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Cutting board: Wood, plastic, or glass?

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Which is safer a wood, plastic, marble, or glass cutting board?

Which is safer, wood cutting boards, plastic cutting boards, or glass cutting boards? It can be more than a little confusing to know which cutting surface is the safest to use in your home. Outbreaks of E-coli and Salmonella have food safety concerns at the forefront of kitchen safety and our cutting boards are a primary location to have these bacteria spread.

It is very important to protect yourself and your family from E-Coli, salmonella, and other food related bacteria so knowing which cutting board surface is the safest really is important. So which is the safest cutting board surface, wood, plastic, or glass cutting boards.

A standard wood cutting board started it all.

Catskill Craftsmen Super Slab with Finger Grooves

Amazon Price: $120.00 (as of 06/04/2012)

A beautiful natural wood kitchen cutting block board can be a delightful home decor item for adding old country charm to your kitchen. Cutting boards are a also a very necessary kitchen tool. They help to protect counter tops from everyday scratches and gouges.

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Studies on bacteria and cutting boards...

Wood was the first material thought to be the safest for food cutting surfaces but with the creation of glass and plastic cutting boards it has became a little more difficult to figure out which cutting board surface is the safest to use.

With other cutting surfaces now being used in the kitchen research studies were initiated to see exactly which board surface would keep consumers the safest from food borne bacterias. The first studies applied equal amounts of e-coli and salmonella bacteria to both wooden and plastic cutting surfaces. The cutting boards were left to sit and then tested to see which was the safest for human use.

It was discovered that the bacteria not only thrived on the plastic surface but that it also multiplied. On the wood cutting board these same bacteria tended to disappear within three minutes of application. Cleaning each of the tested boards with hot soapy water successfully killed the bacteria on both types of cutting board.

When the first cutting board safety studies were conducted it was concluded that wooden surfaces had anti-bacterial properties and that the bacteria within these wood cutting boards began to die off within a minute of application. This lead researchers to believe that wood cutting boards were the safest cutting surface for cooks to use. Food safety now being a primary concern of the kitchen.

So are glass cutting boards the safest alternative?

McGowan's TufTop Blackbird and Bullfinch Tempered Glass Cutting Board. 12 by 9 inches.

Amazon Price: $20.95 (as of 06/04/2012)

A beautiful glass cutting board can add a delightful springtime feeling to your kitchen. The kitchen really is the heart of the home.

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Second wave of studies on bacteria and cutting board safety...

The first cutting board research seemed to indicate that wood cutting boards were a very safe against food borne bacteria but later research was to change the theory that wood cutting surfaces were safer than the newer plastic models.

The next cutting board safety study proved that instead of dying off, the bacteria on the wood cutting boards were actually absorbed into the wood, so still very much able to potentially infect food.

The live bacteria was no longer causing contamination to the surface of the wood cutting board, but was still present, and existing within the board itself. This brought up new concerns that this hidden bacteria could reappear at a later time to contaminate food being worked on the wood cutting surface.

This discovery then returned the verdict that plastic surfaces were indeed the safer cutting board alternative. Concerns about the still live bacteria living within the wood cutting board and it being able emerge at a later time contrasted with the surface cleaning of plastic cutting boards with hot soapy water effectively removing the applied bacteria from it's surface area.

Cutting board: Wood, plastic, or glass?

Which is safer a wood, plastic, marble, or glass cutting board?

A standard wood cutting board started it all.

Studies on bacteria and cutting boards...

So are glass cutting boards the safest alternative?

Second wave of studies on bacteria and cutting board safety...

Wood cutting boards were the original popular choice in cutting surfaces.

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Choosing a safe cutting board surface is important.

Round White marble cutting surface...

New studies changed the results of the original cutting board study...

A decorative glass cutting board is a novel way to decor your kitchen.

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Which do you think is the safest cutting board surface?

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How to clean a cutting board...

Marble cutting boards combine the qualities of style, durability, and safety.

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So what is the safest cutting board?

Wood cutting surface...

So are glass cutting boards the safest alternative?

Glass cutting boards are decorative and easily cleaned.

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A simple old fashioned kitchen cart.

The latest news on cutting boards...

Most of us have a cutting board in our kitchen.

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