Nourishments—

Cutting Board Marked With Memories

By Nancy K. Crevier

Part of the pleasure of cooking is having tools that make you happy. For some, it is that perfectly weighted knife that keeps its edge. For others, it is the spatula with just the right amount of give to make cake frosting pleasurable. The bread pan that yields golden brown loaves with the ideal crispy crust or the apple corer that speeds the process of making pie can be a kitchen blessing. Even something as simple as a set of teaspoons that actually includes the elusive “pinch” size can bring a sigh of satisfaction to a busy baker.

In my kitchen, I have gathered many tools that make my cooking life a source of nourishment to me as I prepare to nourish my friends and family. There are among them my favorites, such as the wooden cutting board I received from my sister as an engagement present nearly 30 years ago.

The paddle shaped board, cut from a solid swath of wood — possibly birch or maple — is about 18 inches long and has a sturdy neck  with a hole bored through the top to allow it to be hung on a wall. It is over an inch thick, making it light enough to handle, yet sturdy enough to stay put when I am chopping on it. I own several other cutting boards, but it is this particular board that is always the first one grabbed when dinnertime rolls around.

Unlike my other boards that have borne the blood of fowl and fish, this board has always been reserved for the preparation of vegetables only. Even fruit does not usually see the surface of this board, mostly because the decades of dicing onions and garlic have left it with a lingering essence of the aromatic alliums. A hint of garlic on a sweet slice of apple, I have found, is not always appreciated.

Keeping separate cutting boards, it turns out, is a safe kitchen practice recommended by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) to avoid cross-contamination.

Nor do I worry that my wooden cutting board harbors bacteria. Research done at the University of California-Davis food safety laboratory has determined that not only are wooden cutting surfaces safe, but that they are less likely to harbor hazardous bacteria than gouged plastic cutting surfaces. The USDA, which once mandated the use of plastic cutting boards, now says that “consumers may choose either wood or a nonporous surface cutting board” for use in the kitchen.

A thorough scrubbing after each use with very hot water and soap and the occasional bleach bath seems to have kept my favorite board germ-free, and luckily, no deep gouges in it have made me consider setting it aside as a merely decorative item — which I could do; because the backside of this board is an original oil painting.

Not only has this board graced every kitchen counter I have cooked at, but when not in use, it has been displayed in every kitchen I have ever occupied. The painting, hardly showing the wear of all these years, shows bright sunflowers nodding their heads against a blue sky. It remind me of my Midwestern roots and I can never take it off the wall without feeling the love of faraway relatives and thinking about the many meals that have been prepared on its surface.

Sometimes, there is more to nourishment than the food itself.