A la cut Chopping Boards

...any time with Nigel Hinton, a chef who was inspired to create the “à la cut” range of chopping boards to improve the process of food preparation. I met him earlier this year when he was exhibiting at the Vitality Show at Olympia and within a very short space of time I had decided to invest in 2 new chopping boards: a large circular one (15” diameter) and a small square one (9.75” square). They would replace an ageing breadboard which had been more ...
...securely onto the rim of a pan or bowl if required. Once seen in action, other chopping boards look comically clumsy in comparison.

The Wood versus Plastic debate

The boards I bought are made of quality beech hardwood. This may raise concerns with some of you, as it did at first for me, about food safety. I had previously regarded my plastic chopping board as superior to wooden boards on these grounds. But I was directed ... more

If you think that one chopping board is very much like any other then it’s clear that you haven’t spent any time with Nigel Hinton, a chef who was inspired to create the “à la cut” range of chopping boards to improve the process of food preparation. I met him earlier this year when he was exhibiting at the Vitality Show at Olympia and within a very short space of time I had decided to invest in 2 new chopping boards: a large circular one (15” diameter) and a small square one (9.75” square). They would replace an ageing breadboard which had been more widely used than originally intended, and a well-worn plastic chopping board.

The Design

What attracted me first to the “à la cut” range was the three-dimensional shape of the boards. Viewed from the top they look like very plain ordinary chopping boards, but they are all designed to include “recesses” in the sides that allow plates to be slid partially underneath. This makes it easy to “catch” all the prepared ingredients. There’s no need to lift or tilt the board, and there’s no need to “mind the gap” between board and plate that usually results in some ingredients falling to the worktop below when transferring from one to the other. The same recesses can be used to hold the board securely onto the rim of a pan or bowl if required. Once seen in action, other chopping boards look comically clumsy in comparison.

The Wood versus Plastic debate

The boards I bought are made of quality beech hardwood. This may raise concerns with some of you, as it did at first for me, about food safety. I had previously regarded my plastic chopping board as superior to wooden boards on these grounds. But I was directed to read a report prepared by Wisconsin’s Food Research Institute in which the relative safety of wooden and plastic chopping boards was compared. It is one of many such reports available over the Internet with some surprising content. It would appear that wood has some natural anti-bacterial qualities that plastics do not. So, while some will still argue that it is very much easier to clean a plastic board (and this may be particularly true for brand new plastic boards), the consequences of failing to clean completely are more severe for plastic boards than for wooden boards as bacteria will continue to multiply on their surfaces for longer.

Two other factors to consider: the wood used to make à la cut boards is from a renewable forestry resource; and there is less wear and tear on knives when using wood as opposed to some plastics.

Usage and Care

The chopping boards come with “full use and care instructions” on a single hard-wearing laminated page to keep in the kitchen (which also provides very effective ongoing marketing for à la cut as friends and family inevitably read it!). For cleaning, washing under running water and wiping with a damp cloth are recommended; soaking and use of dishwasher are to be avoided. It is recommended to oil the board on a regular basis. Any edible oil can be used and it’s simple to do: just coat the board with the oil and leave to dry. The wood absorbs the oil. There are also guidelines for usage to reduce the risk of cross contamination during food preparation.

Prices and Availability

You won’t find any à la cut chopping boards in your local shops. They can be obtained by mail order using a form obtainable via the à la cut website, or from principal food and wine shows. An advantage I gained by getting mine at a show was that I could select the exact wooden grain of my choice. As it is a natural product they do vary from one another in appearance and I wanted the circular one in particular to stand in the corner of my kitchen so appearance was important. I still used the delivery service as they would have been quite heavy to carry on the train.

I was also lucky to get my boards as part of a special promotion. The standard prices range from £15 for the compact (9.75” x 9.75”x 1.6”) board, up to £40 for the large round (15” diameter, 2.4” depth) board. In between there are medium and large rectangular boards (15” x 9.75” & 17” x 12” at £20 & £30 respectively). There’s also a lighter weight version of the compact board in birch wood as opposed to beech. There’s a standard £5 charge for postage and packing, although I notice that there’s currently a special offer to waive this for orders placed before May 1st.

My Verdict

This is an innovative quality product which is a source of ongoing delight for me in my kitchen. The boards are in daily use, look good and function well. On reflection my only concern about the product is its price. It needs a change of mindset to see a good chopping board as a luxury item, worthy of that little extravagance.

For further information:

Visit the website: www.alacut.com
À la cut is a registered trademark of
Zegna Consulting Ltd
9 Heathcote Court
Osborne Road
Windsor
SL4 3SS

 

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