I'm shopping for a new cutting board. My old wooden one is reversible
with a chopping side with a useless narrow trough that only served to
catch chopped bits that were annoying to get out on one side and a
side with a jus trough and "holder" points on the other. I was looking
at a bamboo cutting board, which claims to be stronger than maple and
absorbs 16% less moisture, that is strictly a chopping board with no
whistles or bells, but strikes my fancy:

http://www.cutleryandmore.com/details.asp?SKU=5445

And a kinda cool looking maple board that overhangs the counter, so
you can sweep the cut veggies, etc., off the board into, say, a
waiting hand-held pot or bowl.

http://www.stacksandstacks.com/html/...ting-board.htm

Since I'm gadget mad, I can't be objective <sigh> Anyone care to
opine? Like anyone is shy in this lot :-)

Mind you, this is the last cutting board I hope to ever own and I
*know* they're a bit pricey, but...

Terry "Squeaks" Pulliam Burd
AAC(F)BV66.0748.CA

"Most vigitaryans I iver see looked enough like their food to be
classed as cannybals."

Finley Peter Dunne (1900)

To reply, replace "spaminator" with "cox"

On Sun, 30 Apr 2006 20:48:30 -0700, Terry Pulliam Burd
> wrote:

>Since I'm gadget mad, I can't be objective <sigh> Anyone care to
>opine? Like anyone is shy in this lot :-)

I say go for a John Boos product.....they are topnotch.

http://www.johnboos.com/

Christine

On Sun, 30 Apr 2006 20:48:30 -0700, Terry Pulliam Burd wrote:

> I'm shopping for a new cutting board. My old wooden one is reversible
> with a chopping side with a useless narrow trough that only served to
> catch chopped bits that were annoying to get out on one side and a
> side with a jus trough and "holder" points on the other. I was looking
> at a bamboo cutting board, which claims to be stronger than maple and
> absorbs 16% less moisture, that is strictly a chopping board with no
> whistles or bells, but strikes my fancy:
>
> http://www.cutleryandmore.com/details.asp?SKU=5445
>
I happen to like bamboo (We just put a bamboo floor in downstairs,
remember?). Not sure about the "feet" on that one, but given that my
cutting board was sitting on some unseen liquid over night, maybe it's
a good idea. However, since bamboo is fairly impervious to liquid (we
floated a piece in water for 3 days and it didn't warp).... those feet
are probably gratuitous.

> And a kinda cool looking maple board that overhangs the counter, so
> you can sweep the cut veggies, etc., off the board into, say, a
> waiting hand-held pot or bowl.
>
> http://www.stacksandstacks.com/html/...ting-board.htm
>
> Since I'm gadget mad, I can't be objective <sigh> Anyone care to
> opine? Like anyone is shy in this lot :-)
>
I don't like the looks of that cutting board. If I want to sweep
stuff off my cutting board, I move it (easily done) into position.

> Mind you, this is the last cutting board I hope to ever own and I
> *know* they're a bit pricey, but...
>
You've owned others and worn them out? How? I've had the same one
for xx years and it's no way near worn in spite of heavy usage.
--

Ham and eggs.
A day's work for a chicken, a lifetime commitment for a pig.

"Terry Pulliam Burd" > wrote

When push comes to shove, it's your board, so anything I say is
strictly my opinion/experience.

> I'm shopping for a new cutting board. My old wooden one is reversible
> with a chopping side with a useless narrow trough that only served to
> catch chopped bits that were annoying to get out on one side and a
> side with a jus trough and "holder" points on the other. I was looking
> at a bamboo cutting board, which claims to be stronger than maple and
> absorbs 16% less moisture,

I do have a small bamboo cutting board, I'm very happy with it
but I will tell you it has knife marks in it. Just in case you think it's
impervious or something.

Also (please forgive me if I have the wrong person), wasn't it notbob
who say he'd bought one and it split? I have *so* not had that problem,
just saying some manufacturers might use not so good glue. The wood
can have all the properties it wants, if it has cracks, it's of no use.

> that is strictly a chopping board with no
> whistles or bells, but strikes my fancy:
>
> http://www.cutleryandmore.com/details.asp?SKU=5445

I hated washing my mother's cutting board when I was a kid, those
stupid feet. Besides, I use both sides of my boards, I wouldn't get
the footed one for that reason alone.

