Steakhouse is fined £50,000 for serving food on trendy wooden boards as health chiefs brand them 'incapable of being cleaned'

Cass wrote:I have never had an issue with wood planks, or sizzling skillets or slate at restaurants.

I use wood planks at home on the grill for salmon. I also have my grandmother’s cast iron skillet which is about 65-70 years old. I never use soap on that, just hot water and scrubbing, then oil it and dry.

Raggamuffin wrote:Why do people use wooden chopping boards then.

Anyone tried one of these?

Original Quill wrote:

Raggamuffin wrote:Why do people use wooden chopping boards then.

Anyone tried one of these?

Same problem.  They become green with mold after a while.

Raggamuffin wrote:Why do people use wooden chopping boards then.

Anyone tried one of these?

Cass wrote:

Raggamuffin wrote:Why do people use wooden chopping boards then.

Anyone tried one of these?

No I’ve never seen it. Have you tried it? If so, did you like it?

Raggamuffin wrote:

Cass wrote:

No I’ve never seen it. Have you tried it? If so, did you like it?

I have a similar one, and yes, I like it. Can't be doing with chopping boards.

Raggamuffin wrote:

Original Quill wrote:

Same problem.  They become green with mold after a while.

They would if you don't wash them.

Restaurant Hospitality wrote:Are wooden boards a good option for table service?
Many restaurant guests prefer plates, but wood makes an impression.

Liz Burton | Sep 09, 2016

The past few years restaurants have resorted to serving food on some unconventional surfaces, from shovels to frying pans to lunchboxes to buckets. Where did this trend begin? It’s likely that it started with serving food on wooden boards.

Many restaurants opt to ditch traditional plates in favor of wooden boards for serving many types of food – whether it be pizza, burgers or even slices of cake. And for every restaurant that follows this fad, there are dozens of people who ask the simple question: Why?

In fact, a humorous Twitter campaign called WeWantPlates arose last year to poke fun at places that serve food on strange surfaces and in odd containers.

Reasons for people shunning them are understandable. Wooden boards aren’t optimal for all types of food and aren’t as practical as standard plates. Can you imagine trying to eat spaghetti Bolognese off a chopping board?

Arguably, the whole point they exist is purely for their novelty and rustic style: harkening back to a simpler time when people never used fancy porcelain plates to eat their meals. But more often than not, wooden boards are berated too harshly, particularly for reasons that are in fact untrue.

For example: One argument many pro-plate diners use is that wooden boards are unhygienic. They argue that bacteria thrives inside small scuffs and cuts on the surface and that wood is harder to clean than harder surfaces.

But a number of studies have shown that assumption to be false. A famous study carried out at the University of California, Davis revealed that “[Bacteria was] not recoverable from wooden surfaces in a short time after they were applied, unless very large numbers were used.”

“Although the bacteria that had disappeared from the wood surfaces were found alive inside the wood for some time after application, they evidently do not multiply, and they gradually die. They can be detected only by splitting or gouging the wood or by forcing water completely through from one surface to the other.”

In reality, there are plenty of pros as well as cons to using wooden boards as plates:

Pros:
• Many people like wooden boards’ rustic style.
• They are perfectly hygienic.
• Wood is a good insulator, so it helps keep food warm.
• They are more durable than normal plates.
• Wood is biodegradable and renewable.

Cons:
• Many people dislike being served food on wooden boards.
• They can’t be used to serve all types of food.
• Many wooden boards can’t be put in a dishwasher.
• They take up more storage space than traditional plates.
• They don’t have edges, so won’t catch bits of spilled food.

There’s no reason to avoid using wooden boards to serve certain types of food as long as they are well-maintained. Deep cuts and long-term wear and tear call for a replacement just like a chipped, cracked, or stained plate needs to be replaced.

And as long as they’re properly cleaned, wooden boards are completely safe to serve food on, just like any other dish. Staff should have a strong understanding of food hygiene and safety, which they can enhance by taking a suitable food hygiene course, testing their knowledge through a food hygiene quiz or learning from the good example set by others in the kitchen.

Ultimately, it’s a matter of personal preference. Many restaurants find wooden boards fit in with their rustic ambience and compliment the food, but plenty of others recognize that wooden boards simply won’t suit their style or menu.

Liz Burton is a content author at High Speed Training, a U.K.-based provider of online food safety training.

Cass wrote:Just watched a video on the clever cutter on amazon. $20.  Looks pretty good. I chop a lot of veg and herbs. This could be very handy.

Thanks Rags!

Original Quill wrote:

Raggamuffin wrote:

They would if you don't wash them.

...and even if you do wash them.  The animal fat permeates the wood and washing doesn't remove it.

Raggamuffin wrote:

Cass wrote:Just watched a video on the clever cutter on amazon. $20.  Looks pretty good. I chop a lot of veg and herbs. This could be very handy.

Thanks Rags!

You're welcome. Mind your fingers though.

sassy wrote:The research into wood v. plastic chopping boards found that wood was much more hygienic, having natural anti-biotic properties.

http://faculty.vetmed.ucdavis.edu/faculty/docliver/Research/cuttingboard.htm

https://www.pharmaceutical-journal.com/opinion/blogs/kitchen-hygiene-a-cutting-question/11103459.blog

WhoseYourWolfie wrote:

Wooden planks, bowls, cups, paddles have been around for thousands of years;  butchers' blocks for hundreds of years...

I don't see much problem with food being served up on a properly maintained wooden paddle/tray if it's properly maintained..

A much bigger problem would be wooden cutting boards --  a lot comes down to the timber used, the finish, and how it's maintained  --  something that isn't considered with 'mass produced' items.
And just look  at what some plastic cutting boards look like after a while --  some budget polypropylene boards look pretty rough after a while..  Some Lexan/acrylic boards wear better;  while glass ot ceramic is probably the better way in the long run ?

And then there's the problem of "cross contamination" --  those boards used for serving up food should never come in contact with raw food --  which then brings up the issue of hygienic "food handling and storage" procedures in food preparation areas.

Having said all that, a fine of £50,000 does seem just a bit out of proportion  !?!

HoratioTarr wrote:I won't eat anything unless it's on a plate.  Nothing worse than wood, and slate and all the other gimmicky crap they try to dicky up food on in an attempt to be trendy.    I think pubs are the worse offenders, because their food is usually crap and they feel the need to try to make it look more interesting.