. You'll find them in restaurants and in butcher shops because they are resistant and hygienic. They are very easy to wash and maintain, which is something highly appreciated in professional kitchens. The perks of this material is that it is rigid, resistant, and it can be sterilized, thus ensuring better anti-bacterial properties. These cutting boards are also popular because they usually cost less than the others. However, it must be said that this type of boards must be changed more frequently, because they can damaged easier with the traces of the knives' cuts.

- Wooden cutting boards: when you think of a kitchen cutting board, your first mental picture probably involved a board made of wood. That's normal because the market is full of wooden cutting boards! You can find cutting boards made from several different types of wood: bamboo, beech, teak, hinoki, walnut, olive... and regardless of which type of wood you prefer, the veining of the board will always be original. 

These cutting boards are undoubtedly beautiful and stylish. Their rustic look fits in both traditional and contemporary kitchens. Besides of its aesthetic advantages, wood is a durable material that last for long time. Since it is less rigid than plastic, this material is more friendly for your knives' blades, because the steel will remain well-preserved. However, wooden cutting boards require a more careful maintenance which involves avoiding a prolonged contact with water to avoid deformations in the wood.

The style of a cutting board:

Of course, if the cutting board has the perfect size and it is made from the perfect material but it is not good-looking, then you probably would not buy it, and we absolutely understand it. That is why here at MyChefKnives you can find cutting boards with several different styles and designs so that everyone can find the perfect cutting board for his or her preferences. We obviously cannot tell you which style is the best because that is a subjective topic, but what we can do is to give you a brief explanation of the different types of cutting boards' styles that you can find out there.

One thing that can define the style of a cutting board is its shape. You can find standard rectangular boards as well you can find boards with handles. In general, the most stylish cutting boards are usually the ones made of wood, because wood itself is a material with its own cachet (let's say is a noble class material). Some plastic and glass cutting boards also show creative patterns on their surface, which you might find suitable for your kitchen's decoration!

Quick tips on the usage of cutting boards

Now that you know what are the main characteristics to take into consideration when choosing a cutting board, we want to finish by giving some small and quick tips on how to use a cutting board. Yes, we know it might sound "dumb" to think of advice on how to use a cutting board (you are right, it is not rocket science), but we invite you to just have a quick look at the tips below and we hope you'll find them useful ;)

- Use it when...

... when you prepare and cut food. Yes. That's very obvious, However, a cutting board could be more than a simple work surface for cutting food. In fact, a beautiful cutting board could also make an original presentation tray! Imagine you host a party or a meeting at your house and you need something where you can put your snacks so that everyone can take a piece. Your cutting board could be a creative solution!

- For safety...

... make sure your cutting board remains still while using it. Some cutting boards come equipped with silicone feet that are non-slip so that the board doesn't slide across your worktop causing accidents. However, if your cutting board has not feet, you could use a wet (not soaking wet!) cloth and place it between your cutting board and the worktop. This will reduce of your cutting board moving or wobbling while you prepare your food.

- Finally...

... do not abuse and mistreat your cutting board! It is true that a cutting board is meant to be the ideal surface for performing your cuts, but that should not mean that you should cut with excessive strength. That would damage the surface of the board, and a surface with cut traces will force you to buy a new cutting board. Why? Because the those cut traces create the perfect space for bacteria to proliferate, and we are sure you do not want that, especially in an accessory used for food preparation.