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[ Cutting Tools, Sharpening, Cheese Tools ]

Cutting Boards

A necessity in every kitchen, cutting boards can take the form of many types and styles. Decorative; to enhance a presentation of particular foods e.g. cheese or possibly bread boards. Carving boards are often used to enhance and add to the theatre of, "the carvery", popular with Thanks Giving, Christmas or at hotel buffets etc.

The principal purpose being to protect surfaces from foods and protect your knife from leaving marks on bench tops. Whatever the application, board type or style, a true cutting board should be common in one feature, that is, boards should be yielding to a knife's edge. This is to say, that the board should be softer, much softer than the knifes' cutting edge, therefore, preserving a sharp working edge for longer on your knives which means less sharpening and less wear on your knives. One should expect cut marks in the surface of your cutting board, this is normal. Avoid boards that do not mark! If they don't mark with normal knife use, chances are that your knife is being worn out unduly. The board types to avoid, broadly speaking is, glass and glass derivatives, laminates and some hard plastics, stainless steel and some very hard woods, stone based material such as marble, granite etc.

Polyethylene is a man made, soft, hygienic material which is mostly not effected by moisture and is fairly maintenance free. It is recommended that plastic boards be well washed between uses. A light dilution of bleach is often recommended, rinsed thoroughly. Segregate boards to reserve them for their intended purpose, the polyethylene range has been colour coded for specific uses to help avoid possible cross contamination of foods, e.g. Red = raw meat, Blue = fish, Yellow = poultry, Green = vegetables or fruit, Brown = cooked meat, White = Dairy product (or general purpose). Commercially this coding is required by some health authorities (HACCP).

Wooden boards should be made from a renewable, softwood (for general cutting and chopping). Hardwoods are often preferred for presentation, as they can have end user appeal and aesthetics, usually because they can have interesting grain configurations.

Raw untreated boards must be prepared prior to use. Most raw softwood boards are kiln dried before manufacture, this keeps the timber stable during manufacturing process. The timber is left dry and vulnerable to moisture, therefore, it is imperative that the board has some protection prior to use. This protection can come in a variety of forms. The best form is to replace the natural oils that have been removed during the drying process.

This is easy to achieve, by feeding your new untreated board with linseed (flax seed) oil or sunflower oil. Now, here a tip - oil the board all over - evenly, back front sides and especially the ends where the end grain is exposed. Rub the oil into the timber, sometimes several times, furthermore, allow the oil to penetrate deep into the board, possibly overnight. This will provide good, natural protection for your new board. Washing; rinse down only and allow to dry on edge, ensuring that the edge that is resting on is not in a "pooled" stand of water. Best solution is a board rack, this storage rack not only stores your cutting boards on edge, allowing you to choose easily, but the rack is elevated so the board doesn't suffer from "wet feet" syndrome allowing air to naturally dry your valuable boards.
No dishwashers please - ever!

With all wooden products, being a natural material, is subject to change, usually due to environment and conditions in which it is kept. Renewable, plantation, natural wooden boards are generally bonded with industrial, environmentally safe glues. We go to extreme lengths to obtain the best available materials for our wooden boards, employing only experienced, well practised craftsmen. It should be noted that timber can "move", especially when exposed to moisture, heat and unexplained circumstances. The potential pressure from distorting or moving timber is enormous and can and will often delaminate glue joints exposing a gap usually at the exposed ends of the board. Furthermore, the same pressures can warp or actually split a piece of timber. All timber product are carefully inspected by our team to ensure the highest possible quality is delivered prior to sale, timber is a natural product and we cannot anticipate the end users treatment, preparation, washing practices, storage environments or natural movement of the timber. Therefore, please be advised that no warranty or guarantee, expressed or implied, accompanies any wooden products sold by Scullerymade.