What kind of cutting board do you use?

[otto]

I'm going to need a new one pretty quickly. Do you use glass? Is there something better?

I've been looking at these thin flexible...plastic? ones. They make big claims, but do they stand up to the job?

something like this:

 

[andrya]

l use a glass one. Well, l say l use a glass one, and l get it out whenever l'm chopping or cutting, but l usually end up using a dinner plate.

 

[ldg]

I just use a plastic one so I can toss it in the sink and bleach it along with the sink.

But as I don't really use knives, I don't really actually "need" a cutting board per se.

 

[otto]

I just use a plastic one so I can toss it in the sink and bleach it along with the sink.
But as I don't really use knives, I don't really actually "need" a cutting board per se.

Hmm..there's a good argument for the shears, LOL. The thing is, with my arthritic hands, using any kind of scissors can be very difficult for me. So I'm still on the fence about that.....

 

[ldg]

Oh yeah, I can see that could be a problem. I had a bout of Lyme again this year, and the joint problem in my hands was tough. I'm taking the krill oil now though, and even though I don't have lyme now, I can totally see a difference. If you're using an omega supplement, if it's not krill, you really might want to consider changing what you're taking - it might help a LOT. :nod:

 

[otto]

Scissors! Okay, I'm sold. You're right, it is so much faster and easier. Hopefully I'll build some muscle in my fingers and it won't hurt so much, because clearly this is the best way. My right hand isn't a stranger to scissors after all, because I do sew a bit, making the cat beds and cat toys. But that isn't the same kind of use as cutting meat. I may have to spend the money to get something with specially reinforced handles, I'll see how my hand does this time.

My hand hurts a lot now, from cutting up 24 ounces of turkey thigh. It only took 15 minutes, but I know it may hurt worse tomorrow. But oh my gosh so fast!

 

[misscherry]

I use an Oxo Good Grips plastic one. When i'm done with it i clean it with white vinegar to disinfect it. 

 

[mani]

 I love the look and feel of wood and will always go natural rather than plastic.  I have many different sizes and regularly rub them down with lemons, wash and oil them.

Glass will ruin your knives!

And scissors are great.

 

[carolina]

I just use a plastic one so I can toss it in the sink and bleach it along with the sink.
But as I don't really use knives, I don't really actually "need" a cutting board per se.

I have 2, both are the regular plastic ones.... I don't like the wood ones as they soak in the blood and juices.... I just wash the boards and spray with clorox anywhere, and done.
I do use a knife though.

 

[carolina]

My hand hurts a lot now, from cutting up 24 ounces of turkey thigh. It only took 15 minutes, but I know it may hurt worse tomorrow. But oh my gosh so fast!

Doesn't it? It is great to remove the fat from the meat :nod: nothing better..... Knives are a waste of time for those jobs. Also for bagging and cutting meat into smaller pieces.... I just can't live without my shears - they are my best friend :nod:

 

[otto]

It's incredible, I can't believe I was ever resistant to the idea. I didn't even have to buy a pair, I have them already, they came with my knife set in a block of wood that I got for a Christmas present a few years ago.

I used to try to use them as sewing scissors and I couldn't understand why they were no good for that, not realizing that there is a difference between regular scissors and kitchen shears. :lol3:

 

[ldg]

It's incredible, I can't believe I was ever resistant to the idea. I didn't even have to buy a pair, I have them already, they came with my knife set in a block of wood that I got for a Christmas present a few years ago.
I used to try to use them as sewing scissors and I couldn't understand why they were no good for that, not realizing that there is a difference between regular scissors and kitchen shears. :lol3:

So I'm not the only crazy one that doesn't use a knife now?

 

[auntie crazy]

I use kitchen shears for bone-in meals, but I use a nice carving knife for everything else. I take good care of the knife and find it to be amazingly easy to use... it slices just as smooth as one could wish through the meats and organs. To be honest, I can't even imagine using the shears for prepping and bagging meat and organs; seems like twice the work with twice the equipment!
 

