question about meat prep

[Therese's Mommy]

I will soon be preparing meat for the first time in my life. I am wondering about what I need to do to make sure I don't spread bacteria. I plan on buying a separate cutting board that will be specifically for meat. When I clean that cutting board is it enough to wash it in the dishwasher or do I need to use bleach? I hate using harsh chemicals, so I am hoping that there is an alternative to bleach. TIA!

[witchygrrl]

I think it's plenty to wash it in the dishwasher, or failing that (I have a granite cutting board I sometimes use), I wash it with hot water, soap, and white vinegar. Bleach is overkill. Good Luck!

[ollyoxenfree]

I prefer wooden or bamboo cutting boards, so they cannot go in the dishwasher. Not that we have a dishwasher appliance anyway, lol!

I just use hot soapy water and scrub thoroughly after using. If I'm really concerned, I'll rinse with some diluted vinegar.

While the concerns about preventing foodborne illness with meat are wise, it is a problem with many non-meat foods too. Salmonella and e. choli contanimation are fairly common with sprouts and other greens. Cheese and eggs can also be problematic. I don't think meat is more dangerous, as long as you follow some common sense precautions. Keep it properly refrigerated until you are ready to prep and cook. Don't let it sit out on the kitchen bench. Clean up quickly during and after prep. Good luck!

[serenbat]

You should have a different board for each use- chicken & OR meat, bread/veggies

We use glass for meat (easy to clean) and a wood for bread and veggies

you can also use lemon (just rub on it) as well as vinegar and a stiff brush and hot water!

I personally would not use wood/bamboo for meats

[tinuviel_k]

I prefer using wood or bamboo boards, and I clean them carefully. I do not use the dishwasher on wood or bamboo.

Cooks Illustrated recently did a study where they compared the bacteria levels on wood, plastic, and bamboo cutting boards after washing them with different methods.

First they sent wood, bamboo, and plastic cutting boards to an independent lab. The lab colonized the three types of boards with salmonella bacteria, then cleaned them with diluted bleach, full strength vinegar, or hot soapy water. They found that hot soapy water cleaned all of the cutting boards just as well as bleach or vinegar.

Then they had another independent lab test which type of board material cleaned up the best: wood, bamboo, or plastic. Apparently the bamboo had antimicrobial properties, but all three materials came back perfectly clean and free of bacteria.

So don't worry about your materials: a wood cutting board washed well in hot soapy water is every bit as safe as a plastic one sanitized in bleach water.

Cooks Illustrated also did a test of various cutting board materials to see which ones had the best durability and were friendly to knives. They found that end-grain bamboo cutting boards were the very best (not horizontal grain: you want it to look like miniature butcher block). So if you get end-grain bamboo boards you get the best of all worlds: a pretty and durable board, the one that is easiest on your knives, and it has anti microbial properties as well!

[sellendie]

I agree that bleaching is unnecessary. We have Epicurean natural cutting boards which I love love love. They are wood composite, so they have the feel of wood but are non porous. I also keep bamboo boards for serving cheeses and salami, etc.

[Ola_]

To start, I hate plastic cutting boards. One, they're plastic. Two, they get all scored up with knifes and then are rough and I'm sure keep bacteria in there. Plus you can't scrub them well cause they shred wash cloths.

I have a big wooden cutting board on the counter that I use for most meal prep. The meat/poultry is done on a small glass cutting board that is washed and put away afterwards. We don't eat that much so it's not a big deal to have to take it out. If it's a meat thing that doesn't require much cutting I often just use a regular plate (i.e. if I'm thawing chicken breasts on a plate I'll just cut them up there and then cook).

I wash with hot water and dishsoap, let it dry after. I'm not an anti-bacterial type of person though.

[ollyoxenfree]

Originally Posted by serenbat

I personally would not use wood/bamboo for meats

Why not?

Personally, I don't like glass cutting boards. I find knives dull more rapidly with a glass cutting board. I also just don't like the feel of cutting on glass.

[serenbat]

I use glass for meats and have never had a problem with my knives.

I won't use wood or bamboo for meats because I worry, even with proper cleaning and feel the glass cleans much better.

veggies are what I really chop and wood is best for me for that, I don't CHOP meat, just cutting

[velochic]

I like this site (cooking for engineers) for more technical info on cooking and equipment... like Alton Brown on the web. That link will explain a lot about cooking boards.

Not much else to add, but that I too have read many, many times that glass cutting boards cause severe feathering of blades and results in a need for more frequent sharpening.