> And a kinda cool looking maple board that overhangs the counter, so
> you can sweep the cut veggies, etc., off the board into, say, a
> waiting hand-held pot or bowl.
>
> http://www.stacksandstacks.com/html/...ting-board.htm

Do you wash your board in the sink? That looks like a hassle to
maneuver around. And clean in all those corners.

> Since I'm gadget mad, I can't be objective <sigh> Anyone care to
> opine? Like anyone is shy in this lot :-)
>
> Mind you, this is the last cutting board I hope to ever own and I
> *know* they're a bit pricey, but...

I have no problem with the price, I like a nice cutting board.
Me, I like to move the board around, I wash it and I put it away.
If I had one of those stunning Boos boards with that pattern, (Chris
mentioned them first) I would be happy but I'd still like to not have
them as a fixture on the counter that you just clean with salt and lemon.

nancy

Both of your options look great, but I'd go for a big maple board from
Bed Bath for $35 bucks and get silly on my savings. JMHO.

In article >,
Terry Pulliam Burd > wrote:

> I'm shopping for a new cutting board. My old wooden one is reversible
> with a chopping side with a useless narrow trough that only served to
> catch chopped bits that were annoying to get out on one side and a
> side with a jus trough and "holder" points on the other. I was looking
> at a bamboo cutting board, which claims to be stronger than maple and
> absorbs 16% less moisture, that is strictly a chopping board with no
> whistles or bells, but strikes my fancy:
>
> http://www.cutleryandmore.com/details.asp?SKU=5445
>
> And a kinda cool looking maple board that overhangs the counter, so
> you can sweep the cut veggies, etc., off the board into, say, a
> waiting hand-held pot or bowl.
>
> http://www.stacksandstacks.com/html/...ting-board.htm
>
> Since I'm gadget mad, I can't be objective <sigh> Anyone care to
> opine? Like anyone is shy in this lot :-)

I'm not crazy about either one. The one that overhangs the counter --
where are you going to store that sucker? I don't see you letting it
live on your counter.

The bamboo board is 2-1/4" thick! Is bamboo heavy? OTOH, I've always
wanted a board wherein the wood's natural sugars are heated to
caramelize into a lovely honey color. "-)

I've got a round teak steak plate with a juice catcher on one side of it
that I use - it's maybe 10-12" diameter. Mostly I use a couple smaller
boards - one acrylic or something and the other one "made from the same
material that skateboard ramps are made from!!" All of them fit in the
drawer where the dishtowels are.
--
-Barb
<http://jamlady.eboard.com> Updated 4-30-2006, Dead Spread
& latest church review.
"If it's not worth doing to excess, it's not worth doing at all."

> wrote in message
ups.com...
> Both of your options look great, but I'd go for a big maple board from
> Bed Bath for $35 bucks and get silly on my savings. JMHO.
>

BJ's has some Bamboo Cutting Boards -- pretty cheap. Saw some last week in
VA.
Dee Dee

Melba's Jammin' wrote:
>
> I'm not crazy about either one. The one that overhangs the counter --
> where are you going to store that sucker? I don't see you letting it
> live on your counter.

Those monsters are okay if one does lots of baking bench work but
they're simply not made for wet prep.

> The bamboo board is 2-1/4" thick! Is bamboo heavy? OTOH, I've always
> wanted a board wherein the wood's natural sugars are heated to
> caramelize into a lovely honey color. "-)

Bamboo boards are composed mostly of hard plastic resins, not at all
kind to knives.

> I've got a round teak steak plate with a juice catcher on one side of it
> that I use - it's maybe 10-12" diameter. Mostly I use a couple smaller
> boards - one acrylic or something and the other one "made from the same
> material that skateboard ramps are made from!!" All of them fit in the
> drawer where the dishtowels are.

I no longer use wooden boards for prep, I save my nice wooden boards to
use as serving pieces. For wet prep work I've gone entirely to
plastic... the new plastic boards are kind to knives, are dishwasher
safe, are available in myriad sizes, and come in oh so many pretty
colors, require no special care... and are very inexpensive.

