Best dishwasher safe board for raw meat only?

[Chasingsharpness]

I'm looking for a new raw meat board to compliment my endgrain board.

I'm looking for something thin and light that can go straight in the washing machine after cutting raw chicken.

Is plastic my best option? Is it worth getting the higher end ones or are the standard cheaper ones fine?

 

[parbaked]

I recommend Epicurean cutting boards or any other US made boards from the same material: Richlite.
Epicurean Cutting Boards

 

[Yoshi]

Hasagawa is dishwasher safe, super easy on the edge and the pattern on the board helps stabilize the meat

 

[MarcelNL]

I recommend Epicurean cutting boards or any other US made boards from the same material: Richlite.
Epicurean Cutting Boards

My GF bought two of those and I personally hate them, they twist and turn and it feels as if I'm cutting on the stone countertop, they cannot be knife edge friendly IMO.

HAsegawa has a far better user experience IME.

Though that said, I'm not very worried about using my end grain board for protein, manage the order of what's being cut and wipe/wash it clean in between and all should be fine.

 

[Corradobrit1]

Though that said, I'm not very worried about using my end grain board for protein, manage the order of what's being cut and wipe/wash it clean in between and all should be fine.

Only if it were dedicated for proteins like chicken and pork. Just not worth the risk. Personally I use a Hasegawa for proteins. Wipe it down with a mild bleach solution and it goes in the dishwasher once in a while.

 

[MarcelNL]

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31113021/
I simply plan the order of cutting so I cut proteins last on the end grain board, but the hasegawa 'feels' better.....I dedicate that one to sashimi/sushi mostly...

 

[HumbleHomeCook]

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31113021/
I simply plan the order of cutting so I cut proteins last on the end grain board, but the hasegawa 'feels' better.....I dedicate that one to sashimi/sushi mostly...

I too use a single wooden board for everything. Fifty three years and so far so good.

If I wanted dishwasher safe one I'd just go poly.

 

[Michi]

High density PE board. Cheap and effective. Available in a huge number of sizes.

 

[rmrf]

Hasagawa is very soft and nice on knives. I slightly prefer it over asahi and greatly prefer it over normal plastic boards. I don't have to sharpen as often and food sticks a little better, which helps with certain cuts.

Regarding cleaning, I find it takes a little longer to clean than wood or cheap plastic because the texture tends to trap food particles. You can be more confident that you've cleaned it well compared to wood as you can use hot water and as much soap as you want. If you're really paranoid, you can use bleach after the normal soap + hot water as well. I use hasagawa for everything now.

However, I find the benefit more lies in that the hasagawa is perfectly flat, while my wooden boards are all slightly warped, making julienne-ing green onions harder. Also, softer boards mean I don't have to sharpen as often or buy new knives as often, which is I guess a benefit....

 

[rmrf]

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31113021/
I simply plan the order of cutting so I cut proteins last on the end grain board, but the hasegawa 'feels' better.....I dedicate that one to sashimi/sushi mostly...

To be fair, its more accurate to study bacteria remaining after washing.

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0362028X22020932?via=ihub
The results are pretty similar though. Wood is anti-microbial (I'd guess because it dries the cells out) so if raw meat juice gets trapped, the pathogens die. That said, washing a wood cutting board in hot water and soap probably deteriorates it faster compared to plastic.

 

[btbyrd]

Epicurean boards are cheap, durable, and dishwashery. And relatively inexpensive. They're not my favorite thing to cut on, but if all I was cutting was occasional raw chicken, it'd be a good enough choice. Cheap polypropylene ones are okay too. OXO's poly board is well regarded and inexpensive.

 

[Nemo]

Hasegawa and Ueda both work pretty well in this role.

The PE version of Hasegawa is supposed to be softer than regular PE but not as soft as the rubber version.

Epicurean is dishwasher safe but is pretty hard on edges.

 

[parbaked]

My GF bought two of those and I personally hate them, they twist and turn and it feels as if I'm cutting on the stone countertop, they cannot be knife edge friendly IMO.

HAsegawa has a far better user experience IME.

