Comments on: Sampalok Tadtaran / Tamarind Chopping Board

By: Marketman

Marketman — Sat, 11 Feb 2006 05:39:01 +0000

santos, GREAT comments, thanks for the link… Other readers will surely appreciate it as well!

By: santos.

santos. — Sat, 11 Feb 2006 04:33:01 +0000

oh oops, i forgot to mention that perhaps olive oil isn't the best to season a board, you'll want to use something that won't go rancid like food-grade mineral oil (sorry to be so self-serving, but i have a post on how to oil one of those salcedo boards....)

By: santos.

santos. — Sat, 11 Feb 2006 04:27:52 +0000

i think i bought the brother of your sister’s board from the same vendor–gorgeous, hard to resist something that size with that grain. the first thing i did when i got home was oil it down. i’ve only had it two weeks so i can’t say if there’s a problem, but so far, none. and the smaller boards i bought in october are still doing well; there was a little cracking in the beginning, but i think that was due to the airplane journey–all that depressurization and altitude is bad, bad, bad. now i oil the boards up before i take them on the plane if i’m particularly worried.

By: Chris

Chris — Fri, 10 Feb 2006 19:10:16 +0000

I’ve observed that too. Perhaps the thickness makes it a lot more rigid. I’ve also found that the downside is, if it’s not properly dried, instead of flexing (i.e. warping), it has a tendency to crack. I had a four inch thick laminated bamboo board from thailand that split right in the middle. In frustration, I told one of my cooks to throw it into the pugon! Never saw it again, so maybe he took me seriously and recycled it into firewood. Heheh.

By: ces

ces — Fri, 10 Feb 2006 19:04:47 +0000

me too! been dreaming about that global thingie! *sigh* next on my list…i’ll head first to divi for that tamarind block!

By: lmc

lmc — Fri, 10 Feb 2006 16:30:39 +0000

Hi MM – I’ve been dreaming about that Global knife for quite sometime now. I guess it’s one of the most expensive brands around. But based on the reviews, it’s definitely one of the best. Is it really lightweight? I settled for a Calphalon instead but my goodness, it probably weighs like your chainsaw! (: Haven’t given up on the Global knife dream though…maybe someday. Thanks for sharing your thoughts on this.

By: Marketman

Marketman — Fri, 10 Feb 2006 11:45:07 +0000

Kai, I do get bamboozled once in a while, but I do hunt out bargains on occasion as well. I bought the huge smooth sampalo chopping board because I hadn’t seen one that big and it’s perfect for hacking away at crabs or big animal portions… At PHP600, it was pricey but unusual in shape and heft. I did however, get the onex from the backyard for a lot less…so it all evens out in the end. Glad the ones from Divisoria are good…will keep that in mind the next time I am there. Arlene, a sampaloc board is a good choice in Manila. In the states, I buy Boos Blocks which are great, they are made of fused maple and extremely durable. More than just a chopping board, it’s more important that you keep your boards separate – one for meats, one for foul, one for veggie and one for fruit. Otherwise, strange odors and bacteria can transfer from one to the other. Gigi, I do lubricate salad bowls with oil… hmmm, I didn’t think to do that for the sampalok… Chris, if the wood went into a kiln, that’s a far better product than the naturally dried versions on offer…also, I find if you buy thick enough it may have less chance of warping??!? Not sure if there is a good reason for that belief…

By: Kai

Kai — Fri, 10 Feb 2006 04:13:10 +0000

Marketman, you buy all the expensive stuff. I buy loads of tamarind chopping boards, as many as I could carry, which is just actually one given their weight, at the ultimate cheapskate shopping destination – Divisoria. They are sold in roving carts along the busy roads. I got a fair-sized, really thick one for P35, down from the initial sales pitch of P70, and it’s been in service for 2 years now, no crack, not even a single minute complaint.

By: arlene

arlene — Fri, 10 Feb 2006 03:55:26 +0000

Hi MM, Ive been wanting have a good chopping board, can you recommend me where I could buy one …

By: Gigi

Gigi — Fri, 10 Feb 2006 01:38:50 +0000

MM— That is one beautiful knife, Man.