Red boards are for raw.

EHO Story 📩

This one’s from personal experience, and I still feel disappointed when I think about it.

Last year, my husband and I were driving back from a ski trip in France when we stumbled on what felt like the perfect little restaurant. Rustic, warm, and an open fire, crackling away, where they cooked the steaks in front of you 😍

It was pure foodie heaven.

[▶️ Watch the video: Honestly, it looked like something out of a foodie daydream.]

And the food? Incredible. That steak was cooked to perfection. Great wine, lovely atmosphere. We left raving about it and keen to return.

So of course, we made a point of going back the following year.

We ordered the steak again, full of excitement. Watched it go onto the red board for seasoning, then onto the grill. Same fire. Same setup. Mouths watering.

And then…

The chef took it off the grill and put it straight back onto the red board 🤯
The same board that had held the raw steak.
Then sliced it, plated it, and brought it to our table.

I froze. Total panic. What do you even say?

(Especially when you’re trying to explain the issue in French)

I asked (politely) if she could cook it a bit more, hoping to kill off any bacteria that might’ve just been transferred. I watched closely, silently praying she’d lift it off the grill and straight back onto the plate, not the red board!

She didn’t put it onto the red board (phew!)

It went onto a plate but it came back somewhat overcooked.

[📸 Here’s the photo: a far cry from what we remembered.]

We left gutted.

And we won’t be going back.

🔪 Food Safety Tip: Cross-contamination ruins more than just a meal

Cross-contamination happens when bacteria are transferred from a contamination source (like raw meat) to high-risk ready-to-eat food (i.e. cooked meat).

There are two main ways this happens:

1. Direct contact: i.e. raw meat touching cooked food.
2. Indirect cross-contamination: where bacteria use a ‘vehicle’ like hands, utensils, boards, cloths, door handles, packaging, or equipment to get onto food.

Either way, it’s how food poisoning happens.

A few reminders:

✔️ Red boards = raw meat only. Once meat’s cooked, it must go onto a clean surface, like a board designated for cooked food. No exceptions.
✔️ It’s either training or attitude. Cross-contamination usually comes down to a lack of knowledge or a lack of care. Effective training + a good culture fix both.
✔️ Guests are watching. Most won’t say anything, but they’ll quietly decide not to return. And you’ll never know why.

The Serious Lesson

Cross-contamination doesn’t just put customers at risk, it breaks trust. And often, it happens in kitchens where the intention is great, but bad habits creep in.

If your team doesn’t truly understand what cross-contamination is and why it must be controlled, they’ll treat it as optional.

So use this as a reminder:
Review your kitchen routines.

Watch how food moves during service.

And never assume the basics are being followed, just because everyone knows them.

Ever had a beautiful meal undone by one simple mistake?