Butchers block / chopping boards...

Butchers block / chopping boards...

Author
Discussion

Luca Brazzi

Original Poster:

3,974 posts

264 months

Thursday 17th July 2014
quotequote all
Having enjoyed reading the thread on "Japanese 'folded' kitchen knives", saw some folks with the thick wooden chopping boards. Are they all the same in terms of hardness, durability etc...and do you use them for meat as well as veg etc etc.



I've got decent plastic boards which don't damage the knives and dishwasher safe.

Question, stick with what I have, or look at the heavy wooden options....key is the requirement to not slip across a surface :-)

Thanks

22s

6,337 posts

215 months

Thursday 17th July 2014
quotequote all
No they're not all the same. I have a TG wooden board which is excellent, and a standard no-name wooden board which is not. The TG has a really smooth surface, so the knife just glides across it, whereas the no-name seems to have a surface where the knife digs in a bit, making for a less smooth chopping experience.

Re: what to use it for - everything. Meat, fish, veg, herbs, etc, etc.

Apparently wood has natural anti-bacterial properties, and I'd also rather have tiny bits of wood in my food, than tiny bits of plastic.

Also in terms of dishwasher safe, I wouldn't put a wooden board in there - but it takes about 5 seconds to wipe down with a sponge and washing up liquid.

Juicetin1

599 posts

189 months

Thursday 17th July 2014
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We haven't had much luck with wooden chopping boards, we must have had 5 or 6 and they've all warped badly. The last one we bought was exactly like the one in your picture, from John Lewis, cost about £50 and after a month it warped and started to split at the ends, like it had become un-glued. Took it back and got a refund. We only ever wiped it down with a damp cloth too.

LordHaveMurci

12,034 posts

168 months

Thursday 17th July 2014
quotequote all
Bought a wooden one from Debenhams many years ago, still in daily use & apart from the inevitable score marks from knives it's in great condition.

Recently bought the OH a set of Joseph Joseph plastic ones in a nice stand, all colour coded for different uses. She loves them, I stick with the wooden one & never use them.

smack

9,727 posts

190 months

Thursday 17th July 2014
quotequote all
22s said:
No they're not all the same. I have a TG wooden board which is excellent, and a standard no-name wooden board which is not. The TG has a really smooth surface, so the knife just glides across it, whereas the no-name seems to have a surface where the knife digs in a bit, making for a less smooth chopping experience.
Have the same, although of over 10 years of daily use, it is massively concaved (which I am proud of!).

Luca Brazzi

Original Poster:

3,974 posts

264 months

Thursday 17th July 2014
quotequote all
Great stuff. Thanks for the really useful feedback. Saw a TG one on Amazon and may well get that one.

Cheers all.

Tickle

4,879 posts

203 months

Thursday 17th July 2014
quotequote all
Had the kitchen fitter make me one with left over oak from the work tops. 5 years on and it looks great, looks better a little worn and battle scared. Every now and again I will scrub it thoroughly and give it a coat of olive oil.

soad

32,825 posts

175 months

Thursday 17th July 2014
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Neither, you want a glass one. hehe

jep

1,183 posts

208 months

Friday 18th July 2014
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Sod off Soad, there's no room for you and your fancy glass chopping boards here! wink

I made both mine and my brothers boards from leftover kitchen worktops. His has the slightly modified juice catcher, (and is slightly bigger) whereas mine was my first attempt. Both sides can be used, just whether you can be bothered turning them!



Mine is squarer, and to keep them in good condition, they just need a bit of oil every now and then.


pad58

12,543 posts

180 months

Friday 18th July 2014
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I had this one.

soad

32,825 posts

175 months

Friday 18th July 2014
quotequote all
pad58 said:


I had this one.
Makes it easy to guess your profession, Mr Butcher.

pad58

12,543 posts

180 months

Friday 18th July 2014
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HAD pass tense, retired from the meat after 40 years.

RizzoTheRat

25,083 posts

191 months

Friday 18th July 2014
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I've got a section of wooden worktop (the put cut out for the sink in a friends kitchen) about 50mm thick. Must be 4 or 5 years old now, it could do with oiling again but it's lasting well.

JABB

3,583 posts

235 months

Tuesday 22nd July 2014
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I have a wonderful board from my Grandfather who was a master butcher. I love it, and love the fact he used it for his trade.
I also have plastic ones, but wood does have natural anti - bacterial properties which plastic doesn't without treatment.
I have always been led to believe end grain however is best for knives, hence the butchers block is usually end grain lumps bound with iron

RichB

51,429 posts

283 months

Tuesday 22nd July 2014
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pad58 said:


I had this one.
Shouldn't that have a wooden knife rack/back board dropped down the back?

It was after school job to clean up in a butchers mid-week. Blocks, knives, meat trays, stick in signs, plastic parsley and sweep up the saw dust biggrin

oilslick

901 posts

185 months

Tuesday 22nd July 2014
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Luca Brazzi said:
Key is the requirement to not slip across a surface :-)
Two wet pieces of kitchen roll underneath, job jobbed smile

Trax

1,527 posts

231 months

Tuesday 23rd September 2014
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To those who made their own, what oil did you use to treat it?

I have made a couple from 50mm oak worktop left over from our kitchen, sanded all nice and smooth as a babies bottom, but need to treat. Read that your not supposed to use normal oil, I.e. Olive oil, as it goes off. What do others use?

Also, how to clean? Is a wipe down good enough for raw meat?

jep

1,183 posts

208 months

Tuesday 23rd September 2014
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This from IKEA. £4.25 for 500ml.

I wash mine as I would any other hard surface, but re-treat with oil if using a disinfectant.

Tickle

4,879 posts

203 months

Tuesday 23rd September 2014
quotequote all
Trax said:
To those who made their own, what oil did you use to treat it?

I have made a couple from 50mm oak worktop left over from our kitchen, sanded all nice and smooth as a babies bottom, but need to treat. Read that your not supposed to use normal oil, I.e. Olive oil, as it goes off. What do others use?

Also, how to clean? Is a wipe down good enough for raw meat?
I have used olive oil on mine for the past 5 years, never had any issues.

However I don't cut fish on it I have separate boards for fish. I do use it most days for meat though.

Every now and again I will give it a good scrub and re-oil it. For day to day wiping I just normal fairy liquid and a wipe over with anti-bacterial spray.

Looks better now with a good few years of use too.

Mobile Chicane

20,735 posts

211 months

Tuesday 23rd September 2014
quotequote all
Boggo plastic here.

Separate board for meat/fish and another which is only ever used for vegetables.

The thought of chopping everything on one board - as many people do - fills me with horror.