If you happen to have poked your head into any commercial kitchens lately, you’ll probably have noticed that their chopping boards are of different colours. Do they buy those boards simply to liven up an environment mainly defined by stainless steel and cooking whites? They do not; in fact, there are several more practical benefits that come with using coloured chopping boards, and they work just as well in residential kitchens as they do in the nation’s top eateries.
Here are just a few reasons why it’s a trend you should follow.
No Cross Contamination
There’s one reason above all why commercial kitchens use colour-coded chopping boards – doing so virtually eliminates the risk of cross contamination. If you don’t already know, cross contamination is when the bacteria, toxin, or simply the taste of one food is transferred to another via a kitchen tool
So, you might use the same chopping board for raw meat and vegetables. If cross contamination occurs, you could get sick. By using coloured chopping boards, a coding system can tell you at a glance which chopping board should be used for which food. Commercial kitchens have standardised that code thusly:
- Red for raw meat
- Blue for raw fish
- Yellow for cooked meats
- Green for salads and fruits
- Brown for vegetables
- White for dairy products
Of course, you probably don’t need quite as many for a residential kitchen, but it still makes sense to use different colours for different purposes.
Ease of Use
And it isn’t just hygiene that improves when you use coloured chopping boards. With chopping boards coloured according to purpose, you’ll be able to pluck one off the shelf and get going right away instead of searching for the right one.
Added Colour
Okay, the cosmetic concerns might not be a big deal for a commercial kitchen, but this is your home! Coloured chopping boards can really brighten up a kitchen, and the wide array of available colours and shades should let you find boards that perfectly match or complement your chosen décor and existing appliances.