Chef knife topic got me thinking

SamFerrise · September 2012

I use UHMW plastic. Ultra High Molecular Weight. Years ago I purchased a 48" x 36" piece that was 3/4" thick. I made four different sized cutting boards that are virtually indestructible and they are easy on the edges of my good blades. I sanitize my boards with a solution of 1 part Hydrogen Peroxide to 1 part water. Peroxide is much better at killing bacteria than chlorine bleach and smells much better as well. I also have a large Boos Board for my special holiday meals.

Eggcelsior · September 2012

I have two JK Adams boards and one Boo's block. I wash the surfaces with soapy water and towel dry. I then use Boo's beeswax/MO cream on them. Good stuff.

Unless your dishwasher has a built-in heater or your house water heater is at 190, there will be no way to completely sanitize your plastic cutting board in the dishwasher. One could do a 1:10 bleach/water solution and keep the cutting board surface wet for at least 5 minutes with it. Just rinse it very well, for obvious reasons. Also, I wonder if a UV device like this would work:

http://www.amazon.com/Verilux-CleanWave-VH01WW4-UV-C-Sanitizing/dp/B0018A330K

nolaegghead · September 2012

Eggcelsior said:

I have two JK Adams boards and one Boo's block. I wash the surfaces with soapy water and towel dry. I then use Boo's beeswax/MO cream on them. Good stuff.

Unless your dishwasher has a built-in heater or your house water heater is at 190, there will be no way to completely sanitize your plastic cutting board in the dishwasher. One could do a 1:10 bleach/water solution and keep the cutting board surface wet for at least 5 minutes with it. Just rinse it very well, for obvious reasons. Also, I wonder if a UV device like this would work:
http://www.amazon.com/Verilux-CleanWave-VH01WW4-UV-C-Sanitizing/dp/B0018A330K

If your dishwasher is NSF certified, it will sterilize everything in it. Our Bosch is.

http://www.nsf.org/consumer/newsroom/fact_safer_dishwasher.asp

fishlessman · September 2012

Eggcelsior said:

I have two JK Adams boards and one Boo's block. I wash the surfaces with soapy water and towel dry. I then use Boo's beeswax/MO cream on them. Good stuff.

Unless your dishwasher has a built-in heater or your house water heater is at 190, there will be no way to completely sanitize your plastic cutting board in the dishwasher. One could do a 1:10 bleach/water solution and keep the cutting board surface wet for at least 5 minutes with it. Just rinse it very well, for obvious reasons. Also, I wonder if a UV device like this would work:
http://www.amazon.com/Verilux-CleanWave-VH01WW4-UV-C-Sanitizing/dp/B0018A330K

i guess my idea of dragging the small plastic board behind the boat wont work out then
:)) that was my brainstorm last weekend

Eggcelsior · September 2012

fishlessman said:

Eggcelsior said:

I have two JK Adams boards and one Boo's block. I wash the surfaces with soapy water and towel dry. I then use Boo's beeswax/MO cream on them. Good stuff.

Unless your dishwasher has a built-in heater or your house water heater is at 190, there will be no way to completely sanitize your plastic cutting board in the dishwasher. One could do a 1:10 bleach/water solution and keep the cutting board surface wet for at least 5 minutes with it. Just rinse it very well, for obvious reasons. Also, I wonder if a UV device like this would work:
http://www.amazon.com/Verilux-CleanWave-VH01WW4-UV-C-Sanitizing/dp/B0018A330K

i guess my idea of dragging the small plastic board behind the boat wont work out then
:)) that was my brainstorm last weekend

If it doesn't clean it, at least you can wake-board on it!

Eggcelsior · September 2012

nolaegghead said:

Eggcelsior said:

I have two JK Adams boards and one Boo's block. I wash the surfaces with soapy water and towel dry. I then use Boo's beeswax/MO cream on them. Good stuff.

Unless your dishwasher has a built-in heater or your house water heater is at 190, there will be no way to completely sanitize your plastic cutting board in the dishwasher. One could do a 1:10 bleach/water solution and keep the cutting board surface wet for at least 5 minutes with it. Just rinse it very well, for obvious reasons. Also, I wonder if a UV device like this would work:
http://www.amazon.com/Verilux-CleanWave-VH01WW4-UV-C-Sanitizing/dp/B0018A330K

If your dishwasher is NSF certified, it will sterilize everything in it. Our Bosch is.

http://www.nsf.org/consumer/newsroom/fact_safer_dishwasher.asp

Bingo, even easier it will have a "sanitize" button(the NSF logo may not be conspicuous for some). My GE profile does. That's the function of a built-in heater that can raise the temp to 180 degrees. It can also raise the dishwasher price to around $800-1000. Sigh.

Aviator · September 2012

I love bamboo, everything.

gdenby · September 2012

Geez, guys and gals, I'm not going to be buying a dishwasher that will pre-heat the water to 190 to sterilize my cutting boards. How about an ozone generator, a good UV source (the sun), or just a hair dryer?

And back to the OP. Anyone know of a tree service that will cut off a couple inches across the grain from the next maple they take down?

Ragtop99 · September 2012

Eggcelsior said:

IOne could do a 1:10 bleach/water solution and keep the cutting board surface wet for at least 5 minutes with it. Just rinse it very well, for obvious reasons.

