I remember having a cutting board that slid out from under the kitchen counter. We cut fruits and veggies on it, but knew not to cut meat on it -- thankfully. When we were done, we'd wipe it off and slide it back under the counter where the now-moist wood slowly dried ... or not ... until the next meal. Occasionally we would take the board outside and set it in the sun for a few hours to "sanitize" it. I now cringe just thinking about those days.

Over the last few years we have invested in several, dishwasher safe, environmentally friendly cutting boards by Epicurean. They are made of wood fiber harvested from managed forest and are approved by the National Safety Foundation. I love the fact that they are very thin so I can stack (or hang) three or four in the amount of space one bulky old-fashioned cutting board takes up.

We own four -- two large for meal preparation and two small for cutting a single piece of fruit or slicing a block of cheese. When I've completed one task, I open the dishwasher door, slip in the Epicurean Cutting board in, and I don't have to think about germs growing on a surface that my families' food will come into contact with at the next meal.

By the way, my kitchen does have one of those slide out cutting boards right above the silverware drawer (and who ever designed it that way just wasn't thinking), but it stays put. Happy to live out its life in the dark, without germs infesting its surface.

Epicurean Cutting Surfaces are available online at amazon.com

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