Original cutting boards: convenience and creativity
Cutting board is a necessary attributemodern kitchen, without which it is difficult to imagine the process of cooking. Usually, a minimum of requirements are imposed on a cutting board, it must be, first and foremost, clean and durable. But there are quite a few very original and non-standard models of boards, which are designed to make kitchen work more simple and convenient, and also serve as a bright accessory among traditional kitchen utensils.
Number of chopping boards in the kitchen
According to the hygiene norms and standards of one boardfor all products is not enough. Ideally, each type of food should have its own kitchen board. In public catering establishments and professionally equipped kitchens, the number of boards reaches 10-12, or even more. In regular apartments there must be at least two cutting boards, but the acceptable and safe number of boards in the kitchen is four. 
The basic concept of separation is as follows: products that we eat in raw form (vegetables, fruits, bread products) can not be cut on the same board on which we cut meat and fish. The reason is that the meat can be pathogenic bacteria. When heat-treated meat they die and the cooked dish is harmless to humans. But on the board, bacteria can live for a long time, even if it is good to wash it. Accordingly, cutting the bread on such a board, you can get a dangerous infection. It is also desirable to separate the board for meat and for fish, because a strong fishy smell is not so easy to pull out. Total, it is desirable that in your kitchen arsenal there were separate boards for raw meat, fish, bread and everything else (vegetables, cheese, greens). At home, it is convenient to use boards of different colors and shapes or neatly sign them, so as not to confuse the appointment.
Types of cutting boards
Chopping boards are divided according to the materialtheir manufacture. The traditional material for kitchen boards is a tree. Wood has a rough texture, the products on the wooden surface do not slip, and the knives do not so quickly become blunt. The quality of the wooden boards depends on the wood species. The cheapest and short-lived softwood boards are pine and birch. Longer serve boards from oak, beech, acacia. They are more expensive, but almost do not absorb moisture and odors. Also, it is worth paying attention to whether the board is glued from fragments or cut from a solid tree array. Oddly enough, choose the first option, since it is less prone to deformation. The main drawback of cutting boards from wood is their unhygienic and high rates of absorption of odors and moisture, but as already mentioned above, it all depends on the wood species and the quality of production. After each use, the wooden board should be washed under hot water with a small amount of detergent and leave to dry in a suspended form. It is not recommended to wash the board in a dishwasher, it will quickly become unusable. 
Unlike wood, glass is considered the mosthygienic material, it is easy to wash, including in a dishwasher. Special glass is resistant to abrasion, deformation, it is difficult to break it. On a glass board, you can even easily beat the meat. Neither the smell nor the moisture, of course, is absorbed. It is glass models that often abound with decorative design, various patterns and drawings, bright colors make such boards a real decoration of the kitchen space. When choosing a glass cutting board, pay attention to the rubberized legs, which will ensure a tight grip on the table surface. It is desirable that the glass was heat-resistant, then the kitchen board can be used as a stand for hot pans or pans. Among the shortcomings of glass cutting boards, one can note the unpleasant sound from the contact of a metal knife with glass, as well as the need to catch slipping products from the perfectly smooth surface of the board. When working on such a board, the blades become blunt faster. 
Plastic boards have recently becomemore and more popular. They have all the advantages of a glass board, that is, they are durable, resistant to abrasion, they do not absorb odors and moisture, they are easy to clean, but the products do not slip on a plastic, slightly rough surface, knives fail and the unpleasant sound does not appear. In addition, plastic is lighter than wood and glass. But all this applies only to high-quality certified models, the cost of which is sometimes comparable to expensive wooden or designer glass boards. Usually polyethylene or polypropylene is used for manufacturing. The lack of even expensive and high quality plastic boards - they do not withstand high temperatures, so do not use it as a stand for a hotter long time. We do not recommend buying a cheap board, the chemical composition of which is not known and whose certification is not known. Such a cutting board is quickly covered with cuts, and harmful toxic substances can penetrate into food products. 
Original cutting boards
The shape of the cutting board can be any, buttraditionally used rectangular as the most convenient. The standard thickness of the board is from 0.5 to 1 cm, although it is better to take a thicker 1.5-2 cm to cut the meat, suddenly you need to cut the meat. Dimensions of cutting boards are also better to choose for food, for example, for bread - a little more than a standard loaf, and for rolling a dough you need a long and wide board. And now - the most interesting! Modern cutting boards can be very different from the generally accepted standards. Despite the apparent simplicity of the board, manufacturers and even eminent designers continue to work miracles and in every way to modify this kitchen accessory, adding new functions and experimenting with shape, color and design. Basically, the most original cutting boards are made of wood, although there are also plastic unusual models. Glass boards are practically not modified in any way, as there is a huge variety of decorative designs - from photo printing to stained glass. Chopping boards on a sink are made, as a rule, from plastic. The board has a built-in colander for washing fruit and vegetables. There you can also sliced the sliced products. In most models, the colander is removable, so the cutting board can also be used on the table top.
Many mistresses dream of a special hole in theThe working surface of the table, where you can immediately dump cleaning and waste. This function is fully realized in the cutting boards, where both the cleaning hole and the containers for the cut products are provided, and it is possible to conveniently place the plate where the ingredients for the salad can be thrown off with a light movement of the knife. Perhaps, this is the most useful improvement of a conventional cutting board. 
Attention was also paid to the possibility of usingCutting board as a place for storing knives. The kitchen board turns into a box, where in the appropriate slots there are tools for cleaning vegetables or cutting cheese. 
You already know that in the kitchen there should beat least two, and preferably four cutting boards. Obviously, different original models can be present in a single copy, but there are also convenient sets of boards just for different products. They are usually made of plastic, marked and do not take up much space. 
Many manufacturers deviate from the standard rectangular form and cut out of the tree unusual boards in the form of different shapes, animals and even outlines of countries and continents! 
Other designers experiment with drawings onsurface of the board. On the plastic image is applied with paint, on wood, a technique of burning or carving is used. Drawing can be both purely decorative in nature, and have quite practical purposes, for example, a table of weights or a ruler. 
Puzzle-puzzle also found its reflection in thecutting boards. Indeed, because for different purposes you need a different size of the board. For the French baguette it is possible to assemble a long board from individual parts, and for a dough - a wide rectangular one. In addition, the notches in the puzzles serve as a holder for a glass! 
To cut the baguette, the French invented a special board with slits. 
Chopping boards can serve as trays during receptions and banquets. 
A board with built-in scales is very useful anda convenient invention not only for professional cooks, but also for those who like to cook exactly according to recipes. With such a cutting board cut 35 grams of pepper and 216 grams of meat will be very simple. 
Glass kitchen boards can also surprise. Imagine the horror of the guests when you cut the cheese on a brand new iPad. The built-in LED lighting will only enhance this similarity. 
Chopping boards made of glass can cover the hob. This is very important in case of limited space in the kitchen. 
Plastic cutting board - transformergreatly simplify the life of the hostess in the kitchen. The board has the ability to fold along the folds, which is very convenient for pouring the sliced products into a plate. Also in it you can wash vegetables, greens and fruits. 
You can also use the edge of the table. 
This cutting board is an excellent option, which uses not quite a comfortable place on the corner of the countertop. A round board removes a right angle and adds a little work space.
