Non plastic chopping boards

We have a set of bamboo chopping boards that were a new home present 38 years ago and they are still as good as new.
I use them every day.I also have two melamine boards that were my MIL,s probably over 40 years old

Ours is wooden, scrubbed in the sink after use.

I have a stainless steel one after looking at my very worn scratched plastic ones which are now in the bin.

I use a black marble one. I think it was originally a table mat from somewhere like Home Bargains. It's about A4 size and big enough for what I need. I just wash it in the sink. Prior to that I used an old white marble cheese board base. Unfortunately, I dropped it and it broke in half, hence the table mat. I don't know whether you can get actual marble chopping boards.

To me, the plastic ones look terrible when they are all scratched - very unhygenic!

The noise of the knife on a glass one sets my teeth on edge.

Not sure about wooden boards.

My friend has just had a new kitchen with a solid oak worktop. She has bought a large stainless steel cutting board. It has a lip that goes over the edge of the worktop

I got some from Amazon because I got fed up with washing them up and I was looking for some I could put in the dishwasher. They are made of rice husks, vegan, plastic free. However, I just looked at them again and they are not available at present. I've had them 5 years now and they are still fine, despite almost daily dishwasher treatment. Sorry if this link is in German

amzn.eu/d/04gFLZTB

Squiffy

I believe wood is naturally antiseptic/antimicrobial. Not sure if that last indefinitely??

I’ve just found this research carried out in Wisconsin,

Although plastic chopping boards have a nonporous surface when new, many of the cheaper boards can scar quite easily when used with sharp cutting implements. With regular use, the damage accumulates over time and creates a rough surface that can become awkward to clean regardless of whether the board is soaked, cleaned manually with hot running water or placed in dishwasher using bleach and detergents. Of course, high-end plastic cutting boards are not as susceptible to such damage in everyday use.

The tests results indicate that the surface of a wooden board will actually stop dangerous bacteria from multiplying and the germs simply die out after a period of about three minutes. Following the experiment, the scientists at the University of Wisconsin found that 99.9% of the bacteria placed on the wooden chopping boards had died out completely within minutes whereas some of the cheaper plastic boards had very little effect in terms of killing dangerous microbes.

After being left overnight in normal room temperature conditions, the wooden chopping boards had no living bacteria left on them at all. Although the researchers were unable to identify how or why the wood cutting boards were able to kill off the bacteria – it really does seem that wood does have antibacterial properties after all.

Squiffy
Thank you for that. There’s only one explanation: nature knows best.

You’re welcome, Petra. Mother Nature/Mother Earth ‘products’ often offer safer options!

I think the one I use is made of melamine, but they do not seem to sell them now. Cleaned after every use.

My wooden chopping board must be forty years old Son bought it for me. It replaced my Nana”s old one

I have a wooden butchers block & 3 smaller wooden chopping boards.
I don't put them in the dishwasher, but my knives definitely stay sharper, longer than when I used a glass one.

Like a pp, I hate the sound and feel of a knife on a glass board, and IMO a stainless steel one would be different, but just as bad.

I'm another with only wood.
I scrub after each use.
Two boards are inherited - and one I know has been in daily use for 70 years. It's got a dent in the centre now on one side so generally I chop on the other!

I have a couple made from olive wood from tkmax for my bread.
Still use plastic colour coded ones for meat, fish & veg.

Witzend

Like a pp, I hate the sound and feel of a knife on a glass board, and IMO a stainless steel one would be different, but just as bad.

Glass blunts your knives. Don’t know about steel.

Wood. I wash it regularly. Never had a problem. Ndver used plastic etc.

Interesting article in DM on cutting boards today. Using plastic boards the average person swallows up to 50g of microplastics p.a. Wooden and bamboo boards are porous and hold bacteria such as e coli. Also bamboo is glued together with adhesives containing such niceties as formaldehyde. The drawbacks of glass are they damage knives, are slippery and noisy. So what’s the answer? So ok this was an advertorial article but seemed to be scientifically backed. The answer is apparently titanium metal board which actually sharpens knives. It is used in medical implants so should be safe for humans. Obvs the article recommends one particular make but do have a read of the article in today’s DM. I’m sorry I can’t post it but of course I read it following this posting.

I have always understood that wooden ones were best.
Plastic ones never appealed, but then I’ve had my wooden one for over forty years and it’s still going strong!

I've just spent a half an hour looking at this.
The wooden ones (especially those which are cut so that the wood fibers are upwards rather than across) are "best of both worlds".

I have read too many papers now but the other good option is genuine rubber.

The stainless, granite etc are bad for knives and then we ingest that apparently.

Plastic types are the worst in terms of what we eat and harbouring bacteria

I use the toughened glass ones and have a selection of various sizes. They don’t scratch, don’t hold bacteria and never get a strong odour ingrained into them like wood and plastic. Personally, I wouldn’t have anything else in the house now and if I see friends using alternatives I simply avoid eating what they’ve prepared. Might be a bit OTT but I have a choice

How on earth have many of us survived all these years using wooden chopping boards I have watched my local butcher scrubbing down with salt He even has sawdust on the floor in his back room

I just use a Dinner Plate or Tea Plate to peel, chop or slice anything, so its just another plate to wash, easy peasy, but then I am more of a pierce and ping sort of ‘cook’.

I use wooden ones and clean with soap and water once a week use salt and lemon juice and rinse with hot water.

Seems the general consensus is wood!
I do have a wooden one but have never liked cutting meat on it.
Maybe I need to re think this!
Thanks everyone

I’ve got plastic ones and wooden ones. I put the plastic ones in the dishwasher and give the wooden ones a good scrub. Been using both for years, and, touchwood, I’m still here 🤣.

I suppose, thinking about it, butchers blocks are wooden, and get used daily and are probably get scrubbed down regularly, so I guess wooden ones are really the best.