Podcast Summary: "Al dente | Tablas de cortar: materiales, mantenimiento y calidades"

Podcast: Hoy por Hoy (SER Podcast)
Date: November 20, 2025
Host: Àngels Barceló

Main Theme

This episode dives deep into an essential, yet often overlooked, kitchen tool: the cutting board ("tabla de cortar"). Hosts discuss different materials, maintenance, and quality considerations for selecting the ideal cutting board, with practical advice and personal anecdotes. Before getting into the main topic, the segment opens with a gourmet recipe that highlights the cutting board’s fundamental place in every kitchen.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Recipe Spotlight: Carbonara de Centolla

• [01:10–03:31] The episode opens with a unique recipe for "carbonara de centolla" (spider crab carbonara), illustrating the need for a sturdy cutting board.
  • Ingredients & Method: Features centolla (or tinned crab as substitute), egg yolks, parmesan, long pasta, olive oil, black pepper, and possible lemon zest.
  • Cooking Tips:
    • Use the backside of the knife to break open crab legs on a sturdy board.
    • Save crab juices to enrich the sauce.
    • Mix crab, yolks, parmesan, pepper, and pasta directly for a creamy texture.
    • Optional: finish with lemon zest and chives for freshness.
• Quote:
  • “Es una carbonara finísima, Ángel.” ([03:25], A)

2. Why Talk About Cutting Boards?

• [04:16–05:07] Emphasizing the overlooked importance of cutting boards, not just as kitchen tools, but as symbols of the process, not just the result.
  • Insight: “En un mundo obsesionado con el resultado, la tabla es un ejemplo de la importancia del proceso... todos pasamos por una tabla de cortar, hasta los que no cocinamos.” ([04:16], A)
• Personal Anecdotes:
  • Cutting boards with marks and "heridas" (scars) are a sign of real, lived-in cooking: “Si tenemos la tabla impecable, es que ahí no se cocina.” ([03:52], A)

3. Materials: Pros, Cons & Suitability

• [06:23–09:44] Systematic review of available materials for domestic and professional kitchens.
  • Plastic: Widespread, cheap, replaceable, dishwasher safe, but bacterial risk in knife grooves and risk of microplastics.
    • Quote: “¿Pueden desprender microplásticos esas tablas? Claro, claro... Es plástico y eso nos lo comemos.” ([07:25–07:29], B & A)
  • Glass: Superb hygiene, easy clean, but quickly ruins knife edges; fragile.
  • Stainless Steel: Indestructible, hygienic, but wears down knives even faster.
    • Memorable Moment: “A mí es que me da un poco de grima cortar sobre acero inoxidable.” ([08:18], B)
  • Stone/Countertops: Similar drawbacks for knives as glass and steel.
  • Wood: Gentle on knives, attractive, repairable, eco-friendly, but needs careful maintenance and can retain smells or germs if not cleaned.

4. Types of Wood: Which Is Best?

• [09:44–14:34] Deep dive on which wood types make for the best cutting boards.

  • Porosity Matters:

    • Open-pore woods: Ash, oak, pine—cheaper, more familiar, but retain moisture and bacteria; not recommended.
      • Quote: “Poro abierto. Olvidado.” ([10:48], B)
    • Closed-pore woods: Maple ("arceduro"), olive, beech ("haya"), walnut ("nogal"), cherry, acacia, bamboo—safer, more durable, less likely to harbor bacteria.

  • Hardness & Knife Friendliness (in order from gentlest to hardest):

    • Walnut → Cherry → Beech → Hard Maple → Olive → Acacia → Bamboo.
    • Note: Bamboo is very popular, but tough on knives and often made from glued laminates which can split ([14:01–14:34]).

  • Top Picks:

    1. Walnut: Most balanced for hygiene, durability, and knife care.
    2. Hard Maple: Tough, safe, nearly as good as walnut.
    3. Cherry: Gentle, but softer—wears quicker.
    4. Beech: Very reasonable all-rounder.
    5. Olive: Gorgeous, hard, slightly less gentle, but a favorite for aesthetics.
    6. Bamboo: Safe, tough, but least knife-friendly.

  • Quote:

    • “El nogal sería la madera ideal para tener en casa.” ([12:03], A)
    • “El olivo... muy segura, algo más dura con los cuchillos, pero es preciosa. Yo tengo de olivo en casa, lo tengo clarísimo.” ([13:36], A)

5. Practical Buying Advice

• [12:32–14:34]
  • Choose thickness: For home cooks, 2–4 cm is optimal.
  • Prefer single-piece boards over poorly glued laminates.
  • Go for quality, even if the investment is slightly higher—it lasts longer and is safer.

6. Proper Care & Maintenance

• [14:34–16:08]
  • Wash immediately after use with warm water and mild soap.
  • Dry thoroughly; never soak or use the dishwasher.
  • Sanitize with vinegar and salt if used for meats or fish, but only occasionally.
  • Oil with olive oil every few weeks to prevent drying and warping.
  • Use both sides to avoid uneven warping.
  • Pro Tip: Place damp kitchen paper under the board for stability.
• Quotes:
  • “Nunca meterla en el lavavajillas ni dejarla a remojo... eso es criminal.” ([14:59], A)
  • “Un truco para que la tabla no resbale... papel de cocina humedecido debajo y luego encima la tabla.” ([15:20], A)

7. Personal Touches & Gifting

• Cutting boards are suggested as a practical, thoughtful gift—especially as the holiday season approaches (“Que es un buen regalo. Una tabla de cortar.” [16:08], B)
• The hosts close with friendly banter about personal preferences and plans for future episodes.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On the cutting board as a sign of real cooking:
  “Si tenemos la tabla impecable, es que ahí no se cocina.” ([03:52], A)
• On the myth of hygienic plastics:
  “¿Pueden desprender microplásticos esas tablas? Claro, claro... Es plástico y eso nos lo comemos.” ([07:25–07:29], B & A)
• On wood as the best choice:
  “Es suave con los cuchillos, no genera microplásticos y con el cuidado apropiado puede durar muchísimos años.” ([08:54], A)
• On maintenance:
  “Nunca meterla en el lavavajillas ni dejarla a remojo... eso es criminal.” ([14:59], A)

Timestamps for Important Segments

• 01:10 — Recipe: Carbonara de centolla
• 04:16 — Introduction: Why discuss cutting boards
• 06:23 — Materials overview (plastic, glass, steel, stone, wood)
• 09:44 — Wood types: open-pore vs. closed-pore
• 12:39 — Ranking: Best woods for boards
• 14:34 — Maintenance and cleaning advice
• 16:08 — Gift suggestion and closing remarks

Tone & Language

The conversation is relaxed, relatable, and informed, filled with anecdotes and practical wisdom. Àngels Barceló and her guest share expertise with good humor, balancing factual explanations with charming asides.

For Listeners:

If you want to upgrade your kitchen toolset or gift something practical and lasting, this episode tackles just what you need: how to pick, care for, and appreciate a humble but vital kitchen essential—the cutting board.