Sheldon

Melba's Jammin' wrote:
> In article >,
> Terry Pulliam Burd > wrote:
>
> > I'm shopping for a new cutting board. My old wooden one is reversible
> > with a chopping side with a useless narrow trough that only served to
> > catch chopped bits that were annoying to get out on one side and a
> > side with a jus trough and "holder" points on the other. I was looking
> > at a bamboo cutting board, which claims to be stronger than maple and
> > absorbs 16% less moisture, that is strictly a chopping board with no
> > whistles or bells, but strikes my fancy:
> >
> > http://www.cutleryandmore.com/details.asp?SKU=5445
> >
> > And a kinda cool looking maple board that overhangs the counter, so
> > you can sweep the cut veggies, etc., off the board into, say, a
> > waiting hand-held pot or bowl.
> >
> > http://www.stacksandstacks.com/html/...ting-board.htm
> >
> > Since I'm gadget mad, I can't be objective <sigh> Anyone care to
> > opine? Like anyone is shy in this lot :-)
>
> I'm not crazy about either one. The one that overhangs the counter --
> where are you going to store that sucker? I don't see you letting it
> live on your counter.
>
> The bamboo board is 2-1/4" thick! Is bamboo heavy? OTOH, I've always
> wanted a board wherein the wood's natural sugars are heated to
> caramelize into a lovely honey color. "-)
>
> I've got a round teak steak plate with a juice catcher on one side of it
> that I use - it's maybe 10-12" diameter. Mostly I use a couple smaller
> boards - one acrylic or something and the other one "made from the same
> material that skateboard ramps are made from!!" All of them fit in the
> drawer where the dishtowels are.
> --
> -Barb
> <http://jamlady.eboard.com> Updated 4-30-2006, Dead Spread
> & latest church review.
> "If it's not worth doing to excess, it's not worth doing at all."

I have 5 cutting boards, belive it or not. I have an old cheap wooden
one that still works just fine, though I rarely use it. When the whole
poultry/salmonela scare got going, at the promping of my oldest son, I
marked one side for raw meat, the other for cooked meat and veggies.

A few years ago I got a plastic one for the meat. Still use it
frequently. Later, I got a small one for when I don't need the full
size one.

Last year I bought a package of 2 of the flexible plastic ones. I use
them the most now. They work fine, and I can just pick them up and pour
the chopped garlic/carrots/cilantro/whatever into whatever it's going
in. One is white, one is pink. I use the pink one for meat.

I guess if you have $300 to burn, a fancy cutting board would be nice.
But I can think of a lot of other things I'd buy for that kind of
money.

Sheldon wrote:

>
> I no longer use wooden boards for prep, I save my nice wooden boards to
> use as serving pieces. For wet prep work I've gone entirely to
> plastic... the new plastic boards are kind to knives, are dishwasher
> safe, are available in myriad sizes, and come in oh so many pretty
> colors, require no special care... and are very inexpensive.

Since when have you been worried about "pretty colors" in the kitchen?
I have about 5 wooden ones - we don't have a dishwasher so I haven't
bothered to buy the plastic ones. They have obviously improved the
quality of the plastic boards because some of my friends had them and
they used to score terribly. Yuk. Was a mission to get them clean. Put
me off.

--
Cheers
Chatty Cathy

i love the plastic/acrylic boards..................i use them and throw them
in the dishwasher.

--



"Dee Randall" > wrote in message
...
>
> > wrote in message
> ups.com...
>> Both of your options look great, but I'd go for a big maple board from
>> Bed Bath for $35 bucks and get silly on my savings. JMHO.
>>
>
> BJ's has some Bamboo Cutting Boards -- pretty cheap. Saw some last week
> in VA.
> Dee Dee
>

"Terry Pulliam Burd" > wrote:
> I'm shopping for a new cutting board. My old wooden one is reversible
> with a chopping side with a useless narrow trough that only served to
> catch chopped bits that were annoying to get out on one side and a
> side with a jus trough and "holder" points on the other. I was looking
> at a bamboo cutting board, which claims to be stronger than maple and
> absorbs 16% less moisture, that is strictly a chopping board with no
> whistles or bells, but strikes my fancy:

Personally I like the idea of bamboo, but I've only got a small "sampler"
size one made out of it at this point.

You might want to think about what you are really going to use it for. The
term "cutting board", "chopping block", and "carving board" imply different
uses. I don't have a "carving board", which sounds like the second side of
your current board.

For most of my knife work, I use three "cutting boards". The first is one is
a wood one glued to my countertop before I bought the house. It is perhaps
3/4" thick. This gets the most use by default. The second one is plastic of
some sort, 3/8" thick. The third one is wood, 11/16" thick. The two wood
boards are not end grain.