Part of caring for knives is using appropriate cutting surfaces, and that's really (from everything I understand - I'm no expert in the kitchen) a wooden cutting board. Hmmmm, that may even be part of the reason some of you are finding the shears easier than the knives - if you're using a glass plate or cutting board, you're flattening your knife edge with every stroke. Working with a nicely sharpened blade is a true joy, but working with a dull one is a classic exercise in frustration. From that perspective, I can totally see preferring the shears.

I wash the board with dish detergent and rinse it very thoroughly after each use and, about once a week, I run it through the dishwasher. This is the board and knife set I have:

51T2XM9ZSvL._SL1280_.jpg

• auntie crazy
• Oct 26, 2012

(except my set includes a pair of shears)

31VXfp8XyZL.jpg

• auntie crazy
• Oct 26, 2012

AC

 

[ldg]

I've just never worked in the kitchen much, and am not adept at using a knife. :dk: Having tried a knife, and finding less to clean up with shears...

 

[auntie crazy]

I only know the little I know about knives and shears and cutting boards because of the cats - all my food is either delivered or microwaved. *rolls eyes at self* ;-}

AC

 

[ldg]

:lol3: We have a great knife set, because we could afford it back in the day... Gary is a FABULOUS chef (nope, not "cook!" ), and we used to do a lot of (customer) entertaining. Gary keeps our knives in peak condition.... and is appalled that I only use shears. He literally winces. :lol3:

But I didn't like the learning curve for using knives - it hurts to keep handling raw meat when you have little slivers of slices on your fingers from SUCH sharp knives. For me, it's easiest to hold the meat in my left hand and just snip with my right. Don't forget - I don't feed bones, so I usually have boneless meat. I just snip it straight into the baggie on the scale - 10oz, move on to next one. (I usually get it in one chunk at this point though). And when I feed individual meals, I just hold the meat over the dish on the scale, and snip 3-4 strips until it hits the right weight. You just portion yours up between the cats without measuring - and I measure each - some of them down to the .05 of an ounce. So it's more efficient for me to use shears - without risk of nicking myself because I'm holding the meat. :dk:

 

[otto]

That's how I do now Laurie, hold the piece of meat over the scale (dish on scale) and snip until I get the right weight. I love using scissors and my fingers and hand aren't hurting as much, as I get more used to it.

I'm like you, never have had much interest in being in the kitchen, which was another one of my initial resistances to trying raw feeding.:lol3:

 

[auntie crazy]

Here's a not funny at the time, but funny now story you will probably appreciate...

When I first started using my preferred knife (the one in the middle of the pic above), being a total neophyte in the kitchen, I constantly nicked myself. A couple of days in, I sliced one of my fingers pretty good and was bleeding fairly profusely. Since the cats still needed to be fed, I kept rinsing the cut and working on the meat. Once everything was ready for the cats, I rinsed off any blood I could see on the meat and fed them.

Later that night, I was lying in bed reading when one of the cats (don't even remember who anymore) came over and started licking that same hand. Suddenly, with a shocking clarity that pierced my brain and pinned me to the bed, I shuddered with the awareness that my cats now had a taste for my own flesh, and I was being licked in prep for possibly being eaten. My adrenaline shot through the roof, my breath came fast and I thought, "OMG, what have I done?"

The panic attack lasted about the same amount of time it took to describe it just now and then my common sense, thankfully, reasserted itself. And, of course, the cat was only licking me because he or she was in an affectionate mood.

All this time later, I can laugh about that instant of fear, but at the time, it was crazy real.  *whew!*

AC

 

[otto]

AC that is HILARIOUS! Thanks for sharing it. :lol3:

 

[mrblanche]

Actual research has shown that wood cutting boards are more hygienic than plastic ones.  Doesn't seem to make sense, does it?

But the research has been questioned a lot.  The researchers theorized that the bacteria liked to live in the tiny cuts, etc., in the plastic, and water that went in there stayed in there, whereas the wood wicked moisture away from the surface and dried out the bacteria, killing them.

So...we all know what happens when we use plastic food bowls for our cats, right?