10% bleach is a very strong solution and should kill things instantly. Even a 2% solution for a couple minutes should be adequate. I use pour some ammonia directly on my scrubby when I'm cleaning a board with raw chicken to help with sanitation. It's might be a little hard on wood, but I don't own a high end board.

galen · September 2012

Aloha

I have had a Butcher Block, on wheels for at least 40 years. Maybe 50..I can't recall

In very good shape and the only mehod of cleaning and preseerving that I have used is Kitchen oil's i.e Wesson ...Cannola, etc.

I put it on wheels as the wife insisted that she be able to move it when she had the kitchen cleaned.

Aloha from the Sandwich Islands

nolaegghead · September 2012

Vegetable oils do a just as fine job in preserving the wood, the only problem is they oxidize - turn rancid - which could transfer an off-taste to the food. Food-grade mineral oil doesn't go rancid, so it's a better culinary choice.

ironchefboyrdee · September 2012

Being in the the antique business for the past 30 years, I've always had a fascination with the "good old days". In the "good old days", food was handled regularly by butchers and kitchens day after day. They certainly were not in the business of killing their customers or getting the whole town sick. They used wooden cutting surfaces because that's all there was available for the most part.

So now I'll get on with the point. I'm not in the least afraid of wooden cutting boards and meat. I use soap & water, rinse, spray with vinegar, and rinse with clean water. I was told this by an old butcher and have never had a problem because I'm meticulous with food handling and reducing cross contamination of foods that will be eaten raw (IMO a much bigger hazard).

For those that need science and not just somebody like me spouting off, here's a link to a relatively recent study/experiment:

http://www.hi-tm.com/Documents/Cutboard.html

Sometimes it amazes me that seemingly since the 1970's, we've all of a sudden think that we are that much smarter, discounting thousands of years of basic survival from a much simpler time. We still get sick from improper food handling, the biggest difference between now and then is the medical profession does a much better job of keeping us alive since the discovery of penicillin. If we're not careful that won't work forever either.

Skiddymarker · September 2012

Focker said:

I've got both.
Plastic is nice for camping/eggfests. Not bad on your knife edge.
Bamboo is the new thang these days. Very hard, and hard on your edge. Use a big one for eggfests.
As suggested, end grain is the best, but most expensive. Knife edges stay sharp longer due to the vertical position of the wood fibers. The knife slices inbetween them.
Wood species that are popular include maple, walnut, and cherry. A properly cared for end grain wood board will be passed on for generations in your family. It is the focal point in the kitchen.
My son will someday enjoy the Ozark West walnut "sacrificial altar" below.

Nice - lucky kid....

Skiddymarker · September 2012

travisstrick said:

A little off topic, but related:

I read somewhere (I think on this forum) that running SS kitchen knives through the dishwasher can dull the edge? What is the rationale for that? I don't put them in the dishwasher because the handles can get messed up, but I had never heard that it would dull the edge.

Most knives recieve a heat treatment to create a specific molecular structure conducive to creating a cutting edge. When you subject a blade to high heat in the dishwasher, you change that structure. Especialy on the thin cutting edge.

I also read that most popular dishwasher detergents are quite abrasive, that's why some glassware will cloud, it is being sandblasted. Not good for knives or CI (removes the seasoning)

MikeG · September 2012

Focker said:

Save some cash, buy mineral oil from the CVS pharmacy.
If you really want to, hit up a local beekeeper. Received some this weekend from a friend.
Occasionally I will take some wet and dry 320 grit with the mouse sander to even it out. Put down the warm mineral oil and sand once. Probably two to three times a year. Barely removes wood, and restores it to new. This is something I do, not at all required.

Don't know that I'd care to impinge the cast off 320 grit particles into my cutting board surface.

nolaegghead · September 2012

A scraper is recommended for finishing cutting boards by the knife nerds. They say the embedded abrasive dulls the knife edge. Like they have electron microscopes. But to be cautious, a planer (if you have one big enough) or, as I said, scraper don't leave abrasive behind.

Scrapers are really cool tools to sand wood. Started using them a few years ago. Read up on them if interested.

nolaegghead · September 2012

screw it. Just sand the damn thing.

70chevelle · September 2012

Scrapers are really cool and give you a glass smooth finish that will help repel moisture also. Not that you wouldn't want to use mineral oil also, it will just take a little longer to absorb. Running an end grain cutting board thru a planer could be tragic when it gets to the end. With all the grain standing up, it will almost certainly chip out the final edge on the way out.

It really is amazing the vast amount of information and opinions on almost any topic available!

Focker · September 2012

MikeG said:

Focker said:

Save some cash, buy mineral oil from the CVS pharmacy.
If you really want to, hit up a local beekeeper. Received some this weekend from a friend.
Occasionally I will take some wet and dry 320 grit with the mouse sander to even it out. Put down the warm mineral oil and sand once. Probably two to three times a year. Barely removes wood, and restores it to new. This is something I do, not at all required.

Don't know that I'd care to impinge the cast off 320 grit particles into my cutting board surface.

MikeG,

Rick Odea, the dude that crafted my board, told me over the phone to do all of this, when I ordered. The mineral oil layer keeps the particles from adhering to the sandpaper and board. When you wipe the oil off, it is walnut brown, comes right off. Board is silky smooth as it was new. Definitely not required by any means, but I take care of my stuff thanks to a depression era grandpa. May be a little OCD, but I switch the cutting board around every few months and try to use different areas to even out wear.

These custom boards are not cheap.

fishlessman · September 2012

sometimes i think the sanitation issues go way over board, for instance, do you stir sauces and soups with plastic spoons, or a nice olive wood spoon that floats nicely on the surface in between stirs instead of placing the sterile clean plastic one in a crusty spoon holder

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Chef knife topic got me thinking

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