For heavy duty chopping, I use an end grain wood board that is 1-5/8" thick.
I only use this one when I get out my 6" meat cleaver for chopping stuff up
for stock. Most small scale chopping, such as vegetables, nuts, etc. are
done on the countertop board. Every year or two I sand down the countertop
board and reoil it (with the normal reoiling as needed).

For something you are using a lot, you probably want something lightweight
that is easy to wash and put away. Only for serious chopping do you need
something real thick, and that is going to be a pain to move around.

For moving stuff off the cutting board into the pan, I use one of these
scoops that work very well:

http://www.shopping.cutlery.com/images/preptaxi.jpg

You can get these at a number of places besides that particular online
store.

--
( #wff_ng_7# at #verizon# period #net# )

Terry Pulliam Burd wrote:
> I was looking
> at a bamboo cutting board, which claims to be stronger than maple and
> absorbs 16% less moisture, that is strictly a chopping board with no
> whistles or bells, but strikes my fancy:
>
> http://www.cutleryandmore.com/details.asp?SKU=5445
>
> And a kinda cool looking maple board that overhangs the counter, so
> you can sweep the cut veggies, etc., off the board into, say, a
> waiting hand-held pot or bowl.

> opine? Like anyone is shy in this lot :-)
>
> Mind you, this is the last cutting board I hope to ever own and I
> *know* they're a bit pricey, but...


You sound like DH who announced 20+ years ago when we moved to Denver:
"I'm going to buy GOOD skis since they're the last pair I'll ever buy."
(He has since bought skis about every four years, on sale of course.)

Your shoice should depend on what you will use the board for, how many
others you have/will have, and how much storage space you have.

I really like the maple board for all-purpose use including pastry.
It wouldn't be really useful anywhere but the counter.

The bamboo board would also double well for a serving board at parties
for cheeses, smoked salmon, or other meats.

Both would be equally messy to clean.

Warning: I have seen a number of bamboo boards at places like TJMaxx,
Tuesday Morning, etc. and many of them have had cracks along the glue
joints. Of course for the price shown here that shouldn't be a problem.

I have scads of those white plastic boards for everyday chopping use
that go into the dishwasher with a bit of bleach. I also have a
half-dozen wooden boards that I save mostly for serving.

YMMV, of course.

gloria p

On Sun, 30 Apr 2006 20:48:30 -0700, Terry Pulliam Burd
> wrote:

>I'm shopping for a new cutting board. My old wooden one is reversible
>with a chopping side with a useless narrow trough that only served to
>catch chopped bits that were annoying to get out on one side and a
>side with a jus trough and "holder" points on the other. I was looking
>at a bamboo cutting board, which claims to be stronger than maple and
>absorbs 16% less moisture, that is strictly a chopping board with no
>whistles or bells, but strikes my fancy:
>
>http://www.cutleryandmore.com/details.asp?SKU=5445
>
>And a kinda cool looking maple board that overhangs the counter, so
>you can sweep the cut veggies, etc., off the board into, say, a
>waiting hand-held pot or bowl.
>
>http://www.stacksandstacks.com/html/...ting-board.htm
>
I don't like the look of either of those boards... if I want to sweep
stuff off the board into a pot I usually pick up the board and take it
to the stove rather than vice-versa - who wants to carry hot pots
around the kitchen? Or else I'd slide the board forward a bit and do
it that way... no need for a fancy lip or corners to catch grot.

And I don't really see how the board needs feet to stand on. What if
one of them breaks off for some reason? Then you'd have a lopsided
board to contend with...

I always used wooden cutting boards - just your regular everyday
hunk-o-wood, and they worked just fine. The worst problem they had was
water gradually eroding the glue joins so that they split, but since
we never bought expensive ones it wasn't a big deal to go out and get
another... We also had a solid board that got very scratched and
dented by the knife, and Dad planed it off and we reoiled it...

Nowadays I have a big glass cutting board. Not my preferred material
but my husband got it free. And I have a small wooden breadboard
because I don't want to have to slice bread on the same board as the
raw meat! (If I'm doing salad with the meal and the cutting board has
already been used for meat, I'll just slice it up on a plate since
there are only two of us...)

My favourite board was the solid slab of wood...

