As we all know, chopping boards may be purchased in many varieties. The most popular solution is wood or metal. There are also plastic chopping boards or even those made of glass.
However, it’s the granite, marble and quartz chopping boards that have seen an increase in popularity over the past decade. And it’s not for lack of reason.
Why a solid granite chopping board is better than other chopping boards?
Granite is an almost infallible material most often utilised for kitchen worktops, floor cladding or garden decoration. In the field of worktops, the quality, endurance and longevity of stone is unrivalled. The same goes for the man-made stone: quartz or ceramic (sintered-stone).
After all, granite and quartz are suitable for all environments where wear and tear is constantly a looming threat. It’s a durable, scratch resistant and stain resistant product that guarantees years and years of use, saving you the money and effort of replacement.
Years of experience in the stonemasonry industry have shown that natural stone and man made stone can be utilised for something other than just worktops. For example, chopping boards or granite pizza stone for oven baking and cooking.
Let’s quickly explore why a granite chopping board is the best food preparation material:
- Glass vs Granite chopping board – Glass scratches, no matter how tough it is. Especially when ran through a dishwasher. Minute scratches will always be visible on glass boards. Granite is much tougher – it’s essentially a piece of rock, which in any cutting situation will withstand the impact compared to brittle glass. And while glass is lighter and transparent, which could be advantageous, in terms of durability, it does not deliver.
Metal vs Granite chopping board – Even though metal chopping boards are often sturdy, they can bend over time. Especially if you use the meat hammer too often. Let’s not forget that some metals rust and even the stainless steel varieties can develop strange blemishes, especially once exposed to acidic fruits. Granite does not bend or rust. It can be inserted into the dishwasher and can even be dropped – very few impacts will compromise its integrity.
- Wood vs Granite chopping board – As light and portable as wood is, it’s one of the least durable chopping board materials on this list. A wooden chopping board not only it stains, especially when exposed to strong or oily liquids like wine, oil, coffee or juice, it will warp, crack or bend. You cannot put wood into the dishwasher – if you regularly use it for more than a few months, it will sustain deep cuts and cracks. The same applies for a bamboo chopping board. These are unhygienic issues – as harmful bacteria might enter these fissures. You won’t have to worry about any of those issues with a granite chopping board – they do not stain, crack or sustain cross contamination.
- Plastic vs Granite chopping board – Plastic, when used over time, can be a harmful substance. If plastic is tampered with e.g. cut, scratched or worn, it can release microplastic elements that directly impact our food or food preparation process. Of all the chopping board types we mentioned above, plastic boards are the worst kind. Granite and quartz chopping board are made of stone that does not break. And even if consumed, stone will not impact our health negatively.
How to properly clean a granite chopping board, quartz chopping board and marble chopping boards?
We highly recommend washing these boards in the sink or the dishwasher. If not after every use, then at least once every few days, depending on the food. Be mindful that a chopping board, no matter which type, should be washed immediately upon contact with meat.
Luckily the maintenance of quartz chopping boards isn’t hard. Just as granite kitchen counters, all that you need to thoroughly clean a stone chopping board is some dish soap and a wet/damp cloth. Thankfully, on account of the smooth, polished texture, little to no scrubbing will be required.
You may set the quartz chopping boards aside to dry, or dry manually with a paper towel.
Where can you purchase a decent granite or quartz chopping board?
If you are from the UK, we could name a list of genuine sellers or masons that could create you a custom, cut to size chopping board with vast features like hand-holders.
Although if you really are looking for reliability (otherwise you wouldn’t be looking for a stone chopping board in the first place), then you probably need a trusted manufacturer that not only guarantees a good job but also good, sturdy material.
If you seek such granite chopping board provider, we recommend this company. Their marble chopping board & quartz chopping board variety is immense. Each offcut that they own (which is in the hundreds), can be turned into all sorts of unique granite chopping boards. You may search through their offcut stock and current availability on their website – please visit via the provided link.
We recommend them mostly because of the reviews – each review we’ve read claims they are absolutely superb. Polish Granite also deliver across the whole UK, to all manner of customers. Their returns policy upon purchasing is also very reliable.
If you complete their online form via the provided link, requesting a specific colour, size and optional delivery, they will provide you an instant, free quotation. After you familiarise yourself with their price you may decide whether you’d like to go ahead with the purchase. They hold the quotes for up to 30 days.
To shop for your marble chopping board, you may also visit Polish Granite’s physical store – a showroom site with hundreds of offcut samples available for the taking.
The advantages of a solid granite cutting board and quartz chopping board:
We have already provided valid reasons as to why stone chopping boards are much better quality-wise than other materials like glass, wood or plastic.
To settle the debate once and for all, below we provide a comprehensive list that provides the categories in which a stone chopping board surpasses all other kinds.
- scratch resistance – granite on the Mohs scale has a hardness of 7, therefore cutting does not damage its surface, no matter the type of knives or kitchen tools. The truth is that it’s more likely that you will blunt the knife before harming the marble chopping board. And this is no jest – we actually recommend using ceramic knives, which are very hard and usually don’t get affected by the hardness of granite.
- temperature resistance – a granite chopping board can withstand both very low and high temperatures of 1200 degrees! That is why we can successfully use a granite board as a base for hot dishes without destroying it. It’s also no coincidence that many people order a granite base or granite board for pizza ovens or to grill meat in bbqs. A fun fact: pizza dough cooks best on a conductive material like a granite or marble board.
- highly hygienic – when it comes to other standard boards that sustain scratches, bacteria is very likely to nest in these micro incisions. This does not apply to granite, which, as mentioned above, is fully scratch resistant. Additionally, quartz is an impenetrable rock, guaranteeing security and resistance to liquid absorption. Behaving like metal, it essentially repels all substances, like the infamous fish sauce, that would otherwise imbue other material like wood with unpleasant smells or odours.
- exclusive, elegant appearance – protect your worktop but also beautify it! Granite chopping boards can serve a decorative function. You can purchase them in various colours, details or patterns – whatever suits the worktops or kitchen design. Additionally, like slate, they are often used to serve food e.g. appetizers, cheese, cold plates or other distinctive, fancy dishes.
- ease of maintenance – keeping a granite chopping board clean is simple – all you need is water and a cloth to wash the board clean. Since the chopping desk does not scratch or absorb liquid, all stains will come off the board as water over a duck. Not only that, this board is one of the few materials out there that can be put into a dishwasher as neither the heat or water impact its structure or colour. The number of convenience factors is immense.
- retention of colour – speaking of colour, the longevity of granite or quartz is immaculate. No matter where you put this stone: exposed to moisture or constant sun & UV rays, the quality of it will be maintained over time. Meanwhile, other materials like coloured metal or plastic become dull, colourless and less vibrant over time.