Eating Steak

[GregLaROCHE]

I have always enjoyed eating red meat. In my generation we were told too much red meat was not good for you, cholesterol etc. New studies have disproved that, but that is not the topic of this post. I now have no problems eating a lot of steaks that I enjoy.

I recently have started putting steaks on individual cutting boards instead of plates. The meat cuts much more easily and my knives stay sharper much longer. Imagine when you take the finely sharpened edge of a knife and force it down onto the very hard surface of most plates. You can’t help but dull it. There is also just something I find appealing to eating on a piece of wood.

I wipe off the cutting boards and sometimes add a little salt as an abrasive, if needed, to clean them. The same as I clean my cast iron pans. I suppose you could wash them with a little water and soap, but for sure, don’t let your wife put them in the dishwasher.

How many others have tried eating steaks like this? If you haven’t, you should try it.

[Winger Ed.]

Sounds good, but I've heard wooden cutting boards can catch & hold bacteria that may not be healthy for ya.

You might want to check into how to keep them sterilized like you would for any other serving dishes.
Plain salt and/or vinegar might work, it might even be a non-issue, but I'd look into it.

[RoyEllis]

Eat steak on cutting board all the time, but still puzzling over the title "Earring Steak".........

[M-Tecs]

Nope, a very good friend of mines mother died from food poisonings contracted at a family gathering. Only the people that used the fancy wooden plates got sick.

[GregLaROCHE]

Eat steak on cutting board all the time, but still puzzling over the title "Earring Steak".........

Oops! I don’t know if was me or auto correct. I tried to edit it, seems like you can’t edit titles. I hope people can understand.

[GregLaROCHE]

Salt kills 99.9 percent of bacteria etc. For centuries we have salted meat to preserve it.

[monadnock#5]

Raw poultry cut up on a board, and the board then used to cut up something else is a no no. Causes salmonella poisoning. Dedicated boards for serving cooked food should be OK.

[M-Tecs]

Each to their own but I don't use anything that can't go into the dishwasher in sanitization cycle. Switched to Antibacterial Synthetic Cutting Boards

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2018/01/05/wooden-plates-pose-risk-food-poisoning-council-says-fines-restaurant/

https://www.thedailybeast.com/the-dirty-truth-about-cutting-boards

https://www.cosmopolitan.com/uk/worklife/a14852553/never-eat-off-wooden-platters-restaurants/

[Three44s]

No wood for me thank you. The fact it is for cooked meat still allows bacteria to grow.

Plastic cutting boards that can be sanitized in a dishwasher heat cycle but have noticeable wear are dangerous also. My wife who is formally trained in this area bequeathes her cutting boards to me for the man cave and loading projects that do not pass her safety criteria.

Three44s

[Randy Bohannon]

One time use paper plates would save what little dulling occurs on a ceramic plate, maybe some wood grained paper plates. The Cedar Plank Salmon is a one time use for a reason,maybe come up with a one time use flavored/cured board for serving isn’t a bad idea.

[smithnframe]

In a word “NO”

[Ole Joe Clarke]

I'm thinking about having steak this July 4th, gonna start saving my money now so I can afford a couple. Taking out a bank loan for steak is the sissy way out. :-)

Have a blessed day,

Leon

[wch]

Eat steak on cutting board all the time, but still puzzling over the title "Earring Steak".........

Typo- "r" is next to "t" on the keyboard.

[JonB_in_Glencoe]

Each to their own but I don't use anything that can't go into the dishwasher in sanitization cycle. Switched to Antibacterial Synthetic Cutting Boards

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2018/01/05/wooden-plates-pose-risk-food-poisoning-council-says-fines-restaurant/

https://www.thedailybeast.com/the-dirty-truth-about-cutting-boards

https://www.cosmopolitan.com/uk/worklife/a14852553/never-eat-off-wooden-platters-restaurants/

M-Tecs,
I always respect your opinions that you post ...but not so much this time.
or maybe I'm just old school in the kitchen?
I love to use real wood for meal prep cutting, but I do serve on Corelle dinnerware, and mostly I use serrated steak knives at the dinner table, they don't get dull.

BTW, I've heard this from other sources years ago.

https://www.rowandsons.co.uk/blog/myth-fact-antibacterial-properties-wood/

clip from article:

...According to a scientific study on Plastic and Wooden Chopping Boards, which was conducted by Dean O. Cliver, Ph.D, it has transpired that wooden chopping boards are in fact hygienic owing to the fact that certain types of wood do seem to exhibit antibacterial properties. The research was carried out at the University of Wisconsin and involved the testing of an extensive range of wooden and plastic chopping boards made from different source materials in order to see how long various examples of dangerous bacteria could survive on each type of cutting surface.