I liek the basmboo one aesthetically but hav no experience in using bamboo,
so I can't comment ton htaht.

I do knwo I would never get the other one. Sometimes I move my cutting
baorda at an agnle beccause I can get at the food I'm cutting better. I
suspect being forced to have the board in a specific place would annoy me.

My sister has a think, heavy Bodum board, square. It is made from beech
wood, which supposedly is perfect because it is hard enough for easy
cvutting and lasting but soft enough to keep knives sharp. It is similar to
this but larger:

http://tinyurl.com/s9cur

My sister oiled it well and seems quite happy with it.

I've seen very similar boards at Ikea that cost less. It isn't listed on
thier US webiste,. but they don't list their entire porduct range online. So
you might be able to find it in a store.

"Jke" > wrote

> I do knwo I would never get the other one. Sometimes I move my cutting
> baorda at an agnle beccause I can get at the food I'm cutting better. I
> suspect being forced to have the board in a specific place would annoy me.

Excellent point! I do the same thing, I agree with you it would
be annoying to me.

nancy

Jke wrote:
> I liek the basmboo one aesthetically but hav no experience in using bamboo,
> so I can't comment ton htaht.
>
> I do knwo I would never get the other one. Sometimes I move my cutting
> baorda at an agnle beccause I can get at the food I'm cutting better. I
> suspect being forced to have the board in a specific place would annoy me.
>
> My sister has a think, heavy Bodum board, square. It is made from beech
> wood, which supposedly is perfect because it is hard enough for easy
> cvutting.

Just don't buy any more of those fercocktah bamboo keyboards.

Sheldon

Sheldon wrote:

>
> I no longer use wooden boards for prep, I save my nice wooden boards to
> use as serving pieces. For wet prep work I've gone entirely to
> plastic... the new plastic boards are kind to knives, are dishwasher
> safe, are available in myriad sizes, and come in oh so many pretty
> colors, require no special care... and are very inexpensive.
>
> Sheldon
>

I have 8 plastic cutting boards, 6 are from Ikea. They wash easy, they give in
to my knives (instead of the other way around) and are cheap enough that I can
abuse them and replace them as necessary. I have one wooden cutting board, a
gift that a friend made for me, that I use for serving things.

--
..:Heather:.
www.velvet-c.com
Step off, beyotches, I'm the roflpimp!

On Sun, 30 Apr 2006 21:53:06 -0600, Christine Dabney
> rummaged among random neurons and opined:

>On Sun, 30 Apr 2006 20:48:30 -0700, Terry Pulliam Burd
> wrote:
>
>>Since I'm gadget mad, I can't be objective <sigh> Anyone care to
>>opine? Like anyone is shy in this lot :-)
>
>I say go for a John Boos product.....they are topnotch.

Their product description was too sketchy for me to get a grip on what
was offered. I finally decided to go with one I hadn't considered
before, simply b/c it's a) bamboo, which I have no experience with,
and b) it's inexpensive enough to warrant the chance:

http://tinyurl.com/qm2rt

Many thanks for everyone's input.

Terry "Squeaks" Pulliam Burd
AAC(F)BV66.0748.CA

"Most vigitaryans I iver see looked enough like their food to be
classed as cannybals."

Finley Peter Dunne (1900)

To reply, replace "spaminator" with "cox"

"Sheldon" > schreef in bericht
oups.com...
>
> Jke wrote:
>> I liek the basmboo one aesthetically but hav no experience in using
>> bamboo,
>> so I can't comment ton htaht.
>>
>> I do knwo I would never get the other one. Sometimes I move my cutting
>> baorda at an agnle beccause I can get at the food I'm cutting better. I
>> suspect being forced to have the board in a specific place would annoy
>> me.
>>
>> My sister has a think, heavy Bodum board, square. It is made from beech
>> wood, which supposedly is perfect because it is hard enough for easy
>> cvutting.
>
> Just don't buy any more of those fercocktah bamboo keyboards.
>


Sorry, broken spell checker. Plus the habit of relying on it even when it
isn't there.

On Mon, 01 May 2006 19:18:36 -0700, Terry Pulliam Burd
> wrote:

>I finally decided to go with one I hadn't considered
>before, simply b/c it's a) bamboo, which I have no experience with,

Bamboo is very hard. I would think it might be hard on a sharp knife,
too.