Bamboo Cutting Boards
One of the emerging trends in the field of home culinary items are bamboo cutting boards. These cutting boards are becoming preferred over plastic and traditional wooden boards for many reasons, which include that they dulls knives less, and are easier to clean. They are made of the renewable source of bamboo, and are the environmentally responsible choice for ecologically minded cooks everywhere.
Board Features
Most bamboo cutting boards are made with many of the same features, no matter the manufacturer. The bamboo cutting boards come in different colors and different grains, and just as many sizes as normal cutting boards. It just depends on what the manufacturer makes and what kind of board the consumer is looking for.
Colors
The colors of bamboo are generally the base color of the bamboo wood. This is because bamboo is hard to color, as the outside of the bamboo is almost as if it's already been painted. The two types of colors you'll see most often in bamboo cutting boards are very simple, light bamboo and dark bamboo.
- Light - The light wood of bamboo cutting boards are the natural color of the bamboo.
- Dark - The dark color of bamboo cutting boards occurs when natural bamboo is steamed. The steaming reaction heats the bamboo and the natural sugars in the bamboo caramelize, kind of like the sugar on top of creme brulee. This color will never fade, as it is baked right into the bamboo.
Of course, there are other factors that make up the features of the cutting boards, including the different grains of the wood.
Grains of the Boards
Like wooden cutting boards, bamboo cutting boards feature different grains which come from different parts of the pieces of bamboo. Bamboo has three different grains, known as vertical, flat, and end grains.
- Vertical grain - The vertical grain of bamboo cutting boards is about one fourth of an inch wide. The vertical grain pieces come from the side of the split pole of bamboo.
- Flat grain - The flat grain of the bamboo cutting boards sold are approximately five-eighths of an inch wide. These pieces come from the face of a bamboo pole.
- End grain - The end grain of the bamboo comes from a cross section of a bamboo pole. This grain is several different sizes, depending on the size of the bamboo pole that it is cut from.
Why to Buy
Aside from being an ecologically responsible choice, because bamboo cutting boards are not made of the precious wood timber that wooden boards are made from, there are many other reasons to purchase a bamboo cutting board. These reasons include:
- The color doesn't fade on a bamboo cutting board.
- Bamboo is sixteen percent harder than Maple wood.
- Bamboo is also one-third stronger than Oak, another popular choice of regular wood cutting boards.
- Bamboo wood doesn't dull expensive knives as quickly as the regular wooden cutting boards or the plastic ones.
- The bamboo cutting boards can be sanded down if necessary and it won't lose the look of the original colors or patterns.
Of course, there are all kinds of reasons to choose a bamboo cutting board. If you're looking to be ecologically friendly, or just want something contemporary in your kitchen, you should consider a bamboo cutting board for your culinary needs.