Cutting Board Re-Purposed...Re-imagined ... A Cook top Cutting Board?

We can use a few more clichés because cutting boards like the ones in your kitchen are in fact multi-use surfaces. They come in different forms and sizes, not counting the kind of materials they are made from. So, it is not a stretch when we think of re-imagining them.

A while back a friend gave me some discarded material when he renovated their kitchen. It was a section of a countertop that served as a large built-in cutting board.  I've kept this large maple piece for years.  Then one day I finally found a way to use or repurpose it.

Below, I ripped a section to the size of 15 X 18 inches

These ripped narrow pieces will be used as shown two photos down.

At the router table I created a 1/4 X 3/4 inch rabbet on three edge sides

I clamped the long, narrow pieces. This allows the board to be elevated to a certain height

The glue should be enough to hold the narrow pieces but I decided to strengthen it further with dowels, using my drill installed on a jig (By the way, Woodsmith published this tip I submitted in their coming March issue.

Good dowels are typically just a tad larger than the holes. Tip: Chuck one into a drill.  Sand it ever so slightly as it rotates with the drill running at slow speed.

Cut the protruding dowels flush with the surface.

For the woodworkers out there, I recommend this router bit to chamfer the edges of the board. It has replaceable cutters, sharp on all sides, so they can be turned a quarter at a time to expose the unused sharp edges once one  side gets dull.  There are two cutters on opposite sides.

At the router table, again, I routed a finger hold at each edge to easily lift and move the board if needed.

I routed "juice channels" along four edges and one at the center.

Sanding

I glued another piece at one end.  This will serve as a stop.

This is a cutting board so the only finish needed is bee's wax - butcher block finish.

The question then is why make this cutting board in the first place? Why, indeed? For what special purpose? 

The stove top below was over 25 years old when we decided to replace it. There was one problem: the manufacturer no longer makes one unit with that width of 45 inches.  The latest versions are typically just 30 inches.

The existing cut out in the counter top was 45 inches wide, naturally. One solution was to get the 30 inch stove top and install another cooking equipment that was 15 inches wide.  I had to do some carpentry work to provide the proper support.  And get an electrician to run another 220 volt line to power the griddle that we purchased (same brand to match)

One down side is that the griddle costs as much as most entire stove tops.  The upside is that it is one versatile cooking appliance - a joy to use. Its top is a thick stainless steel, polished to a mirror finish. The entire appliance is permanently installed but cleaning it is a breeze.

Having said all that, I must mention that there are plug-in, commercially available stand alone countertop griddle models that are absolutely capable at cooking food no differently from the griddle featured here.  I purchased ours because that was the only option I had on the specific countertop.

 

Below is what I occasionally prepare - the Hawaiian breakfast. Don't laugh but Spam is gourmet category in Hawaii and other Asian countries. There is a yearly Spam festival in Honolulu.  It's fun to do it on this griddle. 

Below is the first stage of a particular fried rice.  The only thing you can't do on this griddle is make soup.

French toast, anyone? I have a great recipe for this at the bottom of this blog.

I usually make several in one session. They will keep very well in the fridge.  30 seconds in a microwave are all it takes to warm up a piece.

It's my wife's birthday today. She deserved a lovingly prepared breakfast to start her day.  Slices of papaya, blueberries and strawberries are almost a daily fare I prepare for her. Then lunch ...

Shrimp on the griddle?

Tip: de-veining a shrimp. Halfway along the length of the shrimp, insert a toothpick or pin on the back of the shrimp ..

Pull the toothpick up and away  to extract the shrimp's vein (its intestine actually)

This was what the birthday girl had for lunch. Included was  store bought lobster's pinchers.

With her Parkinson's, this beats going to a restaurant.  And I don't mind preparing home cooked meals.  It's a chore that I decided to embrace rather than treat it as burden and psyched myself to enjoy it. For sure, 90% of those who prepare the meals at restaurants are men; so, I might as well be the chef at home.😇

Back to the question of why this particular cutting board.  When frying on the stove top, the griddle gets oil splatters all the time. The cutting board acts as a de facto cover.

I like it that it also serves as a nearby staging platform for the ingredients I prepare ahead of time for fried rice, in this example below.  It is a cutting board so it also serves well for any last minute chopping or slicing. 

It also serves as a platform where a hot pot can be moved to temporarily instead of on the countertop.

Like all cutting boards it can be washed with soap and water.  Alternatively, one may put some other smaller cutting board on top of it.  By the way, I renew re-finishing it with beeswax.  Alternatively, cooking oil will work too. Smear it over the surface and wipe it dry.

One recipe for French toast. A while back, many while years ago, at the downtown building where I used to work had a cafeteria just below the ground floor. Every now and then co-workers and I would go down there for breakfast. The French toast was our favorite. One day I asked the lady who was cooking it for the recipe.

It's simple as 3-2-1.  3 eggs, 2 cups of milk, 1 pinch of salt. (optional: 2-3 drops of vanilla extract.  Mix all in a bowl. Spray the pan with Pam, set stove at medium heat, melt some butter and spread. Dip one piece of bread at a time to soak the mixture (no more than 2-3 seconds). Set the soaked bread, one side first, flip and do the other. You decide how brown one side before flipping it over to complete the cooking.  Of course, you can use any flat pan. The griddle just makes it convenient to do 3-4 pieces at a time.

Ancient Origins:

The origins of French toast actually date back much further than France itself. In fact, many believe that this dish can be traced back to ancient times, where it was known by different names. The Romans, for example, had a similar dish called “pan dulcis,” which consisted of soaking stale bread in a mixture of milk and eggs before frying it. This was a way to make use of leftover bread and avoid waste. 

The usual French name is pain perdu (French: [pɛ̃ pɛʁdy] ⓘ 'lost bread', reflecting its use of stale or otherwise "lost" bread. It may also be called pain doré 'golden bread' in Canada.[9]

This was a long story to get to a French toast recipe. To someone, retired like me and enjoying retirement, I like to think that simple stories like this is worthwhile re-telling for those who some day will be looking to see what they too can do in their ample spare time of their own golden years and hopefully get to enjoy them as well.  Bon Appetit!