You should not cut directly on a stainless steel work table. It dulls your knives quickly and scratches the top, and a scratched surface is harder to clean and sanitize, so use a cutting board or a poly top table for knife work.
To replace or raise table legs, see these 35 in. adjustable stainless table legs.
What it does to your knives
A steel table top has no give. A wood or plastic board lets the edge sink in slightly, while steel stops it dead. In one published test of metal cutting boards, every stainless steel and titanium board dulled the test knife dramatically, while the same knife used on a wooden board stayed close to new. A work table top behaves the same way as those boards. Expect more sharpening, more worn knives, and more slips from dull blades.
What it does to the table
The same test found knife scratches on every metal board, and the scratches were still there after repeated dishwasher cycles. On a work table those scratches build up in the spot where everyone preps. Each one is a small groove that can hold food soil and moisture and that a wipe with a cloth passes over. The table will not fail structurally, but the top gets harder to clean properly every month.
What the Food Code expects
The FDA Food Code does not have a line that says “never cut on steel”. What it does set is the standard that a food-contact surface has to meet, and a table top becomes a food-contact surface as soon as food touches it.
- Section 4-101.11 says materials for food-contact surfaces must be durable, corrosion-resistant and nonabsorbent, finished to have a smooth, easily cleanable surface, and resistant to pitting, chipping, scratching and scoring.
- Section 4-202.11 says multiuse food-contact surfaces must be smooth and free of cracks, chips, pits and similar imperfections.
- Section 4-501.12 covers cutting surfaces. Cutting blocks and boards that are scratched and scored must be resurfaced if they can no longer be effectively cleaned and sanitized, or thrown out if they cannot be resurfaced.
In other words, the code expects cutting to happen on a surface that can be resurfaced or replaced when it wears. A board can be. A welded table top cannot, at least not cheaply.
The FDA Food Code is a model. Each state and county adopts its own version, and your local health department has the final say on what it will accept in your kitchen.
Common mistakes
- Cutting “just this once” on the table. Scratches add up in the same spot.
- Keeping boards past their life. A deeply scored board has the same cleaning problem as a scratched table. Resurface it or replace it.
- Using one board for everything. Separate boards for raw meat and ready-to-eat food help prevent cross-contamination.
- Letting the board slide. A board that moves on steel is a cut waiting to happen. Put a damp towel or a non-slip mat under it.
- Scrubbing scratches out with steel wool. That leaves more scratches. Use a non-abrasive pad and work with the grain of the steel.
What to buy
You have two good options, and many kitchens use both.
- Cutting boards on top of standard stainless work tables. This is the flexible setup. The steel top handles everything else, such as plating, mixing and holding equipment, and the board takes the knife work.
- Poly top tables for a dedicated cutting station. The whole top is a cutting surface, so there is no board to slide or go missing. When the top wears it can be resurfaced or replaced.
If you butcher, portion or chop all day in one spot, a poly top table makes sense. If the table does several jobs, a steel top with boards is the better buy. Put a hand sink close to the prep station either way, so staff can wash between tasks.
Express KitchQuip’s own stainless steel line is NSF certified, and freight to the 48 contiguous states is included in the price.