Wood is good
This morning, I got into a conversation with my roommate about whether it was more hygienic to use a wood cutting board vs. a plastic/rubber one. Post DuPont era, the conventional notion about wood is that, since it is porous, it harbors more bacteria than its competitor, plastic. This is a half-truth. Studies found that the cellulose in wood absorbs bacteria but will not release it. The bacteria is trapped in the wood and unable to resurface and contaminate your food. Conversely, plastic boards are recognized to absorb less bacteria, however, when the board develops tiny cracks casued by knives, the cracks absorb bacteria and may go dormant for weeks. Even worse, dishwashing may not completely kill the bacteria on plastic boards.
Just sterilize your wood cutting board by nuking it for 5 minutes. Sponges (cellulose, not natural), similarly, take about 1 minute in the microwave.
What’s the moral? Nature is smart. I’d rather rely on a technology that took millions of years to perfect than one roughly older than half a century. The Scandinavians know good design.
NIGHTNIGHT by DEDDY
