Cheap set of chopping boards?

Stephen_Leak

Does anyone know where I can get a set of plastic chopping boards, in the HSE/FSA* colour code of red, blue, yellow, green, brown & white. Obviously, and in line with Martin's Money Mantra, they should be the cheapest available. It would also be nice if they were also available singly, so that the more commonly used ones can be replaced.

* In this context, this is the Food Standards Agency, not the Financial Services Authority.

ubamother

if you can't, how about buying cheap white ones and wrapping the handles with appropriately coloured electrician's tape or equivalent?

Gingernutmeg

ubamother wrote: »

if you can't, how about buying cheap white ones and wrapping the handles with appropriately coloured electrician's tape or equivalent?

That wouldn't be acceptable in a professional kitchen (I'm assuming that this is what they're for ...) - the tape might come off and contaminate food, and it would also provide somewhere where dirt and germs would become lodged.

Probably the cheapest place would be a local catering supply company - that way you'll be able to buy replacements as and when you need them. I've seen them sold individually for £3-£4 each, but you might even be able to find them cheaper on ebay, or somewhere like Bookers or Makro.

I think I saw a cheaper set of white boards with coloured handles in either IKEA or Lakeland, but they only came in three colours and obviously weren't individually replaceable.

nuttywoman

Sure i`ve seen them in Ikea, but i once bought a set from Lakeland.LTd.

Stephen_Leak

nuttywoman wrote: »

Sure i`ve seen them in Ikea, but i once bought a set from Lakeland.LTd.

The Ikea ones, according to the website, come in "assorted colours". If their designer has chosen the same colours as the HSE/FSA, we're laughing.

The Lakeland ones cost £20.99 for four, one each of red, blue, yellow and green. I also note that they also say that the green one is for vegetables. Wrong. Green is for salad & fruit. Brown is for vegetables.

Stephen_Leak

Gingernutmeg wrote: »

That wouldn't be acceptable in a professional kitchen (I'm assuming that this is what they're for ...) - the tape might come off and contaminate food, and it would also provide somewhere where dirt and germs would become lodged.

Probably the cheapest place would be a local catering supply company - that way you'll be able to buy replacements as and when you need them. I've seen them sold individually for £3-£4 each, but you might even be able to find them cheaper on ebay, or somewhere like Bookers or Makro.

I think I saw a cheaper set of white boards with coloured handles in either IKEA or Lakeland, but they only came in three colours and obviously weren't individually replaceable.

No, they are for my humble little kitchen. I am just trying not to poison myself. My daughter also worries about her poor old dad.

I will try the local catering supply places. They are wonderful places to nose around anyway. However, they tend to be expensive, as they know they are selling to businesses and have a captive market.

Gingernutmeg

If it's not for a professional kitchen, I really wouldn't worry. As long as you're sensible about food hygiene and food preparation, the risk of cross contamination from chopping boards is small. A plastic chopping board, well cleaned, is perfectly safe to use for different foods. One of the main reasons for restaurants having different boards is because they're likely to be preparing different kinds of foods at the same time - ie a sandwich and a chicken breast - and the coloured boards are an easy way to avoid accidental cross-contamination. It's sensible to have a couple of boards with one you *always* use for raw meat, but beyond that I wouldn't worry about fish, baked goods, vegetables etc etc ... One of the biggest dangers from chopping boards is not storing them properly - you must ensure they're dry when you put them away, and don't stack them horizontally or they go 'sweaty'. That's more dangerous than a lot of other things And wooden boards are to be avoided.

I've worked in kitchens and got various certificates, but I don't run my home kitchen like a commercial one I've got cheap plastic boards from Ikea - one for raw meat, one for everything else, and a small one for onions and garlic (the raw meat one has RM written on the handle in non-toxic marker lol). I clean them well, store them stood up and get new ones every six months or so. And I'm not dead yet

Skint_Catt

I've got the clear and blue from Ikea - they're think and flexible but 'cut up' easily.

I just use different boards/knives for raw meat and raw veggies. Should I use more?

Stephen_Leak

Skint_Catt wrote: »

I've got the clear and blue from Ikea - they're think and flexible but 'cut up' easily.

I just use different boards/knives for raw meat and raw veggies. Should I use more?

For professional use, you should have no less than 6:

Red: Raw meat
Blue: Raw fish
Yellow: Cooked meat & cooked fish
Green: Salad & fruit
Brown: Vegetables
White: Bread & dairy products

However, as I thought, these are only available from catering supply places, and cost - when you add in the VAT - the best part of £30! eBay had sets of just 4, but still for £20.

So, Plan B. And IKEA to the rescue again, with their "Legitim" chopping boards. They are 34cm x 24cm x 6mm thick. They come in red, which I shall keep for raw meat & fish. They only cost £1.29 each. They also come in white, which I shall keep for everything else. These come in a pack of two, with a very useful smaller 24cm x 15cm x 5mm thick one. These only cost £1.39 for the pair.

All plastic chopping boards will get a cut marks and eventually a "soft spot" with use over time, but that's what they're for.

I looked at the 2mm thick flexible "Drälla" ones. They are only 99p but, IMHO, I reckon the thicker ones were much higher quality and much better VFM for the extra 30p, and especially when you factor in the extra white one for just 10p.

Hopefully, my daughter will still be suitably impressed that Dad is taking his kitchen and food hygiene seriously.

absfabs

I only have white plastic chopping boards, they get use for everything, knives too.

BUT, after raw meat or fish, the board and knife goes straight into the dishwasher, so it can't be accidentally re-used for anything that won't be cooked.

So I get away with 3 full size white chopping boards and a couple of small ones. Haven't replaced them for years, even though they are a bit marked. The dishwasher is hot enough to clean them well enough to use with salad, bread or fruit next time round.

Used to do the same before I had a dishwasher, I suppose the risk is higher, but we all survived!

oojeyboojey

You could use different coloured enamel paint/nailvarnish on the edges of the chopping boards to denote the different food uses?