Chopping board

Chopping boards are protective surfaces used to protect kitchen counters while food is being prepared. They are usually made of wood or plastic but sometimes they can be made of materials like glass or marble.

Glass and marble chopping boards are less common as the hard material can damage knives while chopping.

Chopping board designs

Chopping boards come in many different shapes and sizes, they are usually square or rectangular but they can also be round.

Some chopping boards are designed to maximize space in your kitchen, some are large enough to cover sinks and hobs, this can add extra counter space. If you are still tight on kitchen space, you can even get your chopping board built into a drawer so you can putt it out whenever you need it!

Other clever designs have removable containers that allow you to store chopped ingredients and measurements engraved on them so you can guarantee you are cutting everything to the correct size. You can also find ones with non-slip feet that prevent it from moving on your kitchen counter.

Minimising food contamination

Plastic chopping boards are used most commonly used by chefs as they don’t damage knives, they can be easily cleaned and they can be colour coded for different kinds of food, minimising food contamination.

Chopping boards in commercial kitchens are usually colour coded like this…

• Red – Is used for chopping raw meat like beef or pork
• Blue – Is used for preparing raw fish
• Yellow – Is used for raw poultry like chicken (this is very important to prevent the spread of salmonella)
• Green – Is used for fruit and vegetables
• White – Is used for dairy products and bread
• Other colours – other colours are usually used for cooked meats.