Yes, they have a hard feel, but not sure that matters if one is only slicing raw proteins. We're not talking chopping vegetables or about general use.
The OP is looking for something to compliment, not replace, his regular cutting board.

I agree my wood core Hasegawa is much nicer, but mine says it's not designed to go in the dishwasher, so I don't recommend it.
My Hasegawa

As such, I maintain that the Epicureans are a good choice for a board that can go into the dishwasher after slicing raw proteins. I also think they make good bread boards FWIW...

 

[MarcelNL]

For bread I'd recommend the epicurean too, especially for folks using whatever serrated knife!

FWIW, I do not put the Hasegawa in the dishwasher, it wouldn't fit too but I'd be stomped if it warped.

 

[yummycrackers]

+1 on the Hasegawa (soft). I've been very happy with mine both for meat and for fish, and I have heard that it's dishwasher-safe, though I've never tried it.

 

[ehhh]

I have a Hasegawa PE (brown) that I really like. It's gone in the dishwasher no problem and does feel gentler than other PE boards I've used.

 

[Dan-]

I like this for meat and stuff: Hasegawa FRK Wood Core Soft Rubber Cutting Board 15.4" x 10.2" x 0.8" ht

 

[calostro5]

I use epicurean boards for raw proteins and end grain board for vegetables.
On epicurean boards I use worse knives whose edge doesn't care me too much.

 

[Heckel7302]

Hasegawas are great, but expensive and I don't think it's worth it for a meat only board. I'd go OXO plastic. They are great, very inexpensive, and do great in the dishwasher.

 

[Michi]

I don't deny that the Hasegawa boards are nice. But I can buy about ten high-density PE boards for the price of one Hasegawa, and a PE board lasts me many years. They are friendly to knife edges, too.

The Hasegawa is definitely a top-shelf product and has a a top-shelf price. I'm not sure whether it's worth it just for a dedicated meat board.

 

[Yoshi]

Or if you have any friends going to Japan, ask them to pick a hasagawa for you. You can get one on Amazon for 4000 to 5000 jpy depending on size.

 

[Seemore]

I assume that friction is an important component when washing my board, as it is when washing my hands. After a light but prolonged scrubbing with soap and water, then a quick dry, I wipe hydrogen peroxide on my end grain wooden boards. It rates between soap/water and bleach as a disinfectant. Home cook.

 

[WCV]

I used to use the epicurean boards for proteins, but overtime (and maybe too many dishwater cycles) they started disintegrating. If you ran a board scrape across them, you would get a fair amount of fibers and not knowing what binder they use made me uncomfortable with them. I ended up picking up a Boos Maple edge grain that I only use for protein. Not chopping on it, so edge vs end grain is less important and you can find them fairly cheap. Quick scrub with soap and vinegar, then scrape and it’s good to go. If dishwasher is a musthave, I’d go the poly route, but over time they warp, scar, and end up in the landfill, which is what pushed me to go entirely wood and just have multiple boards.

 

[Chasingsharpness]

Would the softer or harder hasegawa board be better for use with slicing cleavers? Thinking for raw meats and proteins.

Afaik from what I understand the harder one is a PE board.

The softer one I've heard you should not chop on or use heavy cleavers. Is this true?

 

[Jovidah]

My GF bought two of those and I personally hate them, they twist and turn and it feels as if I'm cutting on the stone countertop, they cannot be knife edge friendly IMO.

HAsegawa has a far better user experience IME.

Though that said, I'm not very worried about using my end grain board for protein, manage the order of what's being cut and wipe/wash it clean in between and all should be fine.

For crosscontimatination's sake it's generally considered best practise to just have seperate boards. It's also just plain easier IMO. Yes you can mitigate it by fixing the order and washing afterwards, but that does mean you're forced to wash your board after every use.... which means you're oiling your board a lot more often.

I too use a single wooden board for everything. Fifty three years and so far so good.

If I wanted dishwasher safe one I'd just go poly.

Just because you got away with something doesn't mean it's good practise. Even Russian roulette has a positive outcome 5 times out of 6.

For bread I'd recommend the epicurean too, especially for folks using whatever serrated knife!

