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Chopping boards
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| In marble or plastic, but above all in wood; for cutting all kinds of food but also for serving antipasti and traditional dishes, here is a guide to the many-varied world of chopping boards, so you will always choose the right one. |
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FROM NATURE TO THE MODERN DINNER TABLE |
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Originally, the butcher would prepare cuts of meat to sell in his shop on a mighty chopping block: a single piece of wood that was thick and heavy, and impossible to move. Thus the chopping board was born, as a work instrument that was also commonly found in the houses of farmers who raised cattle. It gradually became smaller and more manageable until it became a fixture in every kitchen.
Today there are chopping boards of every size and material: from classic ones in wood to those in marble and synthetic materials such as plastic, marble resin and Moplen, which are very practical and hygienic and can even be washed in the dishwasher.
Thus there is a suitable chopping board for every kind of food. Whilst wooden boards or white boards in Moplen, a plastic material that is highly resistant to heat and scratches, are suitable for household use, marble chopping boards are perfect meat, cured meats, vegetables and sweets. In addition to cutting almonds, chocolate and other cake and dessert ingredients, these are also suited to making pastry for sweets and unusual preparations such as almond toffee or fondant instead of the more expensive and taxing marble worktop.
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PROFESSIONAL CHOPPING BOARDS |
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Hygiene norms dictate that for professional use - namely restaurants or shops- Moplen boards must be used in different colours: red for meat, blue for fish, yellow for poultry, green for vegetables. But also the white ones are more versatile and are suitable for all kinds of foods. Moplen is in fact a material with a high concentration of molecules, so no food residues remain stuck to the surface, which is extremely smooth and has no holes or irregularities in which bacteria might settle.
Wood is only permitted for very thick blocks and stumps (6 or 8 cm), normally made using vertical sections of hot-glued white seasoned hornbeam, with tooth joins. These blocks and stumps are more resistant than normal Moplen chopping boards and are used for cutting cutlets or other pieces of meat requiring a certain amount of force.
For sweets, the golden rule dictating that only marble can be used for chopping boards and work surfaces also applies in the professional field.
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WOODEN BOARDS FOR ALL USES |
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The majority of chopping boards used in the home however are made from wood. This elegant and warm material makes it perfect even for taking direct to the dinner table for presenting food. The wood most frequently used for these tools is beech.
Depending on the use, there are a number of different types of wood chopping board. Bread boards have a particular structure: they may simply have long parallel channels that collect the crumbs, but often they are composed of two different parts. A lower board that serves as a sort of base is covered with another that is often sliding and is made up of lots of separated strips, so that when the bread is cut the crumbs fall underneath and are collected without being scattered on the table.
Generally, cheese boards have a marble surface set into the top where the dairy products are placed for cutting; the slices of cheese are then placed on the wooden part when served. Boards that have a small channel near the edge are for roasts: the gravy runs into this channel until it arrives to a larger cavity where it can be collected with a spoon for pouring over the meat.
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In addition to being an instrument that is often an essential element, the chopping board often becomes an essential element when it comes to serving at the table. Many venues, for example, present cured meat or cheese antipasti on round serving boards that are usually made of wood. Even the ancient and rural mountain tradition, above all in the north of Italy, involved the board for presenting the meal at the table. The most significant example is the polenta board. Made from wood, it is a large circular board with a handle for holding the board with ease that was placed in front of the family gathered for the meal after the polenta had been directly poured on to it and perhaps served with meat, mushrooms or cheese.
More unusual is the use in restaurants and large hotels of a board for smoked salmon. Long and narrow in marble, its shape recalls that of the fish and sometimes the two ends are decorated with sliver handles in the shape of a head and tail.
Equally chic, but with a more modern and essential design are boards designed by famous designers for companies producing top-end household products. In solid wood, at times they come with accessories such as long bread or meat knives inserted into the board. Alternatively they play on the beauty of the wooden joins, such as the acacia board in blocks designed by Milton Glaser for Alessi.
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