In order to test the safety of the boards, three main types of bacteria, well known to cause serious food poisoning, were used. The bacteria used in the experiment were E. Coli, Salmonella and Listeria. Quite surprisingly, when considering the initial ‘unfounded’ advice that plastic is safer, the wooden chopping boards provided outstanding results on every occasion.

Although plastic chopping boards have a nonporous surface when new, many of the cheaper boards can scar quite easily when used with sharp cutting implements. With regular use, the damage accumulates over time and creates a rough surface that can become awkward to clean regardless of whether the board is soaked, cleaned manually with hot running water or placed in dishwasher using bleach and detergents. Of course, high-end plastic cutting boards are not as susceptible to such damage in everyday use.

The tests results indicate that the surface of a wooden board will actually stop dangerous bacteria from multiplying and the germs simply die out after a period of about three minutes. Following the experiment, the scientists at the University of Wisconsin found that 99.9% of the bacteria placed on the wooden chopping boards had died out completely within minutes whereas some of the cheaper plastic boards had very little effect in terms of killing dangerous microbes.

After being left overnight in normal room temperature conditions, the wooden chopping boards had no living bacteria left on them at all. Although the researchers were unable to identify how or why the wood cutting boards were able to kill off the bacteria – it really does seem that wood does have antibacterial properties after all.

[Mal Paso]

The latest info is that germs last Longer on nonporous surfaces so wood is less germ friendly, just harder to clean. I never had any problem with wood cutting boards, I think that's an Old Wives Tale. Fire got my wood cutting boards and I just have a cheap plastic Costco plastic set but I cut and serve off them all the time. Living life on the ragged edge. LOL

JonB has it right.

[KenH]

Only allow wood cutting boards in the kitchen. No decent knife should ever go in dishwasher.

[Nueces]

I also hate the sound of a well sharpened edge snapping down on a porcelain plate (one of the easons I enjoy having fired the ex). My solution was to practice cutting steak nearly through from the top, then forking the cutoff piece up to complete the cut away from the plate. Got good at it fast and it works. My steak knives are simple, older plastic handled serrated utility knives that I sharpen with a Gerber Sportsman sharpening steel - very sharp right out to the points and they cut easy.

[Drm50]

I worked in a grocery store when I was a kid. My last job of the day was to clean the two big wooden butcher blocks. First scrape them then wire brush with salt. Scape off salt and cover with salt and a cheese cloth. Think of all the meat across the country that was handled the same way for a hundred years at least. If someone got sick it is usually because somebody didn’t do their cleaning. I think it was in 70s when FDA outlawed wood butcher blocks and wooden handled knives in slaughter houses and butcher shops. I’ve seen those stylish wooden plates. They aren’t made to clean and all made in SE Asia. Outhouse boards.

[redhawk0]

Using Mineral oil on your wooden cutting boards also helps seal the pores of the wood. Bacteria stays on the surface and can be washed off with soap and water. I re-oil my cutting boards about 3 times a year. Yes...I use them to cut only cooked meats...nothing raw on the wood.

redhawk

[Shawlerbrook]

I do believe the more humans have lived in a sterilized non-bacterial world, the less tolerant and more susceptible to bacterial diseases we have become. Some fancy restaurants serve planked steak. I believe it would be less of a problem if only the cooked meat was put on the wood. A good steamer would probably be the best disinfectant. Anyways, I love a good barbecued steak.

[Ural Driver]

If I'm just cooking for myself, the meat rarely sees a plate. I'm usually cutting and eating right outta the skillet. :drinks:

[Ural Driver]

I do believe the more humans have lived in a sterilized non-bacterial world, the less tolerant and more susceptible to bacterial diseases we have become. Some fancy restaurants serve planked steak. I believe it would be less of a problem if only the cooked meat was put on the wood. A good steamer would probably be the best disinfectant. Anyways, I love a good barbecued steak.

I would agree 100%.......:drinks:

[MrWolf]

I do believe the more humans have lived in a sterilized non-bacterial world, the less tolerant and more susceptible to bacterial diseases we have become. Some fancy restaurants serve planked steak. I believe it would be less of a problem if only the cooked meat was put on the wood. A good steamer would probably be the best disinfectant. Anyways, I love a good barbecued steak.

