In addition to the knife and saucepan, the chopping board is probably the most used product in the kitchen every day.
If you are looking for a good chopping board, you will come across plastic boards, wooden chopping boards, marble and glass. They are all made of different materials and have their advantages and disadvantages.
But which chopping board is actually the most hygienic and which should be used?
Here you can find all the information and advantages of the different types of chopping board in comparison.
Hygienic use of the chopping board: why it's so important
The material of kitchen cutting boards is not unhygienic in itself and can be used for food preparation without any problems. However, many chopping boards develop grooves and crevices over time due to all the cutting.
Germs quickly accumulate in these grooves and, as it is difficult to clean them in the dishwasher, the bacteria often remain there for a long time. If you cut your food on these contaminated chopping boards, the germs are absorbed and this can lead to food poisoning, among other things.
To avoid this, it is therefore important to familiarize yourself with the cutting board material and its effect on germs.
An overview of the materials - which are more hygienic?
Whether for the preparation of meat, vegetables, bread or fruit - there is a lot to consider in the kitchen, which is why the choice and treatment of cutting surfaces plays a decisive role.
Wood or plastic - how the individual cutting boards behave and how hygienic they are when it comes to food preparation varies greatly.
Wood cutting boards
For a long time, wooden chopping boards were considered unhygienic in food preparation and were rarely used in the catering industry. Is this true and what should you look out for?
In contrast to the bad reputation of the chopping board, wood is known for its antibacterial effect. Robust types of wood such as bamboo, olive, pine, walnut, oak or teak are particularly durable and environmentally friendly. As some types of wood have an antibacterial effect, germs don't survive for very long and you can prepare your food on the wooden chopping board without any worries.
However, you should note that meat and fish should not be cut on wooden boards, as they cannot be cleaned in the dishwasher and it can be very time-consuming to remove all germs from the board.
If you use wooden boards regularly, you should therefore make sure they are cleaned properly.
Find out more about using chopping boards for different foods here.
Plastic chopping boards
Plastic chopping boards are probably one of the most commonly used surfaces in the kitchen. Not only are they easy to use, they are usually inexpensive, easy to clean and can therefore be used for all types of food.
If you cut fish or meat on your chopping board, you should never cut your vegetables afterwards, as this could cause food poisoning.
Since plastic cutting boards can be easily cleaned in the dishwasher and sterilized with hot water, they are very hygienic.
However, countless cutting grooves appear on plastic after a while. Although the plastic boards can be cleaned easily, not all germs are always removed and these quickly multiply in the grooves.
When buying plastic chopping boards, you should therefore make sure that the material can withstand sharp knives and discoloration.
Cutting boards made from glass
Glass chopping boards are less well-known. Due to their hard surface, they do not form grooves in which bacteria could colonize and can be easily cleaned in the dishwasher.
These chopping boards are therefore ideal for preparing delicate foods, as no germs form or discoloration occurs.
However, these boards are very heavy and the knives quickly become blunt as the surface does not give way.
Cutting boards made from marble or stone
Similar are the cutting boards made of stone, which are also very durable and can withstand many environmental influences without any problems
In contrast to glass chopping boards, however, these must be cleaned by hand, as stone can splinter or break quickly.
Hygienic use of chopping boards - how it works
Once you buy a chopping board, it will be used to prepare food for several years. If you treat and use them correctly, you can use them for several years without any worries
The right care
In general, the most important thing to keep your boards hygienic is proper care and cleaning.
If you cut meat on a board, you must put it in the dishwasher afterwards or wash it in very hot water with plenty of washing-up liquid. If you are using delicate materials such as wooden boards, these usually require special care to ensure they last for a long time.
You can find more information and instructions on how to clean and care for chopping boards properly here.
If your board is riddled with grooves and is very discolored, this may also be a sign that you should replace it with a new one.
As you can see, chopping boards are all different when it comes to hygiene. Some are very susceptible to harboring germs, while others are not exposed to this risk at all.
So there is no clear answer for you, it all depends on what you want from your board and how you want to use it.
