Different chopping boards for meat & veg?

I'm no scientist but my H is.

We have a big wooden chopping board that stays on the work surface in the kitchen. If I am cutting meat (which actually doens't happen that often) then I use a plastic chopping board to avoid cross contamination. The plastic board goes in the dishwasher, the wooden one gets a wipe down after each use, and occasionally I oil it as well

I have no idea what the "truth" is, but I use both. Big wooden one gets wiped over and used again, or with plastic ones (our's are also from Ikea!) I just turn them over. However I normally cut all my veg/fruit up first and then do the meat, so I don't think it really matters.

I don't know about the science behind it, but I do use two chopping boards. I have a large wood one which I use for all my meat and any veg which will be cooked and smelly stuff like garlic and onion. I have another board which I use for fruits, salad stuff and other veg to be eaten raw. Both get washed with hot soapy water. I also have a plastic one which goes in the dishwasher and I will use it for both meat and veg if the other two need washing.

We have a range of chopping boards, one wood, a couple of plastic ones, but use which ever one is handy. THey always get a good scrub in v hot water after use, and it's not been a problem so far.

Like you, I bought a three pack of plastic chopping boards, which are pastel pink, green and blue. I use the pink for raw meat, green for veg and blue for fish/sometimes extra veg. I slice bread on the wooden one. I'm not sure if I need to or not but it's just become habit. ?

I have one wooden one. I wash it if I have chopped meat on it and am going to chop veg that's going tto be served raw. I'm quite happy to cut, say, chicken followed by veg if the veg is going to be cooked with the chicken as I reckon the bacteria are going to end up on the veg (and being boiled to death) anyway.

WSophieMS

One wooden one here. Sometimes I just flip it over between meat and veg for the same meal.

I have one glass one. It gets washed if i'm doing meat then veg, but then as someone else put i do the veg first and then the meat. H hates the noise it makes though when you cut as with it being glass it's quite noisy. I never thought about having a different chopping board for meat tbh, it's not something we did either when i lived at home

I have three boards - 2 of which are plastic, and one is a big wooden one that stays out permanently on my worktop.

The wooden one is used for fruit, veg, salad, etc. One plastic one is for raw meat that gets put in the dishwasher. One is for garlic and onion because I find if I use the wooden one for either of those things then the fruit I chop the next day tastes of garlic - so more a odour thing than a hygiene thing really.

WSophieS, although I do also have a small plastic one which I use if I can't be bothered to keep washing the wooden one.

I wouldn't just wipe a wooden board after cutting eg raw chicken on it- I think that just moves the germs around a bit. I give it a proper wash with soap and v hot water.

We have one plastic one. If I am making a casserole, I may chop meat and veg on the same side, wihtout washing it. I am figuring if they are all about to be cooked together, what harm is it doing? (Cue someone telling me I am going to be dead within a week from this ?).

Mostly, I flip it.

If I cut chicken I definitely do the quick wipe, not necessarily a proper wash. We're doomed

L
xx

The important thing is not to use a board for raw meat and then use it for vegetables that aren't going to be cooked without washing in between.

If you're in a commercial kitchen it's worth having separate boards so you can't ever do this by accident but at home it's not essential unless you're absent minded and as long as you wash in hot soapy water in between.

Incidentally I'm not a fan of just turning the board over as they do on cookery shows because then you smear whatever bacteria were on the top of the board all over your work surfaces.

Now. Shall we cover washing chickens now or later? ?

<collects gold star>

I was actually going to say about smearing the bacteria everywhere when you turn the board over but didn't want to come across as too clever by half ?

I just have one wooden board which get used for everything. I wash it with hot soapy water and a scrubbing brush after I use it. If I'm doing meat and veg that is all going into the same pot I don't wash it between stuff, but would if I was going to then cut fruit or salad.

I don't turn it over either, would make the kitchen top mucky

*slaps own wrists*

Must stop doing the flippy thing then. I do wash all my surfaces properly after, but I guess its a habit I shouldn't get into.

yes..i also have 2 chopping boards - wooden and plastic. The traditional wooden is good for cutting vegetables particularly bell pepper, celery or even cabbage .while platic cutting board is used for meat as it is easy to clean

I also have one i only use for meat and a different colour for bread/veg.