Cutting boards? page 2

[Drlove]

Why wouldn't it fit in the dishwasher, you don't have to buy a several foot long one, they've got them in all the same sizes as any other material.

I mean that wood isn't dish-washable (yup, probably made up a new term)

Wooden boards can't go in the dishwasher. There's nothing inherently wrong with plastic. Speaking as a mom who just got my first dishwasher at age 51, just over a year ago, I can tell you that I love my new plastic cutting boards and my old wooden ones only get pulled out on occasion. If you want to change you mom's cutting behaviors, make it easy for her. Go for plastic or silicon (I have no experience with silicon, but it comes highly recommended above.

I might do so indeed, thanks!

See this article below. If she gets a plastic one, then she does need to be very careful with it.

UC-Davis Food Safety Laboratory: Cutting Board Research

"We soon found that disease bacteria such as these were not recoverable from wooden surfaces in a short time after they were applied, unless very large numbers were used. New plastic surfaces allowed the bacteria to persist, but were easily cleaned and disinfected. However, wooden boards that had been used and had many knife cuts acted almost the same as new wood, whereas plastic surfaces that were knife-scarred were impossible to clean and disinfect manually, especially when food residues such as chicken fat were present. Scanning electron micrographs revealed highly significant damage to plastic surfaces from knife cuts.

Although the bacteria that have disappeared from the wood surfaces are found alive inside the wood for some time after application, they evidently do not multiply, and they gradually die. They can be detected only by splitting or gouging the wood or by forcing water completely through from one surface to the other. If a sharp knife is used to cut into the work surfaces after used plastic or wood has been contaminated with bacteria and cleaned manually, more bacteria are recovered from a used plastic surface than from a used wood surface."

I see, though she doesn't use chef knives or ones that are prone to cut the surface, so I guess plastic should be decent.
I will talk to her and we'll decide on the matter. Thanks for the extra info.