What’s the best material for a chopping board, and how to avoid mould?
I saw an influencer advocating for titanium chopping boards.Are they really the way to go? If not, which material is best? My wooden one has some black mould.Lenka, by email“From the off, no!” says Itamar Srulovich, whose latest cookbook, Honey & Co Daily, co-authored by Sarit Packer, is published later this spring.“The technology of chopping boards works, it’s bulletproof – this is criminal!” Sam Clark, co-founder of London’s Moro and Morito, couldn’t agree more: “The idea of chopping on a titanium board, with metal against metal, sends shivers down my spine,” he says.Of course, the surface on which you choose to chop will impact your knife, and for Milli Taylor, who is behind the When in Rome Substack, she “couldn’t imagine anything worse than titanium”.
As Hugh Worsley, founder of knife brand Allday Goods, puts it: “Every time you cut, the very fine edge of your knife, which is microscopically thin, meets the chopping surface.If that surface is too hard, it damages the edge, causing it to dull faster.” A titanium board, which has no give, is just going to slowly destroy your knives: “I can see the benefit of it from a cleanliness point of view,” Worsley concedes, but, other than that, “it just makes no sense”.For this bunch of cooks, besides an honourable mention or two for Japanese compressed rubber boards, wood comes out tops.“Their natural density absorbs the impact of the blade, making them kinder to your knives,” Clark says, plus their “natural grip keeps ingredients steady, reducing the risk of slipping”.
Worsley punts for end-grain hardwood such as maple, walnut or oak; Srulovich favours the latter for day-to-day tasks, but uses a bamboo number for fish and meat.“It’s cost-effective and heavy enough that I don’t need to put a cloth under it, so it doesn’t move, but not so heavy that I dislocate my shoulder when I lift it.”The other thing about wood, Clark adds, is that it has “remarkable antibacterial qualities; it can naturally prevent harmful bacteria from multiplying, because the wood absorbs the moisture they need to survive”.That’s not to say you don’t need to care for it, mind.“Don’t stick it in the dishwasher and don’t soak it in water,” says woodworker Ellie Smalls, of tableware outfit Selwyn House.
“Instead, just wipe it clean and dry straight away.You can also clean it really well by scrubbing coarse sea salt and half a lemon over the surface.But really scrub it.” Alternatively, for stubborn stains (hello, turmeric), Taylor uses fine salt, bicarb and vinegar: “It really froths up when you wash it.”Over time, you’ll want to oil your wooden board(s), too: “Every three to four months to begin with, then eventually every six,” Smalls advises, to seal the surface and help repel water.
As for Lenka’s black marks, the good news is that they’re unlikely to be mould.A more likely culprit, Taylor suspects, is a hot pan on a wet board, though Smalls says “it sounds as if the tannins are reacting”.Either way, all that needs is a little sanding and a fresh coat of oil, and you’ll be back in business.Got a culinary dilemma? Email feast@theguardian.com
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