A Healthy Kitchen with Bamboo Cutting Boards

A bamboo cutting board makes a wonderful addition to a kitchen's essential tools. The board's beauty, durability and utility add to the pleasure of cooking. The recent increase in Asian cooking and going environment friendly or “green” has attracted many cooks towards bamboo cutting boards. The initial investment may be more but the bamboo cutting board gives many years of enjoyable use if it is carefully maintained.

Bamboo is a type of hard grass. It is an eco-friendly, renewable resource. In Southeast Asian countries, bamboo is used as supporting beams during construction because of its durability and abundance. It takes approximately 3 to 4 months for most bamboo to grow to full height. Wood is also a renewable resource but it takes much longer to replace a tree than to grow grass. Users of bamboo cutting boards can feel comfortable knowing that they are helping to maintain the environment while keeping a green kitchen and bar.

There are many benefits to using bamboo as a cutting board material. Compared to woods it is much harder with more resistance to knife cuts. Knife cuts open the boards to absorbing bacteria. They also interrupt the smooth cutting flow of the knife. The hard bamboo surface makes cutting faster and smoother. Bamboo board users should routinely sharpen their knives because of this hard surface.

Inexpensive plastic cutting boards go into the dishwasher for quick cleaning. But they absorb permanent food stains. Knife cuts score deeper and more often into the material. Deeper knife scores create an environment for bacterial growth. The little bits of plastic caused by the cuts might also get in your food and consumed by you. Plastic takes hundreds of years to break down and should never be in your body. Another disadvantage is that the usable life of a plastic cutting board is short compared to wood or bamboo.

Plastic cutting boards can be breeding grounds for bacteria because of the cracks and crevices from the knife slicing on the board. A study from UC Davis showed when a sharp knife is used to cut into the work surfaces, more bacteria is recovered from a plastic surface than from a used wood surface. Even if there are leftover bacteria on a wooden cutting board, they do not multiply and gradually die. * Plastic and Wooden Cutting Boards Study by Dean O. Cliver, Ph.D.

Bamboo cutting boards are easy to clean and maintain. They absorb less water than wood boards. Although they should not be cleaned in the dishwasher they are easy to clean and sanitize by hand.

Begin by scraping off food residue then rinse the board in very hot water. Follow by washing on both sides with a mild detergent on a dish cloth. Rinse thoroughly with clear, cool water. Wipe with a soft towel.

Apply mineral oil directly onto the bamboo cutting board to keep it from drying out. Pour the oil directly onto the board and wipe off any excess. Do not use cooking oils which may become rancid and promote bacterial growth. Sterilize with a 3% solution of hydrogen peroxide poured onto the board; an essential step if the board is used for cutting meat.

A great way to protect your family from bacteria that gets trapped in other cutting boards is by getting a bamboo cutting board. Keep your kitchen natural and green.