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Cut With Precision: The Ultimate Guide To Chopping Boards
Chopping boards are a vital part of food preparation, ensuring you can carve, slice and dice your food safely without damaging your benchtop or kitchen knives. Great for both preparing dinner or for cutting up a sweet slice for dessert, having a chopping board on hand is always helpful, no matter your recipe or meal. At Spotlight, we have a great range of chopping and cutting boards for you to choose from, but what are the best chopping boards for you? We'll take you through the most common types of chopping boards, including how you can use colour to differentiate your chopping boards for what you will use them for.
Keep reading to find out more about our range of chopping boards and how to choose the best one for your needs!
Quick Links
- What Kinds Of Chopping Boards Are There?
- Introduce a Sturdy and Rustic Touch With a Wooden Chopping Board
- Timeless Bamboo Chopping Boards
- Colourful and Easy to Clean Plastic Chopping Boards
- Modern and Sleek Glass Chopping Boards
- A Touch of Elegance With Marble Chopping Boards
- Distinguish Your Plastic Chopping Boards With Different Colours
- Choosing the Right Chopping Board
- Caring For Your Chopping Board
What Kinds Of Chopping Boards Are There?
Chopping boards are most often designed in square or rectangular shapes, but when we talk about the kinds of chopping board, we are referring to the composition and construction of the final product.
Some of our most common types and features of chopping boards are outlined below:
Introduce a Sturdy and Rustic Touch With a Wooden Chopping Board
The most popular material used for chopping boards is wood, usually in the form of acacia, cherry, walnut and maple. You want a wood that is moderately hard - too hard and it will blunt your knives. On the other hand, if your wooden chopping board is too soft, it might chip or break. Wood that is not too porous is also a plus, as it will help prevent the board from absorbing liquids from your food. Because of this construction, it is best to hand wash your wooden chopping boards to maintain their functionality.
Timeless Bamboo Chopping Boards
While bamboo chopping boards may look and feel similar to a wooden chopping board, bamboo is actually a type of grass. This makes bamboo more porous and denser than most woods used for cutting boards, meaning it is more likely to absorb water and also more likely to blunt your knives. Bamboo chopping boards can still last you a long time if oiled and hand-washed like you would a wooden chopping board. These chopping boards are most often a less-expensive option when compared to a wooden chopping board, making them a great, affordable chopping board option.
Colourful and Easy to Clean Plastic Chopping Boards
Plastic chopping boards are known for being easy to clean, making them one of the best chopping boards for busy families. Due to their lightweight design, these chopping boards are easy to work with, however they cannot be repaired once they start to wear. There are also different types of plastic you can choose from, including polypropylene and polyethylene - both types of plastic are known for their lightweight compositions. Available in a variety of colours, these chopping boards make it easy to identify which boards you've used for different ingredients, helping you avoid cross-contamination.
Modern and Sleek Glass Chopping Boards
Modern and stylish, glass chopping boards are the easiest to clean as food and liquids will slide off their non-porous surface. Due to their sleek surface, they bring an elegant touch to your kitchen and look great when not in use. They can break if dropped and will blunt your knives, so it's important you take care in using them.
A Touch of Elegance With Marble and Stone Chopping Boards
Beautiful and elegant, marble chopping boards almost look too good to use. Like glass boards, they can blunt your knives, and they require a fair bit of care and upkeep to maintain their look. We recommend using your marble boards for displaying and serving food, rather than for cutting.
Distinguish Your Plastic Chopping Boards With Different Colours
Many commercial kitchens use colour-coded chopping boards for cutting different kinds of food. This prevents the cross-contamination of bacteria and is important to help prevent people with allergies from getting sick. If you live in a household with allergies, it may be beneficial for you to colour-code your chopping boards too!
Because of their synthetic material, plastic boards are usually used when coloured chopping boards are needed because they are easy to colour, as opposed to wood or bamboo. While you can technically choose whatever colour you want for your boards, here are the standard chopping board colours most kitchens will follow:
- Red for raw meat: All kinds of raw meat, including beef, pork, lamb and chicken, should be prepared on a red board. While allergens aren't really a problem with these proteins, they will help prevent the spread of bacteria from raw meat to other chopping boards. Red chopping boards should always be washed thoroughly after use.
- Yellow for cooked meat: While there isn't as much danger of bacterial transfer from cooked meat as there is from raw meat, you should still slice cooked meats on their own chopping board. These should also be washed using hot, soapy water.
- Blue for seafood: Seafood can be a dangerous allergen, so it definitely needs its own chopping board colours! Seafood includes fish, mussels, oysters, prawns, lobster, squid and crab. Clean your blue board using hot water and soap to remove any bacteria and also prevent any fishy smells from sticking around.
- Brown for vegetables: Root vegetables can be dirty, hence the brown chopping board. These include beetroot, onions, ginger, turmeric, celery, parsnip, carrot and potato. Wash your brown board thoroughly to remove any dirt and juices.
- Green for fruits and salad: Use a green board for washed salads, fruits and herbs. These include berries, apples, melons, lettuce, capsicum, cucumber, tomato, mint, coriander and parsley. Wash using warm water and soap to remove any juices and seeds.
- White for bread and dairy: Gluten allergies from bread and lactose allergies from dairy means your white board should also be washed properly, even though it's tempting to just wipe off the crumbs and store the board again. Foods for this board include loaves of bread, cakes, rolls and both soft and hard cheeses.
- Purple for other allergens: If your family member has any other allergens that you'd like to avoid (like nuts, soy or eggs), then use a purple board to prepare this food for your other family members and always wash it using hot water and soap.
Many cutting board packs will contain all the chopping board colours in one purchase - some even have labels detailing what board is used for which food. Make sure to replace your coloured chopping boards once they start to show signs of wear and tear and label your chopping board colours if needed.
When shopping for chopping boards, keep in mind the purpose you have in your kitchen. It is very common to have multiple types and sizes of chopping boards to ensure that you can prep your food with ease.
It is common to choose on large wooden chopping board for prepping meat and large tasks and have several plastic chopping boards for smaller tasks like cutting fruit. Purchasing a convenient chopping board set is a great way to have everything you need!
Caring For Your Chopping Board
When deciding how to clean a chopping board, the main thing you need to consider is what it is made of. A wooden chopping board cleans very differently from a glass one, but don't worry, you can read through our helpful cleaning guide for more information on how to clean a chopping board depending on its material.
Update Your Kitchen Essentials With One of Our Helpful Chopping Boards
Now that you know all the different types and details, discover the best chopping boards for your home right here at Spotlight! Explore our full range of chopping boards at a Spotlight store near you, or shop the collection online and enjoy the convenience of home delivery. Once you've added a chopping board to your collection of kitchen essentials, you can try out one of our favourite 13 recipes for a fun and flavourful culinary challenge!
