Last Updated on September 12, 2024
I spend a great deal of time inside the kitchen experimenting with scraptastic recipes and filming these I actually like. In actuality, my new cookbook 101 Concepts For a Zero Waste Kitchen is in the marketplace for purchase now!
I can’t let you realize the time frame I spent chopping meals up on chopping boards. The frequent American spends roughly 400 hours a yr inside the kitchen, and I am going to have beat that stat.
Among the many hyperlinks on this put up are affiliate hyperlinks; for further information please see my disclosure protection.
Nevertheless I converse from experience as soon as I say not every chopping board is created equal. As anyone who reworked 90 scrappy recipes for a cookbook, I needed one factor that won’t solely preserve up, however as well as not launch microplastics every time I chopped into it.
For individuals who private a chopping board fabricated from plastic, or a wooden one with a plastic coating, likelihood is you will be ingesting a notable amount of microplastics out of your chopping board alone (further on that later).
That’s why I prefer to suggest switching to a wooden chopping board that’s made with out plastic coatings or glues.
Getting a sturdy robust slab of wood is an funding that pays off in your nicely being, and the planet. You merely need to make sure the mannequin is sourcing the wood sustainably and that there aren’t any doubtlessly questionable coatings, glues or finishings used.
Listed below are among the many biggest wooden chopping board producers within the market.
should you stop using plastic chopping boards?
In case you have got a plastic chopping board, likelihood is you will want to bear in mind switching to a wooden chopping board. Plastic chopping boards shed microplastics launched all through chopping on them.
In line with a newest analysistwo kinds of plastic chopping boards (polyethylene and polypropylene) had been studied for releasing microplastics into human meals.
The analysis found a per-person annual publicity of seven.4–50.7 g of microplastics from a polyethylene chopping board and 49.5 g of microplastics from a polypropylene chopping board. In numerous phrases, every had been releasing microplastics – though polypropylene was confirmed to launch further.
These microplastics end up in our meals, and eventually us. Microplastics haven’t too way back been current in human blood, feces, placentas, and even brains. Whereas the nicely being outcomes of microplastic consumption are nonetheless being researched, it’ll most likely’t be good.
Whereas it will likely be unimaginable to stay away from microplastics utterly, lowering the amount we’re uncovered to every day is an environment friendly place to start.
You’ll be able to do that by switching to a wooden chopping board that doesn’t have any plastic resin or coating.
Listed below are one other strategies to stay away from microplastics:
- Choose pure supplies each time doable (paying homage to cotton, hemp and linen) for garments and bedsheets.
- Mud and vacuum frequently (microplastics can linger in mud, inflicting us to inadvertently breathe them in).
- Change to plastic-free tea baggage which could be labeled compostable on the packaging (Yogi and Pukka are good examples). You might as nicely assist Arbor Teaswhich has an assortment of loose-leaf tea in compostable packaging. Or get free leaf tea package-free at your native bulk meals retailer.
what to utilize in its place of plastic chopping boards?
As a substitute of plastic chopping boards, you should use wooden, glass or stone chopping boards. Wooden is my personal hottest methodology.
However, be advised not all wooden chopping boards are created equal. Many wooden chopping boards have glues and resins on them.
Some wooden chopping boards are crafted from a single block of wood, nonetheless as a rule they comprise gadgets of wood which could be glued collectively.
Chopping board provides fall beneath the FDA “meals contact substances” and “indirect meals elements” legal guidelines since any part of a chopping board can contact your meals.
The FDA considers meals contact substances like glue resins/polymers meals safe once they’re totally cured (utterly dried).
However, some permitted substances like melamine-formaldehyde resins can launch harmful gases and set off totally different factors for human and environmental nicely being alike.
For that motive, it’s biggest to stay away from wooden chopping boards formulated with any glue resins or polymers. You’ll be able to do that by looking out for robust slabs of wood: Many customary wooden chopping boards are merely assorted gadgets of lumber glued collectively.
This said, it might be exhausting to find a wooden chopping board that’s glue-free. For individuals who’re unsure, you need to positively attain out to the mannequin and ask.
For individuals who truly cannot stay away from glue in wooden chopping boards, for reference, Titebond III and Gorilla Picket Glue are every thought-about safer for meals contact.
Moreover, remember that petroleum-derived wood preservatives like parafin wax and petroleum hydrocarbon resin are usually used as finishes. Looking out for boards with beeswax coatings, or none the least bit, is preferable.
what is the biggest wood for a chopping board?
Among the finest wood for a chopping board are hardwoods, paying homage to maple, walnut and birch. It’s as a result of they’re further sturdy and resistant to moisture absorption.
