Cutting board materials

[echnidna]

I want to make some cutting boards but due to the shape, timber is not suitable as crossgrain protusions are likely to get knocked off. And its not really possible to overcome this in one piece construction.

My prototype in MDF looks real good but its not waterproof.
So there are 2 questions,
Can I impregnate MDF with something to make it dishwasher proof?
Is there an alternative material?
I considered Corian but its a closed market product in Australia. If you can get it it costs an arm and a leg.


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Regards
Bob Thomas

[ubeaut]

Bob - You would be as well making it out of cardboard as mdf. This is why there are no mdf chopping boards on the market. It is definitely not suitable for this purpose.

Real wood is the best material by far for cutting boards. Clear pine is readily available, works really well and lasts for years and years.

If you have an issue with protrusions, get rid of them, they will probably be a problem in any material except plastic.

Hope this helps a little.

Cheers - Neil http://ubb.ubeaut.com.au/ubb/smile.gif

PS Chopping boards shouldn't go in the dish washer.

PPS Just out of curiosity, what sort of shape are these boards that they have protrusions? http://ubb.ubeaut.com.au/ubb/confused.gif

[ChrisH]

Hi Echidna

Yeah, go with pine.

I'm a cook and have to keep abreast with hygiene stuff, in professional kitchens you are required to have only plastic boards (despite what follows - you can't expect common sense from bureaucracies) and they must be colour-coded to each type of food (eg -red meat is red, veges is green, etc) At home I prefer to use pine as it is easier on knives and less slippery when wet, I identify my separate boards for each food by shape. (eg onions on the round board, bread on the big rectangular board, etc.) I read a few years ago a government health department in Canada wanted to ban the use of wooden boards in commercial premises as they would harbour bacteria. A laboratory was commissioned to do comparative tests of wooden and plastic boards after having been contaminated and then cleaned. Guess what? the wooden boards had no detectable live contamination, the plastic did. Even old pine that had been used and washed for years had better performance than new plastic. The testers concluded that the pine must have had some germicidal properties from the oils or resins in the wood. So give me a good old pine chopping board any day.
As ubeaut says, if the shape doesn't allow you to use wood, change the shape.

Best Wishes
Chris.

[q9]

I have read that too. Wood is naturally better and more hygenic for this purpose.