Some boats have built-in wooden cutting boards, or ones that fit over the stove or sink.
If you still want to use these but avoid cross-contamination problems from cutting meats and other foods on the same surface (or the wood turning black), flexible cutting sheets are a good option.
Flexible sheets take up almost no storage space (always a plus!) and can be cut as needed to fit any wooden board. I find a pair of kitchen shears works far better than any sort of knife to cut it (they’re made to resist knife cuts . . . ).
I have no idea how long a set will typically last as mine always got hijacked on the boat for some other purpose long before they were “worn out.” Every time we needed a divider for something, it seemed, Dave’s eyes would light on my cutting sheets and one would go missing. (If you find this happening on your boat, get a couple sets when you buy them — they’re pretty cheap!)
Some people also use them on Formica or Corian surfaces, but I personally don’t like to — to me, it’s just too hard a surface for my knife blades and I don’t like the feel of it. But placed on a wood board, they’re great.
For use over a wooden board, I like these Norpro cutting sheets:
They come in a set of three with icons on them for different uses — produce, seafood and meat. See the close up of the icons at right.
- You can choose between all-white boards or ones that are different colors — red for meat, blue for seafood and yellow for everything else. I prefer the colored ones as it makes it easier to grab the correct one.
- Since they are flexible, it’s easy to pick them up with chopped food and make a funnel shape to dump the food into a pan without spilling it.
- The only down side is that since they are thin, they don’t have a juice groove to keep meat juices from dripping over the edge onto the surface below.
These make a great add-on if you’re buying something else from Amazon and need a little more to qualify for free shipping:
A food safety note: Even though you’re keeping cross contamination down by using separate boards, it’s a good idea to spray them down with a bleach solution after washing them off. Food poisoning is never fun, but it’s even worse if there is no medical help nearby!
Carolyn Shearlock has lived aboard full-time for 17 years, splitting her time between a Tayana 37 monohull and a Gemini 105 catamaran. She’s cruised over 14,000 miles, from Pacific Mexico and Central America to Florida and the Bahamas, gaining firsthand experience with the joys and challenges of life on the water.
Through The Boat Galley, Carolyn has helped thousands of people explore, prepare for, and enjoy life afloat. She shares her expertise as an instructor at Cruisers University, in leading boating publications, and through her bestselling book, The Boat Galley Cookbook. She is passionate about helping others embark on their liveaboard journey—making life on the water simpler, safer, and more enjoyable.
Here’s your “Quick Start” to everything you need to know when living on a boat:
And check out our other courses and products
Barbara Lowell says
I love these; sometimes I cut them in half for small jobs like garlic, I don’t need the whole sheet. Also at Dollar Tree they are 2 for $1 but all white so yea, sometimes I grab the wrong one but I am Vegan so its either savory vegies or fruit, a bit easier. They get hacked up pretty quickly so that’s a nice plus to replace them often. I love all your hints and feel especially good when I have discovered it too!
Cap'n Dave says
I was just going to mention that as well – about being vegan, so really only needing one board, but then I got to thinking…strawberries vs., say, jalapeños? Or celery? Might not be a bad idea to have one for greens/mushrooms/cauliflower, one for peppers/onions/garlic, and one solely for fruit.