Why was this question closed?

Question

Why is this question considered ok:

How do you care for your knives?

Yet this isn't, and was closed:

Cutting boards: What are some general tips on purchasing and using a cutting board?

I would have probably edited out if I could "The Cost to Purchase", but cutting board advice is important. For example, from a hygiene point of view - not preparing meat on porous surfaces. There are proper tangible factual answers to this question that can be given without it turning into a discussion.

I've worked in a professional kitchen (Gleneagles), my brother is a professional chef, chopping board advice and guidance is basic 101.

Answer 1

I don't think that either of these questions should be closed. I think that instead of trying to take an attitude of "does this question have a factual answer" I'd like to see questions closed on the basis that they "don't provide any benefit to the community".

If you take a look at the Jamie Oliver forums, you'll see posts like:

• Whats the weather like today
• A bittersweet moment............ what's yours
• What's for Supper

which are off topic and provide no real value to the community and I would like to see them closed immediately.

Both of these questions, whilst they may not have a "concrete answer" provide the community with the opportunity to give useful information which others can use to enhance their knowledge of cooking.

I would argue that despite there being no definitive answer, there is value in having both those questions on the site and that at worst, they should be marked as community wiki, off-topic and subjective.

Answer 2

Personally, I don't like the fact that it is about ~5 questions in 1.

It would be better if it was more focused, like "should I prefer wooden cutting boards to other materials?"

This everything-and-the-kitchen-sink approach generally does not produce good focused answers.

Answer 3

The question about cutting boards was mine.

Sometimes you run into gray areas, whether in the kitchen or programming on the computer. There's not necessarily a clear and concise answer for some things, but having the community answer, vote, and weigh-in is a great way to see what is popular and what isn't.

I agree with Jeff Atwood that perhaps the question could have had a tighter focus. I tend to ask questions with a bullet list where I try to outline the points I am looking for, which may cause the question to appear more general and more difficult to answer.

Though, personally I would rather visit one thread for my cutting board Q&A rather than search through a half dozen threads to get the same information.

The pros/cons idea is a standard part of a correct answer to a question, because there are many situations in which you have two items, and neither are necessarily better than the other: it boils down to your budget, preference, and ability.

Having some professionals lay out the pros/cons of any kitchen purchase is worthwhile because beginners can see that perhaps they should start with one item or technique, and advance it later as finances and/or ability improve.

If the cutting board question were a matter entirely of opinion, the question would be better as a community wiki or closed entirely. But there are concrete scientific facts about all of the bullet points, and I think that makes the question valid and very on-topic.

Answer 4

I hadn't seen the question, but from looking at the edit, it was reworded it to make it less "discussion-y", but how is "what are the pros and cons" not a discussion question? How does that question have a single factual answer? You're asking for people's opinions.

You state "chopping board advice and guidance is basic 101". I would counter with:

• this isn't an advice site
• this isn't a guidance site

There are several other questions discussing what is off-topic:

• Should "I need a recipe for X?" questions be off-topic?
• https://cooking.meta.stackexchange.com/questions/52/whats-the-recipe-for-x-is-off-topic-right
• At what point are questions too subjective on a cooking site - aren't recipes and advice on types of foods subjective?

Answer 5

Beta users aren't closing with enough prejudice.

Voted to close the second example, will do on the first when the 12 votes for the day roll back in after UTC crossover.

If there are proper factual answers that can be given, the question itself should set the tone and lay it out without bringing up wants for opinion or a kumbaya.

If the site is largely about opinion and subjectivity, don't see it lasting a good long life after public beta since that's not what the SE engine is best for.

And we should be looking for the best here.