Bamboo cutting boards?

Quoted message said:

maxine writes:

Recently saw something about these. It said they were
harder than maple, and a much more renewable resource (3-5
years to grow to useful size).

Has anyone tried them? I wonder if they have the same
antibacterial properties that were found in wooden cutting
boards? Are they tougher on knives than wood?

They're a laminate, so essentially they are some sort of
polymer/plastic/epoxy/resin impregnated with bambo bits. I'd
say they are more artsy than functional... and who knows how
detrimental they are to knives... why don't you try one and
report back... I also think for what they are they are
rather costly.

I've switched to plastic cutting boards. They hold up well
and are inexpensive enough to own several, and since they
are are dishwasher safe...

Now I save all my nice wooden cutting boards for serving
and/or cutting relatively dry foods; cheese, dry sausage,
breads, etc.

Btw, if you're hacking up your cutting boards that simply
means you don't know how to properly wield cutlery.

southwestcutlery.comCuttingBoards.htmOpen ↗

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maxine in ri said:

Has anyone tried them? I wonder if they have the same
antibacterial properties that were found in wooden cutting
boards? Are they tougher on knives than wood?

I bought a really nice one, but had to return it because it
cracked almost immediately. Since bamboo doesn't come in
large flat slabs like regular wood, they must be made by
gluing many small sections together. I don't think this is
an issue in itself, as large butcher blocks are made of
glued slabs of wood. I think this one vendor just used
inferior glue. If I find another one that won't crack, I'll
try again. As for bamboo and sanitation, don't worry about
it. I have dozens of bamboo kitchen implements and I've
never had any problems. Let's face it, bamboo has been used
in cooking since before recorded time. If it was a problem,
we'd have noticed it by now.

nb

maxine in ri <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:<[email hidden]>...

Quoted message said:

Recently saw something about these. It said they were
harder than maple, and a much more renewable resource (3-5
years to grow to useful size).

Has anyone tried them? I wonder if they have the same
antibacterial properties that were found in wooden cutting
boards? Are they tougher on knives than wood?

HEY, I saw this on TV, too. (QVC, wasn't it?)

Karen

On Wed, 12 May 2004 10:54:11 -0400, maxine in ri <[email hidden]>

Quoted message said:

Recently saw something about these. It said they were
harder than maple, and a much more renewable resource (3-5
years to grow to useful size).

Has anyone tried them? I wonder if they have the same
antibacterial properties that were found in wooden cutting
boards? Are they tougher on knives than wood?

miri

Pluses:

Yes, bamboo grows extremely fast and can be cut and
cut again.

Bamboo is quite hard and durable.

Bamboo is quite attractive.

Minuses:

Bamboo contains a fair amount of silica, which is hard on
cutting tools used to machine bamboo. It might also tend to
dull a kitchen knife a bit more quickly.

Bamboo "boards" are laminates. Consequently, your cutting
board is probably on the order of 30+% "glue" by weight. You
may be eating a bit more urethane or other resin when you
use the bamboo board. Maple boards are also glued, but their
pieces are much larger and so the glue is a much smaller
fraction of the whole.

Some bamboo "boards" are impregnated with resins to make
them more durable. If that material were used for a
cutting board, it would not be greatly different than
using a block of epoxy.

PENMART01 said:

Quoted message said:

maxine writes:

Recently saw something about these. It said they were

Quoted message said:

They're a laminate, so essentially they are some sort of
polymer/plastic/epoxy/resin impregnated with bambo bits.
I'd say they are more artsy than functional... and who
knows how detrimental they are to knives... why don't you
try one and report back... I also think for what they are
they are rather costly.

Haven't seen them around here yet, and buying kitchen things
is one area where I find it is important to see how the item
feels in your hands before buying. You know, like knives,
pans, hammers.

Quoted message said:

I've switched to plastic cutting boards. They hold up well
and are inexpensive enough to own several, and since they
are are dishwasher safe...

I bought a few of the flexible ones at the local restaurant
wholesaler. Those are nice, inexpensive, last, and are
kindly to knives.

Quoted message said:

Now I save all my nice wooden cutting boards for serving
and/or cutting relatively dry foods; cheese, dry sausage,
breads, etc.

Btw, if you're hacking up your cutting boards that simply
means you don't know how to properly wield cutlery.

Quoted message said:

southwestcutlery.comCuttingBoards.htmOpen ↗

Youch! Not cheap are they?

My wallet just nixed that idea! Thank you for the warnings.

maxine in ri