Cutting Boards

[Pat W]

Bob, Thank you for posting that!!! After all of those emails with David, it was great to see him at work.

Bekki, When my butcher block came, it was so beautiful I didn't want to use it either, but at Bob's not so gentle urging I finally did. So... I've been happily slicing & dicing on it every day for the last three months or so. The subtle signs of use only make it look more attractive. It is a cutting board, after all. I can't tell you how much pleasure I get out of using it. I love to roll out cookies & biscuits on it. Using a dough scraper it's a snap to get the flour off.

Food may not taste better prepared on a Boardsmith block, but the cook is sure happier... and, as we all know, a happy cook is a good thing.

pat

[FatTony]

Those Boardsmith boards look extremely heavy. Do you wipe them down where they stand? Or haul them to the sink to clean? Do you leave them on the counter permanently? I'm very tempted but the cleaning and storage questions are holding me back. I'm wondering if a (custom) 1.5" thick board would be thick enough not to warp? It would certainly be more portable than 2".

Also, do you feel the feet really make a difference? I'd have thought a 20+lb board would be heavy enough to stay put? Not having feet would mean one side could have a juice groove.

[Pat W]

The Boardsmith boards are indeed substantial, but that hasn't been a problem for me. My board was designed to fit over one half of a double sink. Every night, after I'm done cooking, I move it off the sink so the moisture from the drain won't harm it. (If you are reading this David, rest assured that I am following your instructions to the letter.)

My board has small rubber bumpers on the bottom to keep it from sliding off the sink. If I were getting one to use on a counter, I would probably skip the feet.

As I've mentioned in previous posts, this is just a wonderful board.

pat w.

Those Boardsmith boards look extremely heavy. Do you wipe them down where they stand? Or haul them to the sink to clean? Do you leave them on the counter permanently? I'm very tempted but the cleaning and storage questions are holding me back. I'm wondering if a (custom) 1.5" thick board would be thick enough not to warp? It would certainly be more portable than 2".

Also, do you feel the feet really make a difference? I'd have thought a 20+lb board would be heavy enough to stay put? Not having feet would mean one side could have a juice groove.

←

[Hest88]

Those Boardsmith boards look extremely heavy. Do you wipe them down where they stand? Or haul them to the sink to clean? Do you leave them on the counter permanently?/quote]

I leave them on the counter and wipe them down there. Because of that I do regret getting a juice groove (which makes it harder to wipe down) so definitely go for a half groove or none.

[Octaveman]

FT, I'm sure David can make your board 1.5 inches but honestly a 1/2 inch is such a small difference that I would see no point in it. Of course the overall size you get will affect it's overall weight but they're not any more heavy than the thick boards sold by Williams-Sonoma or any other place that has them. I have a 18x24 Boos maple board that is fairly heavy but not so heavy it becomes a burdon. I would guess this board probably weighs between 12-15 pounds. Not bad at all IMHO.

When I clean my boards I do take them to the sink, stand them on end and scrub it down rinsing with the spray. I don't know if I feel comfortable just wiping it down as it set on the counter. Not really cleaning it completely.

When I'm not using my board I stand it on it's side pushed back at the end of the counter. Only takes up a few inches of space.

The juice groove does take away usable cutting board space. Unless you're thinking of getting a large board (18x24 for example) then I would not recommend it. Plus it hinders the act of sliding food off the board directly into a bowl or onto a plate.

Yes, the feet are very nice. It stops the board dead cold from moving. While a big heavy board would stay in place better than a smaller board you are having concerns about weight so my guess is that you won't be getting a huge board. I do recommend them as they make the board stay in place extremely well. If you do get a big board, then you can certainly get it w/o feet and have one side grooved and the other not grooved. My Boo's 18x24 board is like that. My board from David has the feet but is a smaller 12x14 board. I will be getting a 18x24 Walnut board from him to match the smaller one some day.

Unless you had some specific size you wanted I think a 16x20 board is plenty big enough without going too big. A 14x18 would be decent too but it's better to have more room than you regularly need then not enough.

[FatTony]

Hest88 and Pat, thanks for your tips.

Octaveman, I called David to ask him about the weight of that board. The 18"x24"x2" weighs 25 lb. David was willing to make a 16"x22"x1.5", which he felt would still be thick enough not to warp. He thinks it'll weigh 15 lb. I ordered it immediately. Should be big enough for my purposes - and spare me the hernia!

[Octaveman]

Wow, 10 lbs for 1/2" difference. Thanks for asking and posting what David said. That is good to know. I knew there was a thickness limit to avoid warping just wasn't 100% positive what that was. Maybe my Boos board weighs more than I thought. Glad you got one. What wood type did you get? Be sure to post pics when you get it!

Edited April 8, 2008 by Octaveman (log)

[FatTony]

Octaveman, I used to have an 18"x24" Boos edge grain board (which became three boards the minute it fell off the kitchen counter) but it only weighed 15 pounds or so. It was roughly 1.5" thick.

The Boardsmith board is a 16"x22"x1.5" rather than a 18"x24"x2" so despite having almost as much usable space, by my calculations there's 336 cubic inches less of it. It's maple, by the way. I'll post a picture when it arrives.

[FoodMan]

My wonderful wife just bought me a Boos for my B-day last week. It's about 1.75 inches thick and slightly heavy. I am enjoying it very much but it does slip a bit if I do not anchor it with a liner or towel. My previous wood board, which I still have, has 4 small rubber feet. any idea where I can get those feet to attach to my Boos?

BTW...Those Boardsmith ones are simply stunning!!

[Kleatius]

Wow, those boards look amazing! Would you need to buy two though (a separate one for cutting raw meat)?