Ideally it’s best to seek for Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) licensed wooden chopping boards, as this ensures the wood comes from a sustainably managed forest.
However, bamboo is one different wood-like chance: Whereas technically not categorised as a “wood” nonetheless a grass, it has comparable properties to hardwoods.
Furthermore, bamboo grows once more sooner than hardwood timber, making it further renewable. For that motive, I’ve chosen to include some bamboo chopping board decisions alongside standard wooden ones on this roundup.
tips about tips on how to maintain a wooden chopping board
One draw again to wooden chopping boards is that they’re liable to warping and drying out. Nevertheless that’s all preventable! You merely ought to take care of them with care and always hand wash them (stay away from the dishwasher the least bit costs!).
It’s moreover an excellent suggestion to grease your boards recurrently. This could assure your wooden chopping board lasts for years to return again.
to scrub your wooden chopping board:
- Handwash using a wooden dish brush and delicate dish cleansing cleaning soap (bar cleansing cleaning soap or liquid cleansing cleaning soap will do). Let it air dry totally sooner than putting it away.
- For highly effective stains, sprinkle some baking soda and scrub away.
- In case your board is smelly, use salt and a lemon to deodorize your board.
for oiling your wooden chopping board:
- For individuals who uncover your board turning into brittle and dry, it’s time to grease and wax it! This plant-based chopping board oil from Precise Milk Paint is mineral-oil free and non-toxic. Merely add a bit of bit to your board, then let the oil sit on the ground for at least 10-Quarter-hour, or as a lot as 24 hours at most. Buff the ground with a transparent, lint-free material to remove further and create sheen.
- For individuals who’d like, you presumably can adjust to it up with some Precise Milk Paint wood wax as properly. Using a transparent rag, apply the wood wax, letting it keep on the ground for 10-Quarter-hour, then buff off the excess with one different clear material. Keep in mind to attend 5 to 7 days sooner than frivolously using your chopping board. Keep in mind that Picket Wax by the Precise Milk Paint Co. takes 15 to 30 days to utterly therapy, so plan your initiatives accordingly.
Oiling and waxing your board all relies upon upon when the board begins to look thirsty (aka dried out).
Doing an oiling every month is nice, nonetheless proper right here’s one surefire technique to tell if it needs it: For individuals who sprinkle just some drops of water on the board alongside along with your fingertips, and it beads up, your board is sufficiently oiled. However, if the water disperses or soaks into the wood, your board needs further oil.
gzw permitted wooden chopping boards
Listed below are some producers that promote wooden chopping boards and get the Going Zero Waste seal of approval. Various these producers benefit from FSC licensed wood, and loads of are handmade from one slab of wood (in its place of various gadgets glued collectively).
I’ve gone ahead and highlighted some key choices of each mannequin, but it surely certainly isn’t an exhaustive report. Keep in mind to strive their internet sites for further information.
1. caraway
- Created from FSC-certified birch wood
- 4-piece board set (small, medium, large)
- Storage organizer included
- Mineral oil + wax finish
Whereas I haven’t tried out Caraway’s chopping boards, I’ve tried out their cookware and bakeware. I can attest to their high-quality merchandise, so I’ve little query their chopping boards are equally sound.
2. bamboo
- Created from FSC-certified bamboo
- Medium + large measurement decisions
- Constructed using a water-based, food-grade adhesive imported from Europe that accommodates no formaldehyde
- Hand accomplished with food-safe wood oil
- USDA Licensed Biobased
- No lacquer coating
- B firm
I’ve tried their chopping board sooner than and beloved it! I’ve a small one. I’ve been using it for a few yr now and it has held up moderately nicely. It’s surprisingly sturdy and nonetheless appears to be truly good! I even have their wood and bamboo oil which does an vital job upkeeping the board.
3. made commerce
- Created from sustainably harvested Teak wood
- Small + large measurement decisions
- Handcrafted in Panama by the professional artisans of Trasto
4. treeboard
- Sustainably sourced maple and oak wooden chopping boards
- Made with out glue or petroleum merchandise
- Decrease from a powerful block of wood of their Maryland workshop
- Hand accomplished with pure raw linseed oil and their very personal board balm.
- Each board comes with a complimentary tin of their very personal plant-based board balm
5. andrew pearce
- Made with responsibly sourced cherry or walnut wood
- Small, medium + large measurement decisions
- Dwell edge chopping boards made with none glues
- Accomplished with their food-safe, allergen-free Walnut Picket Oil
- Handmade in Vermont
What do you take into account these wooden chopping board decisions? Let me know inside the suggestions!