A plain white chopping board.

Let’s examine the use of  color-coded chopping boards: 

Green Board: You love vegetable salads, aren’t you? How about fruit salads?  Fruits and vegetable salads are categorized for preparation on green chopping boards. 

Yellow Board: What brought about the yellow color in this aspect? Whatever the reason, it surely fits the purpose. Cooked meat or cooked meat products placed on a yellow board, matched the purpose. For a board of this color to be assigned this task, befits the gesture. Cooked meat is a finished product, and hands-on them on a yellow board looks unique.

White Board: Due to the nature of dairy products, it’s easy to notice any particle that’s not part of the product on the whiteboard. Dairy items are produced under strict hygienic conditions and contamination can be noticed when placed on a whiteboard. Cheese, bread, etc., are designated for handling on this board. 

Red Board: Meat items like raw beef, pork, etc., are cut or prepared on this board. The color-code board tends to match the redness of the meat.

Brown Board: Assigned for root vegetables; chopping, slicing, etc., of veggies are carried out on this board. Their usage is common in commercial kitchens. This is so because the usage of wooden boards isn’t common in commercial kitchens, but domestic kitchens. Carrots, potatoes, etc., are some of the examples of root vegetables.

Blue Board: Seafood products are prepared or handled on this color-code board. The nature of these products is characterized by their habitation. Aside from the suitability of the blue board for seafood items, the board contrasts this item when placed on it, so you can notice any particle or material that’s not of seafood.

Purple Board: This color-code chopping board has been designated for the preparation of nuts, for instance: pistachio, peanuts, cashews, etc.

Note: Items that require to be placed or worked on, on a chopping board vary. As far as catering is concerned, it’ll not be suitable for food items to be processed in one particular color of board. The purpose of color-coded boards is to avoid cross-contamination. For instance, if you cut an onion on a whiteboard, and place bread or cheese on that same board to be cut, the bread or cheese will contract the taste of the onion.

There can be cross-contamination when you chop garlic on a board and use the same board to prepare fruits. Food allergies are one of the reasons behind this innovation (color-coded board). Best practices in the food industry will continue to move forward to better serve the public. Anything that will enhance or secure food production will continue to be a welcomed development. HACCP concept and standard do understand, not only the cross-contamination of food items but also the suitability of colored code boards in usage for certain food items.

Safety Tips: A damp napkin or paper towel should be placed under a cutting board while on a work table to prevent it from shifting or moving during usage.

Due to their nature, plastic boards should not be allowed to come in contact with heat or flames.  

Don’t place a board on top of another board – and do a task – this is unsafe practice.

Don’t place a cup of coffee or drink on the board while doing a task.

Don’t use a knife or any metal object to scrap it (the board), as particles from the board may contaminate food.

Store away from chemical substances.

Hygiene Tips: Boards will be prone to smelling after usage. Apply sanitizers or disinfectants to thoroughly clean the boards during washing. 

Don’t leave boards in the sink or mix them together with dishes in the sink.

If boards come in contact with fat or oil, they should be soaked in hot water mixed with detergent and washed, or after washing with detergent, they should be raised under hot running water from the tap so they could be free from grease or oil.

Particularly in pastry kitchens, boards can easily be stained if food colorings aren’t handled with care. The cutting board should be removed from a work table when preparing raw chocolates. 

Don’t allow boards to come in contact with fry pans or oven trays, as charcoal substances can stain or dent the surface of the board.  

Note: This trend or development of color-coded chopping boards is an indication that food technologists will always remain committed to ensuring procedures that allow for food safety or hygiene remain a priority. It’s not a must that one should have a set of color-coded cutting boards in a domestic kitchen. So long as a chopping board is properly washed and cleaned, it’ll be fit to use for other food items.

There’s no rule stipulating that color-coded chopping boards must be used in professional or commercial kitchens. However, the usage of color-code chopping boards in commercial or professional kitchens helps to prevent cross-contamination of food. Also, due to the high volume of production in commercial kitchens, sticking to a specific color-coded cutting board for specific items, makes it a lot easier to practice food hygiene and safety.

Summary: Chopping boards are a must-use item in the kitchen. Color-coded boards are some of the innovations in catering work. How would culinary work get on without a chopping board? Their value can’t be over-emphasized. “Great chefs” or “culinary greats” can’t write their stories without them. Cutting skills or techniques are displayed on it. There’s no day chefs don’t require their services. They’re one of the items usually found on work surfaces in the kitchen.

If there’s any washing done in the kitchen, they’re part of it, in other words, they’re part of utensils washed after usage in the kitchen. They’re designed for hygiene and food safety purposes. Caterers love to behold their colorfulness. Wooden boards can’t fit certain tasks, due to color-coded purposes. These plastic items fit color-coded purposes. They’re used both in culinary and pastry kitchens. Their varieties have made HACCP rules more possible to apply.

Work on these boards in daily kitchen operations is enormous. Chefs can hear the sounds of chops and cuts as a result of knife usage on them. They’re work partners with chefs and prep chefs. The ideas behind their design are a success. Racks are specially designed for their keeps or storage after usage. Color-coded chopping boards should be used and maintained according to their specifications.