Archive for the ‘Plastic Cutting Boards’ Category
Growing up, I never really cared for pork. Chicken was OK, beef was king, but pork….not so much. I mean, when faced with a choice, who wants to eat inferior, fatty meat right? Luckily my dad was able to change my perspective about pork “it’s the other white meat” he explained, “it’s not unhealthy, if cooked right, and can be downright delicious with the right recipe”. As usual, dad was right. This is such an easy roast using only 6 simple ingredients. It goes terrific with any side dish including but not limited to potatoes, rice and vegetables.
Italian Garlic Roast (Directions): Place roast in a shallow baking dish. Place garlic cloves in a mini food processor with salt and oregano. Stream in olive oil while processing to a paste. Mince or smash garlic on a plastic cutting board with salt to create a course paste. Mix in oregano and then in a bowl, add oil. Spread half of garlic and oil on roast. Pepper as desired. Place 1 inch of water in baking pan. Do not cover. Bake 45 minutes at 325 degrees. Remove roast from oven and turn roast over. Top other side with remaining half of garlic and oil. Add more water to pan up to an inch. Bake an additional 45 minutes. Remove from oven and let roast rest 10 minutes in juices. Remove roast to a cutting board. Slice thin and place slices back into pan juices remaining in baking dish. Serve immediately or reheated.
Ingredients
* 3 lb lean pork or beef roast, fat removed
* 6-8 large cloves garlic, peeled
* 1 teaspoon dry oregano
* 1 teaspoon salt
* 1/4 cup olive oil
* Fresh ground pepper
* Water
Whether you’re an amateur, novice, or even gourmet chef, you almost certainly spend time cutting up meats and veggies. Unfortunately, bacteria is capable of lurking on various types of surfaces used for cutting. But the solution is easy! Follow these steps to keep your cutting mats and boards clean and bacteria-free.
Instructions
1. Wash it! First of all, wash your board after each use with hot, soapy water..doesn’t matter if it’s bamboo, natural wood or plastic, warm, soapy water is the best germ-killing solution there is.
2. Salt it! Salt makes life miserable for most bacteria, specifically nasty germs like Salmonella and E. coli. Sprinkle table or kosher salt onto your cutting mat. With a damp towel, scrub the entire board. Rinse thoroughly and let air-dry.
3. Bleach it! One tablespoon of liquid chlorine bleach mixed into a gallon of water acts as a sanitizer on wooden and synthetic cutting mats. Sanitizers remove microorganisms and reduce the risk of food-borne illness. Allow the solution to stand on the board for a few minutes before rinsing with hot water and blotting dry with a paper towel.
4. Let someone else do the work (i.e. ‘Mr.’ Dishwasher). The elevated water temperature in your dishwasher is capable of killing the bacteria on your synthetic cutting mats. But don’t put your wood boards in the dishwasher. They can warp, split and absorb the odors of the detergent.
Being a mom, nothing makes me happier than making food for my husband and kids. Of course, it’s important my “boys” meals are not only delicious but also healthy. When cutting up sandwich meats and vegetables, it’s important for me to know the cutting board I use is safe and sanitary.
After researching the subject thoroughly, I prefer a plastic cutting board because of its nonporous surface. The nonporous surface prevents juices from meats and dirt from vegetables from penetrating deep into the surface. This is in contrast to the wooden cutting board surface which is more prone to retaining dangerous bacteria such as salmonella. No thank you! In addition to giving me peace of mind, plastic cutting boards also have some self-healing ability - cuts made by sharp knives may almost disappear over time!