My parents got divorced when I was 5 years old. So every time I visited my father he cooked. Not sure if he liked it or if he learned out of necessity. Anyway his favorite form of cooking is by far the grill. Typical man, huh?

He usually had me make the salad and I remember him always having a wooden cutting board. It seemed so warm and rustic. As an adult I am totally into the whole rustic, Tuscan look for décor so when I was asked to review Surpahs 17 x 11 Three Layer Cross Laminated Bamboo Cutting Board ($24.59) I was thrilled.

It being cross laminated three times makes it extremely solid (and not to mention smooth). I had no warping or cracking when I used it. This probably has to do with bamboo being less absorbent than other woods. You can totally see why when you compare bamboo in person to another wood. It's almost like it repels water which is great for a cutting board.

It's 18mm thick and also has a juice groove that I love. My plastic cutting board does not have this and if I am chopping something up really juicy like a watermelon it tends to find its way to the counter. The Surpahs Bamboo Cutting Board catches all of this with its groove and arc, saving me clean up time!

I also like that this cutting board isn't super huge or thick. It's very easy to move from counter to counter making prep a snap.

Surpahs Three Layer Cross Laminated Bamboo Cutting Board brought back memories of my childhood and fit my rustic tastes to a tee. I love it. I have never really been fond of any plastic cutting board that I've had. They change color and get stained after a while and have no real visual appeal.

I put away my plastic cutting boards in a cabinet as soon as they are clean but I love to just leave the Surpahs 3-Layer Cross-Laminated Bamboo Cutting Board out on the counter. It's lovely – like a decoration, a useful one.

I've also read that plastic cutting boards could be more damaging to our health than wooden cutting boards. A study from UC-Davis found that plastic cutting boards are almost twice as likely as average to contract salmonellosis.

Scary, but what cutting board you use is your choice. I prefer wood. Wood does require some maintenance like oiling but that's quick and easy. I've found that coconut oil is not only great in my peanut butter drizzled chocolate chocolate chip cookies but does a fine job at moisturizing my wooden cutting boards too. Smells great too!

To test out the Surpahs 3-Layer Cross-Laminated Bamboo Cutting Board I decided to make Minestrone Soup. All the chopping involved gave the lovely cutting board a great workout!

Krystle's Minestrone Soup

Ingredients

• 3 tsp. minced garlic
• 1/2 cup chopped celery
• 1 medium onion
• 3 tbsp. olive oil
• 1/2 cup chopped carrots
• 4 cups vegetable stock
• 1 15.5oz can of cannellini beans
• 1 15.5oz can dark red kidney beans
• 1 15.5oz can great northern beans
• 1 15.5oz can light red kidney beans
• 1 14.5 can Italian green beans
• 1 14.5oz can diced tomatoes (not drained)
• 2 tsp. salt
• 2 tsp. oregano
• 1/2 tsp. pepper
• 1 tsp. basil
• 1/2 tsp. thyme
• 2 cups water (adding more as needed)
• 1/2 tsp. sugar
• 1 tbsp. parsley
• 1 8oz can tomato sauce
• 3 cups chopped fresh spinach
• 1/2 cup small shell pasta
• 1 chopped zucchini

Directions

1. In a large soup pot sauté the onion, zucchini, garlic, celery, and carrots in the olive oil until the onion is translucent.
2. Add the vegetable stock, beans (drained), tomato sauce, spices, diced tomatoes (not drained), and water. Bring to a boil and then let simmer for 30 minutes.
3. Add in the spinach and pasta and let simmer for another 30 minutes.
4. At this point I tasted the soup and thought it was quite bland. Tasted like vegetables just thrown in plain water. I found the longer you cook this soup the better it is. I probably let mine simmer for about 3-4 hours. It tasted great but was even better over the next few days.
5. Top with parmesan and enjoy!

Surpahs Three Layer Cross Laminated Bamboo Cutting Board worked fabulously on all of the ingredients in my minestrone soup and was kind to my knife. I love it!

What is your favorite soup?

Disclosure: I received the above product for free in exchange for a review. Needless to say, all thoughts and opinions are 100% my own.