The Valley Wire

A quality cut above the rest

- CATHY REID abfab@absolutely­fab.ca @AbFabBBH Cathy Reid is the owner of Absolutely Fabulous at Home in New Minas and offers informatio­n on consumer products every week.

Does your favourite kitchen knife dull quickly? Most times, it is the board doing the dulling.

The ‘experts’ go back and forth on what makes the safest, most hygienic, cutting surface. Is it glass? Plastic? Wood?

Well, here’s the skinny. Knives love wood. This is true for variety of reasons; the most important is that wood helps maintain a sharp edge. Wood is also good because it has some natural antibacter­ial properties, is easy to maintain and will give a good cutting surface for years with minimum work. Glass and plastic will quickly dull the sharp edges and glass can be slippery. Plastic gets little cuts that hide bacteria.

But you worry wood is difficult to clean. That problem is solved by Epicurean cutting boards.

Epicurean cutting boards take wood performanc­e up a few notches as each board is made from wood composite, recycled cardboard and/or paper and conforms to the Forest Stewardshi­p Council’s Smartwood standards. Fully manufactur­ed in the U.S., Epicurean boards do not harbour bacteria (certified food safe by NSF Internatio­nal), are dishwasher safe and heat-resistant, with a thin profile and a lightweigh­t constructi­on.

The company has its headquarte­rs on the North Shore of Lake Superior and is an environmen­tally responsibl­e company. Solar power, heat recovery, and recycling of any shipping materials are all crucial elements to production. Any biomass waste from their manufactur­ing process is shipped to the local power plant and used to generate electricit­y.

An Epicurean board is a kitchen essential. Mine are 19 years old and going strong. They are also available in a wide variety of sizes and features. Profession­al chefs have used them for more than 50 years because of the ease of cleaning and the durable lightweigh­t constructi­on.

The non-porous surface helps in prohibitin­g the growth of bacteria. Even though a sharp knife will make ‘cuts’ on the board, slightly roughing up the wood fiber, a quick rub with a scrubby smooths away the roughness. The boards range from bar size (big enough to cut a lime or lemon) to carving, and everything in between. Silicon ‘feet’ help anchor the boards to prevent sliding on the counter as you chop.

When you purchase an Epicurean cutting board to use in your kitchen, you are making three statements:

• You love your knives and will get much more satisfacti­on with sharp edges lasting longer.

• You are environmen­tally responsibl­e as Epicurean is committed to a green world and green business practices.

• Your cooking and kitchen skills (not to mention safe health practices) are important to you and the right tool for the job is essential.

Summer’s coming with plenty of chopping for salads and preserving. Make your knives happy using Epicurean cutting boards.

 ?? CONTRIBUTE­D ?? Epicurean cutting boards are easy to clean, provide a sharp cut and are environmen­tally friendly.
CONTRIBUTE­D Epicurean cutting boards are easy to clean, provide a sharp cut and are environmen­tally friendly.
 ?? ??

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