When we reviewed the original Charles Viancin Lilypad Cutting Board, we talked about the many choices of cutting boards, including the fact that we all probably have several, in various sizes and materials, in our kitchen. Everybody has to face these choices. Piper has written a Cool Tip on this subject and, in prior first cutting board reviews, we summarized the basic criteria for making these choices:
- Size: it should big enough that the cut food doesn’t fall off, but small enough that moving it doesn’t constitute exercise;
- Sturdy: it shouldn’t move or curl while in use;
- Durable: it should be firm enough that cutting on it won’t gouge it to shreds, but not so hard as to damage your knives;
- Convenient: it should be the right size - or sizes - and it should be dishwasher safe, so that we can be sure it’s really clean the next time we use it; and, finally,
- Beauty: it should be beautiful in your kitchen - or wherever you use it - because, as William Morris said, you should “Have nothing in your houses that you do not know to be useful, or believe to be beautiful."
Alas, a couple of years ago the Charles Viancin Silicone Cutting Board was discontinued--it was just too expensive to make. We, and many of our customers were devastated, because it really was one of the best cutting boards on the market. Well folks...IT's BAAACK...in cool designs...and at an even better price!
The Charles Viancin Silicone Cutting Boards are a new step in the evolution of cutting boards. They combine all the “standard” features of a traditional rigid board with the weight, flexibility and “cleanup-ableness” of the newer flexible boards. But this evolution goes several steps further.
The silicone is thicker - 0.2” - than the usual flexible board, which has two major benefits: first, these boards are more sturdy than the usual flexible board. And this thickness in the silicone cutting boards allows you to cut on both sides, like a traditional rigid board but unlike most flexible boards that require some nonslip element on the “bottom” side. The silicone in the Charles Viancin boards acts as its own nonslip element, regardless of which side you use.
The silicone is also softer and more supple than the materials in the usual flexible boards, making retrieval and storage of these boards easy and effortless. And also unlike the usual flexible boards, the “funnel” function - the ability to easily move the chopped product to a bowl or dish, as shown in the photo - can be performed easily from either side of these boards. Unlike traditional hard boards, the soft silicone won’t damage your knives and, unlike almost any other cutting board, we think the inevitable cut-marks actually enhance the design. And at the end of your cutting project, you can simply put these heat-resistant silicone boards in the dishwasher, to assure maximum sanitization and cleanliness.
And let us remind you about ‘beauty’: all these features and benefits, and beautiful too! Like all the other products from Charles Viancin - Inspired by Nature™ - these cutting boards filter nature through a refined design aesthetic with modern materials, to create a truly Cool Tool. Great design, excellent functionality, and well worth the price and space in your kitchen!
If you already have the Charles Viancin Lids - and many of you do - then you know how beautiful and effective these products are. If you don’t yet have any Charles Viancin in your kitchen, then you need to start today!
Facts:
- 11.5”x 8.25”x .2”
- Food Grade Silicone
- Microwave and oven safe -40ºF/40ºC to 428ºF/220ºC
- Dishwasher safe
- Do NOT use over direct flame
- Do NOT use abrasive cleansers