Agreed. All this constant hand washing, etc. cannot be good for our immune systems. Think back to when I was a kid playing in the dirt. We barely washed our hands to eat. My family was always construction. You did not constantly wash your hands and we were also never really sick. Coincidence? Don't know but I still don't go crazy with the disinfectants.

[JimB..]

Wood is good! I’ve turned plates on the lathe, they work well.

When cutting on a plate I tip the knife up at the end so the belly of the blade doesn’t contact the plate. My efforts are however wasted by the family which throws the knives into the dishwasher. Wife wanted a very expensive knife one year, so I got it for her. Was never really sharp because of such abuse, but worse the heat and humidity caused the tang to rust and eventully it broke. I replaced it and we’re repeating the process.

[Winger Ed.]

. Wife wanted a very expensive knife one year, so I got it for her. Was never really sharp because of such abuse,

Mrs. Winger was like that. Also, she can't tolerate the sound of a knife being sharpened.
When we got married, and combined our house holds, her knifes were so dull, it didn't matter if you used them upside down or not.
From banging around in the dishwasher, what was left of the edges were all dinged up too.

With both of us in the kitchen- it was like two cats in a pillow case until she learned to use a knife,
then lay it beside the sink to be hand washed.

[GARD72977]

And I thought my post were Controversial....

I dont have a knife I care about.

[Winger Ed.]

I dont have a knife I care about.

Other members here:

"Get a rope"............... "No! ,, burn the witch"!!

[Mr_Sheesh]

GregLaROCHE - Mods can change post titles, you could probably just report the post and request that we fix the title, or PM one of us who is on. Communication's hard enough w/o typos!

[MaryB]

To save the surface of my plastic cutting board I use paper plates as cheap disposable cutting boards. They double duty as a carrier to move the ingredient to the pan or plate. They also help cut down on cross contamination issues. Easy on the knife blade too but you have to get used to the lift and cut the last little bit so you don't cut thru the plate. Or use less pressure at the very end. Dobled up plates reduce this problem, the plates seen to cushion the blade more and it leaves a dent but doesn't cut. Been using this method for years...

[GregLaROCHE]

I do believe the more humans have lived in a sterilized non-bacterial world, the less tolerant and more susceptible to bacterial diseases we have become. Some fancy restaurants serve planked steak. I believe it would be less of a problem if only the cooked meat was put on the wood. A good steamer would probably be the best disinfectant. Anyways, I love a good barbecued steak.

I believe the same thing. We live in a sea of bacteria. On the outside of our bodies as well as the inside. If we removed all the bacteria from our bodies, we would die. It is important that our environment is protected by good bacterias. When we disinfect and sterilize surfaces, we give a chance for harmful bacteria to install and multiply.

[M-Tecs]

I not going to tell anyone their wrong for using wood noir that I am right for only using NSF Certified knives and cutting boards. The reality is I love the look and feel of wood and I have several very beautiful cutting boards that are now just for décor. My wood handled and or carbon knives still see limited use but that is very limited and yes they are hand washed.

I used wood up until about 15 years ago when the incident with my friends mother happened. While the state did investigate there was no clear conclusion as to why only the people that used wood plates got sick and several required hospitalization with one dying. It tore the family's involved apart with lots of blame and finger finger pointing.

While I have never been involved directly with causing a death by something I did or did not do I have been involved indirectly twice. As a kid in 1969 I talked my uncle into coming into town for pheasant dinner since I had bagged my first two pheasants as a 9 year old. He was killed in a car accident on the way. Earlier he had called and told my mom he couldn't make is due to an issue on the farm. I called him back and begged come in. He was killed on the way. I was not at fault but it was still very hard on the families . About ten years ago I asked my aunt to meet my dad and I at a restaurant as we passed through town. She was killed in a car accident on the way. Again I was not at fault but had I not asked either one of them to that location they may still be alive today.

In my friends case blame was never assessed but lots of finger pointing and blame. It spilt the family apart to this day. After that I switched everything to NSF Certified products. https://kitchenvale.com/what-is-nsf-certification/ Maybe I am being to much of a "Ken or Karen" but I've seen what happens to families when things go bad.

The area in this post that I am surprised by is that apparently it's way harder to sharpen knives than I realized. Yes, all my daily use knives go into the dish washer since they are stainless steel NSF Certified Commercial knives that are dish washer safe. Mostly Forschner and F Dick. It's a rare day when they are not shaving sharp. I enjoy sharpening knives so I really and truly don't care if I have to touch them up two or threes times more a year due to dishwasher use or the type of cutting board I am using.

