Which kind of cutting board holds bacteria from raw meats? Should I use plastic, or glass, or wood?

Question

Im a mom, and I just bought a white plastic cutting board, and my husband says that the plastic holds bacteria, and the wood ones don't. I say its the other way around. What about glass? I think all cutting boards could be cleaned with bleach, but since wood is a natural living surface, I think It would hold bacteria. Anyone have any knowledge of this? A chef, or someone from the FDA?

Answer 1

Plastic is appropriate for meats and fish. Primarily because you can clean plastic with a sanitizer product or dishwasher between usages. Wood should not be cleaned with anything other than soap and water,should only be cleaned by hand and needs to be throughly towel dried and set on side for best drying conditions.

Answer 2

Good Housekeeping addressed this a few years back. Wood boards are difficult to clean because bacteria gets between the slats. Even though wooden boards now have protective surfaces, wear and tear will allow seepage. Plastic boards are safest. Wash well with hot soapy water after contact with raw beef or chicken.

I've used my plastic boards for 15 years.

Answer 3

I'm not from the FDA, but I love to cook and I just happen to know this.
You should use a glass cutting board if at all possible. It's the easiest to sanitize.
If that's not available, you can use plastic, but you run into some problems with it when there are knife cuts in the material...plastic is still porous and can hide harmful bacteria.
Wood should be an absolute last resort. They're nasty.

Answer 4

I would think of the three glass would be best because you can clean it well and less chance of cuts that could hold bacteria. The plastic you can dishwash easy, the wood can be bleached. Not being smart but just because a Chef says so doesn't make it so, and needless to say the trickery of the Government.....

Answer 5

Actually, I took a class in food handling to get certified by the state. You are correct in stating that wood is the worst offender of holding bacteria, mostly because it is more porous than other materials. Because of this, I use plastic cutting boards and after washing with hot soap and water, sanitize with bleach water or the sanitize cycle of the dishwasher.

Answer 6

I've read that plastic surprisingly holds more bacteria than wood. A glass board wouldn't last a week in my kitchen!

Answer 7

Since plastic cutting boards are usually harder than wooden ones ( at least the better quality ones) they are less "forgiving" and tend to bend the cutting edge of a knife more readily ( that's what causes a blade to be dull). The major disadvantage of wood cutting boards is that since they sustain deeper residual cuts when used they are harder to keep sanitary because just cleaning the surface is usually insufficient. That's why to clean a butcher block you have to actually scrape the surface and then wash down with strong cleaning agent. At home I immerse my plastic boards in hot, soapy, bleach water after using. And as a final thought: be sure to keep your knives properly sharpened. A dull knife is much more dangerous than a sharp one.

Answer 8

Wood holds bacteria in the grain as well in the nicks and cuts from your knife--it's kind to your knife blade, tho.

Plastic boards can hold bacteria in nicks and cuts but the answer to that is to put it through your dishwasher like they do in restaurants. Once again, it is kind to your knife blades.

Never use glass or ceramic for chopping, cutting or carving as they will damage your knives.

Since I am always cooking on location and I need to protect my knives--they are expensive, I use disposable boards as well as the flexible ones that you can buy for about $4.00 for a pack of three. They work great and all I have to do is pick them up, curve them in the middle and pour the contents in the pan--or zip bag. I use them on counter tops wherever I go and they cause no damage--and I clean them with Clorox Clean-up and rinse well.

Answer 9

it's the wood ones that are bad. The juices soak into the wood. How could plastic hold anything, it's not a porous surface.

Answer 10

Believe it or not, Wood is the best. It has a natural anti-bacterial in it that prevents growth. Both glass and plastic do worse in tests.