Test Kitchen tips: Stabilize your cutting board

This article was originally on a blog post platform and may be missing photos, graphics or links. See About archive blog posts.

Sometimes there’s nothing more annoying (or potentially dangerous) than dealing with a slippery cutting board when you’re busy in the kitchen prepping a recipe.

It’s easy to stabilize a cutting board, and you don’t have to spend a ton of money on expensive non-slip boards, grips or liners to do it.

Next time you’re out, stop by a hardware or home supply store and pick up a roll of shelf/drawer liner. The foam or rubber liners are perfect for keeping your board from sliding all over the counter as you try to chop. They’re washable, dry quickly and can easily be stored (they take up almost no room when folded), ready to go when needed. What I love most about them is you can cut them to size.

In a pinch, you can also stabilize your cutting board using some damp paper towels or a damp kitchen towel (wet the towel, then wring out as much water as possible before placing under your board). I’ve seen both used in culinary schools and in professional kitchens, though I’m not the biggest fan. With paper towels, it’s a simple issue with cost. As for kitchen towels, the moment you dampen a towel you limit its other uses -- you can’t use a wet towel as a makeshift oven mitt or to grab a hot pan, let alone dry anything. And then you have to launder it.

If you have any kitchen tips or questions you’d like me to explore, leave a comment below or email me at noelle.carter@latimes.com.

ALSO:

134 recipes for your favorite restaurant dishes

What’s hot: Recipes from the L.A. Times Test Kitchen

Browse hundreds of recipes from the L.A. Times Test Kitchen

-- Noelle Carter
Twitter/noellecarter