Shelf Liner to the Rescue in the Kitchen

This is my current favorite kitchen tool:



What is it, you ask?  A role of self liner!  And it is not just for lining shelves (kitchen or otherwise) anymore.

In culinary school, we learned to always put wet paper towels under our cutting boards to give the boards some traction and keep them from moving around while we are cutting (let's not take any chances while weilding sharp knives!).  In a commercial kitchen, cutting boards are constantly being switched out, so it is easy to use a fresh towel each time.  At home, however, I leave a big cutting board on the counter pretty much all the time; I was worried about leaving a wet paper towel under it because bacteria or mold/mildew could grow.  Shelf liner turned out to be a much better option.  It is a little bit tacky so it provides great traction and it is thick enough that the cutting board is slightly elevated above the counter, so moisture can evaporate.  Plus, it can be easily wiped down if anything does get underneath the cutting board.  (AND I don't have to be constantly using and throwing away papertowels - yay for saving trees!)

All I had to do was cut down a piece of shelf liner to fit underneath the cutting board:

I have also employed some shelf liner under my knife block, to keep my super-long serrated knife from poking through the bottom onto the counter:

Even if you don't leave a cutting board out all the time, cutting one piece of shelf liner to size and using it when you DO pull out a cutting board will help keep the board stable (and keep you safe!).