My favorite knife is still the Green River 1095 Carbon steel skinner I purchased in 1976 for my High School Meat Cutting class. It has birds eye maple handle and it cost me $3.75 in 1976 but it is my most valued knife. Easiest sharpening knife I have every owned and it holds an edge very well but it rarely gets used.

[M-Tecs]

but worse the heat and humidity caused the tang to rust and eventully it broke. I replaced it and we’re repeating the process.

What high end knife uses carbon steel with a hidden tang?

[dale2242]

My wife did not want sharp knives for fear of cutting herself.
Once she used one she is not happy with her kitchen knives unless they are sharp.
I was taught to NEVER put a wooden handled knife in the dish washer.
I never put any of my GOOD knives in the dishwasher, wooden handle or not.

[JimB..]

What high end knife uses carbon steel with a hidden tang?

It was a collaboration piece that Ken Onion did with Shun, forget what they called it.

[contender1]

Boy,, talk about a can of worms out for discussion!
Fun posts.

I was raised in a restaurant.
We used the common tools of that era,, (1950-1977.) Including a big wooden cutting board/chopping block.
We had several knives,, yet, I do not recall brands etc. We always cleaned stuff,, including our board,, with hot soapy water,, and a good rinse with scalding hot water. Wiped dry.

As noted above,, people have been using wood chopping blocks or cutting boards for decades & longer,, without any sickness.

Making sure you properly clean things is the key in MY OPINION.

I use a big wooden chopping block to process raw deer meat & other stuff. But I also clean it immediately after I finish. I do a few scrubbings with hot soapy water,, and follow with several hot rinses. Lastly, I also take a stainless steel scrubber,, and do a wet scrubbing with it,, and again, very hot water cleaning to follow.
I never let any raw whatever dry & stay on my board for any length of time. I also use a butcher paper as a cover if I'm going to just do a small job. Basically, not allowing any bacteria time to grow.

We also have some very good knives. My wonderful better half decided several years ago she wanted a nice set of knives. And we both cook,, so I agreed, and we have several Shun knives. We didn't buy a set,, but instead, we got the blade styles we desired. There are 6 Shun knives on our block. Hand wash, hand dry, and properly sharpen when needed with a "Wicked Edge Sharpening System."
We host different eating events and no one has ever gotten sick.

I'd say that there are several good methods out there,, and in general,, if you are clean when you prepare, and clean properly before harmful stuff can grow,, you will be safe.

Now,, the OP has mentioned plank steaks. And I do believe, that properly cared for,, using a known wood type that is also used in other kitchen stuff,,, would be perfectly fine.

And remember,, there are a lot of wooden utensils used all the time by many kitchens & chefs daily.

All this is my own experiences,, and my own personal opinions.

[jonp]

I have always enjoyed eating red meat. In my generation we were told too much red meat was not good for you, cholesterol etc. New studies have disproved that, but that is not the topic of this post. I now have no problems eating a lot of steaks that I enjoy.

I recently have started putting steaks on individual cutting boards instead of plates. The meat cuts much more easily and my knives stay sharper much longer. Imagine when you take the finely sharpened edge of a knife and force it down onto the very hard surface of most plates. You can’t help but dull it. There is also just something I find appealing to eating on a piece of wood.

I wipe off the cutting boards and sometimes add a little salt as an abrasive, if needed, to clean them. The same as I clean my cast iron pans. I suppose you could wash them with a little water and soap, but for sure, don’t let your wife put them in the dishwasher.

How many others have tried eating steaks like this? If you haven’t, you should try it.

I use kosher salt as an abrasive. As for knives, the sharpest ones in the house in our house are our pocket knives.

[M-Tecs]

It was a collaboration piece that Ken Onion did with Shun, forget what they called it.

They do carry a lifetime warranty. Did you get it replaced?

[Scrounge]

I'm thinking about having steak this July 4th, gonna start saving my money now so I can afford a couple. Taking out a bank loan for steak is the sissy way out. :-)

Have a blessed day,

Leon

#1Son's birthday was Friday, he wanted T-bone steak. Too late for me to go to Wheeler's Meat Market. Went to Cash Saver's for other stuff, and looked in the meat department. $8.99/lb for T-bone, plus the 10% they add so they can make a profit. Looked good, I bought two. Got two meals each for the three of us, for about $22. Good steaks, too! Usually I let SWMBO pick out the meat, but she's not going anywhere but doctor's appointments these days.

[JimB..]

They do carry a lifetime warranty. Did you get it replaced?

Got a voucher since that model is no longer made. Don’t recall if I knew about their warranty or if I just sent a note and pic to their customer service.