SC - What I wish I knew (was WoW)

[Rayne or Richard]

Allison,

I sent the answer privately to a few individuals who emailed me privately for an
answer, but since others are also curious I will answer to the group.  Please
note that I am NOT a microbiologist and am just the "messenger".  i.e.  Don't
shoot!

Here is what I remember that my sister told me.  Glass cutting boards can be
scratched by knives over a period of time.  You can run your hand across them
and feel the grooves.  Where do
the glass slivers go? ...into you by way of the food the slivers stick to.  Also
glass is hard on knives.  For knives to do really good, they need to be really
sharp and the glass dulls them.

Now the following was a test that was done in her Lab.  They took a plastic
cutting board and a wooden cutting board and put "bugs" on it.  The
bacterial kind-of bugs and left them there.  Then they checked the boards
at regular time periods.  Even after "regular" washing the "bugs" were
still there.  To clean the plastic cutting board correctly do this:  Wash and
rinse
the board, then place dry paper towels on the board.  Then pour bleach -
full strength - over the paper towels and let sit for a hour or so.  Then rinse
off the bleach and the paper towels (what is left of them) and wash in hot
soapy water and rinse.  The "bugs" in cleaned, washed vegetables and bread
do fine on the plastic board.  (A personally note from ME:  I guess soaking in
full-strength bleach would do the same thing, just it would use more bleach.)

Now to the wooden cutting board - something amazing happened on the wooden
cutting board - after cleaning by "regular" methods the remaining bugs that
were left on it after an extended period of time they DISAPPEARED!  It
turns out that wood is ALIVE and has something in it that killed the
"bugs".  Wood needs to be cleaned thoroughly in hot soapy water, rinsed
well, towel dried and left alone.  It's "magic" powers will do the rest!

What is the "regular method" of cleaning?  - Wiping down with a soapy/wet
cloth and drying.  (Yes, many people clean their boards like that)

Also - most plastic cutting boards can be put into the dish washer - BUT
they still need to be bleached regularly.  Once a week or so is fine.

Do not put wooden cutting boards in the dish washer - it dries out the
wood, can cause the wooden slates to separate and kills the surface "good
bugs".  And chemicals that kill the surface germs harm the "good wooden
bugs" and can damage the wood.  Remember wood is porous and it absorbs the
chemicals.

The main reason SHE (my sister and now I) use two different types of boards is
to
avoid any confusion.  It is easier to remember: plastic for this and wood for
that -
THAN:  Use this wooden board for this and "That" wooden board for that....

Hope this helps.

Rayne

LYN M PARKINSON wrote:

> >> Now it is wooden cutting boards for meat and fish and plastic for
> vegetables and breads.  Just my 2 cents (sense) worth.<<
>
> Why on earth, Rayne?  Do you know?  Very few carrots bleed into the
> fibers of plastic!  And wood, treated with disinfectants and/or bleach
> has such a *lovely* look and smell to it!
>
> Regards,
>
> Allison--a Chirurgeon in the kitchen, along with Phlip, Caitlin, and a
> host of others...
>
> allilyn at juno.com, Barony Marche of the Debatable Lands, Pittsburgh, PA
> Kingdom of Aethelmearc
>



============================================================================

To be removed from the SCA-Cooks mailing list, please send a message to
Majordomo at Ansteorra.ORG with the message body of "unsubscribe SCA-Cooks".

============================================================================