Chopping boards are an integral part of any kitchen - be it a professional working space or in the comfort of your own home. But they are often an afterthought when you’re buying kitchen appliances and tools.
When you consider that you’ll probably be using a chopping board every day and it comes into contact with every single ingredient you’re working with, it makes sense to invest both time and money to get the right board.
Choosing the most appropriate chopping board can become a challenge - there’s such a wide variety on offer, it’s easy to get confused or overwhelmed in the store.
Wooden chopping boards are the most common in home kitchens, but can absorb juices and odours.
In professional kitchens, chefs primarily use plastic colour-coded chopping boards to eliminate the potential for cross-contamination.
Fortunately, colour-coded chopping boards are now readily available to streamline the cooking experience for everyone
- A red chopping board is used for high-risk foods including chicken and other raw meats. Salmonella is the biggest concern
- A blue chopping board is used for the preparation of raw fish
- A white chopping board is used for dairy products, such as the cutting or grating of cheeses
- A yellow chopping board is used for the preparation of cooked meats
- A brown chopping board is used for the preparation of vegetables, specifically root vegetables
- A green chopping board is used for the preparation of fruits such as cucumbers and apples
- A purple chopping board is for the preparation of nuts. This helps to prevent allergy cross-contamination
Take some time to buy the right chopping board. Pexels Interestingly, in the late 1980s, it was discovered that wooden chopping boards are able to resist bacteria better than plastic chopping boards. Plastic boards are easier to sanitise, but working on them leaves cuts and grooves in which bacteria can hide.
Wooden chopping boards
- Wood is harder to sanitise, but it’s also tougher in general.
- In my experience, laminated wooden boards are not usually dishwasher-safe and are therefore more difficult to clean thoroughly.
- The kitchen rule of thumb is to replace your wooden chopping board if it is cracked, scored, or if the seams between the boards begin to separate.
- Never submerge wooden chopping boards under water.
- They are highly water-absorbent, and this causes them to warp and crack as they dry on your dish rack.
- You’ll also create pools of water in the grooves of your board that won’t dry easily and becomes the perfect place for bacteria to multiply.
In conclusion, it’s possible to use any colour chopping board, as long as it is properly cleaned and disinfected before it is used for another ingredient.