FWIW, I do not put the Hasegawa in the dishwasher, it wouldn't fit too but I'd be stomped if it warped.

FWIW Hasegawa in their own promotion basically claims they're heat, water and bomberproof. The wood core is actually in there to prevent warping, and shouldn't suffer from it since it's entirely encapsulated. So technically it should be possible to dishwash them. Maybe longtime users can chime in on their experiences with that.

I'm also open to suggestions on this topic. I'm adamant about having something that's able to go through 70 degree dishwasher cycles, even if only for the sake of convenience.... but I also don't want it to screw the knives, fall apart in a few years, or cost a fortune...
The cheap plastic stuff works, but it's not great. Feels like crap when cutting, you always have to mitigate their slipperyness.

 

[Chasingsharpness]

Are hasegawa PE boards much different than regular cheap PE boards? I'm thinking if it's worth spending that much extra if the surface material is the same.

I'm also considering the softer rubber, but I heard it is not advisable for use with cleavers. I only use CCK slicing cleavers so wondering if the PE versions are more suitable.

 

[MarcelNL]

For crosscontimatination's sake it's generally considered best practise to just have seperate boards. It's also just plain easier IMO. Yes you can mitigate it by fixing the order and washing afterwards, but that does mean you're forced to wash your board after every use.... which means you're oiling your board a lot more often.

Just because you got away with something doesn't mean it's good practise. Even Russian roulette has a positive outcome 5 times out of 6.

FWIW Hasegawa in their own promotion basically claims they're heat, water and bomberproof. The wood core is actually in there to prevent warping, and shouldn't suffer from it since it's entirely encapsulated. So technically it should be possible to dishwash them. Maybe longtime users can chime in on their experiences with that.

I'm also open to suggestions on this topic. I'm adamant about having something that's able to go through 70 degree dishwasher cycles, even if only for the sake of convenience.... but I also don't want it to screw the knives, fall apart in a few years, or cost a fortune...
The cheap plastic stuff works, but it's not great. Feels like crap when cutting, you always have to mitigate their slipperyness.

agree, yet I do not wash my end grain board with soap so the oiling interval is pretty reasonable/works for me....Using my own mix of beeswax and oil every 6 months and oil every 4 weeks of thereabouts.

 

[boomchakabowwow]

i have one i use for raw meat and such. it goes in the dishwasher and it also gets spritzed with a disenfectant occasionally. here is the thing. i dont know who makes it, the name of the company or even where i got it. it is that uneventful. i bet i bought it at TARGET. i cant be sure.

i truly think the junk board is something for me to not overthink. it's white. that is about all i have to note about it.

 

[Jovidah]

Yeah most of my plastic boards are also simply cheap ones from restaurant wholesalers. They're really quite unenjoyable to use, but they happen to thick that one box of dishwashability at a low cost.
I'm still up in the air about giving that up... mostly because at the end of the day, cutting on that crap still adds microplastics to your food. I'm actually leaning to simple affordable edge-grain / face-grain wood boards, since those tend to survive repeated washings better while requiring less reoiling.

agree, yet I do not wash my end grain board with soap so the oiling interval is pretty reasonable/works for me....Using my own mix of beeswax and oil every 6 months and oil every 4 weeks of thereabouts.

If not with soap, how do you sanitize them after cutting raw meat?

Also... for me, practically, seperate boards is always the way to go. Not just for crosscontamination reasons, but also because 'just cut your meat last' doesn't really work for me when it's usually one of the first things to go in the pan. I'm a cut-as-you-cook guy, not a mise-en-place guy.

 

[MarcelNL]

sanitizing is just an idea ;-) the whole point of washing the board is to get the nr of germs down to an acceptable level so the old adagium goes; there is no solution to pollution like dilution.

Warm water and lots of it and a brush, (when needed to lift the film I'll add a drop of soap) and the board will deal with anything remaining during its well earned rest in between meal prep (if sufficiently cut down the numbers).
Now that will not work in a pro environment where boards would have to be left aside for x hours, and I also sometimes use some board for raw meat if the cutting order will not allow doing meat last.