[Pat W]

Wow, those boards look amazing!  Would you need to buy two though (a separate one for cutting raw meat)?

←

Actually, whenever I need to cut up chicken I use an inexpensive plastic board & then throw it in the dishwasher. I use the beautiful Boardsmith board for everything else.

pat w.

[Octaveman]

Wow, those boards look amazing!  Would you need to buy two though (a separate one for cutting raw meat)?

←

Some people are hard corps about raw meat on boards but not me. I just wash it well with hot water and antibacterial soap when I'm done. No issues so far. Being an end grain board also helps kill bacteria. There are also those flexible plastic boards that can be used over your cutting board too. I used to use them often but my knives kept slicing through them. If the raw meat has so much bacteria in or on them they probably shouldn't be eatin let alone cut up on a cutting board. Smelling them should help tip you off. I seriously don't think fresh meat these days are so loaded with bad stuff that you have to have a dedicated cutting board you have to wash with bleach to keep from killing your family. There's a lot of paranoid people out there that do this though. I'm just not one of them. Besdies, how else am I going to build up my immunity?

[Special K]

The Epicurean boards aren't bad. I use one as my travel board. But they have two faults: they slip and slide all over the counter unless you put a damp towel underneath, and they are harder that non-composite boards so they will roll your knife edges a little more readily than a softer board. This is not really a problem if you use a steel regularly.

This is the one I have.

Chad

edited to add link.

←

I had the slipping and sliding problem, too, until I went out and bought some silicone "dots" at the hardware store. Problem solved! I have three of these boards and I love them.

[Lisa Shock]

I have a cutting board that I purchased in 1985 from a Delancy Street group that made them by hand. It has worked well over the years, it's an inch thick with alternating strips of cherry and maple woods. I never oiled it, and never had any issues. I always figured that one day, I'd just sand it down a bit.

Anyway, my husband started chopping at thick, refrigerated chunks of chocolate by taking a cheap knife and holding the knife perpendicular to the board, tip in the chocolate, and hammering at the end of the handle with his fist until the chocolate split apart. Well, one day, the cutting board split apart. I was going to have a cutting board repair guy I know re-glue it, but, I noticed that it now has hundreds of tiny indentations in the surface from the knife being driven into it. Also, some of the other seams are iffy.

So, the husband has offered to buy me a new board. (and he is relegated to hacking at things with his cheap knives on a bamboo board) I am looking around, and have decided against bamboo because of its hardness. I am seeing acacia wood a lot now, and I am not very familiar with it as a cutting board medium. (one site said it was sustainably harvested, which is good) Other woods I am seeing are maple, teak and cherry -as well as generic hardwood. I'd appreciate any insight into how these woods compare to each other, and how they hold up. I am thinking that end-grain is the way to go, other than that, I can't decide.

[Moopheus]

I bought one of the 1" thick Sani-Tuff Cutting Boards shortly after Ms. Hesser's review in the NY Times.  It's nice and heavy, doesn't move around, cleans up nice, but it's a little pricey.  On the other hand, I've had it for almost 7 years now, and it's not showing any signs of wear.  It's probably the last cutting board I'll ever buy...

←

I still don't know why these boards haven't taken the culinary world by storm. They are the best cutting boards around. They're made of a hard rubber that still gives like wood when cutting (i.e., much softer than the white plastic boards). They can be sanded down like wood. They can be put in the dishwasher. If they warp, put them in a warm oven for a few minutes and all will be flat again. They last forever. Sure, they're heavy and a bit expensive, but there's really nothing like these.

I've had mine for years, and I hate it when I have to use anything but this cutting board.

I'd guess because it doesn't look upscale enough to justify the price. I got one a few years ago at a restaurant supply shop, and I agree, I prefer it to anything else I've used. But it is kinda ugly. It's not going to impress anybody. Your neighbor sees a John Boos board and they know you spent money on it; they see a Sani-Tuff and they'll probably think it came from the dollar store.

[Blether]

Following the older-but-immediately previous discussion above, I'll mention that here in Japan I sourced mineral oil for my cutting board from an online cosmetics-supplies store - Shizen Keshouhin Kenkyuujo. Apparently you use it as a base for facial cleanser ?

Pharmacies here looked askance when I asked for 食用鉱油 'shokuyoukouyu', edible mineral oil, but I think even if I'd said what turns out to be more common, 'mineraru oiru' they still wouldn't have had it.

[cbread]

I use the biggest plastic board I could get from a restaurant supply store and then add nine rubber feet - three rows of three rubber feet each, so the board won't trap a puddle underneath it. The feet are the little round ones with a very short screw so as not to stick out the top of the board. Size is 18x24" . I don't see the point of little boards if I have the space. I might get a slightly bigger board if I found it. I had my countertop built 30" deep, so I wouldn't run out of room. My plastic restaurant cutting board isn't a bit stylish, but I'm very happy with it.

If you want a oil or wax based surface treatment to rub into a board, you might try the salad bowl glop I make. Take mineral oil, easily found at the supermarket as a food grade home remedy. Warm maybe half the final volume you want of mineral oil in a double boiler. Melt shreds of beeswax into the hot mineral oil. I do it by eye and couldn't give you a ratio for beeswax to mineral oil, but I can tell you how to get it how you want it. Take a piece of paper towel and dip it into the mix and treat a salad bowl or your cutting board. As you add bees wax the mix will begin to become too stiff to easily spread as it rapidly cools on contact with the wood surface. Stop adding beeswax at that point, and add back just a little more mineral oil. You should have a great mix. I usually make a quary or so and keep it an old metal coffee can. It will last forever.

Should you want a fancy wood board like the ones on the food network, you can get the one used on the food network. As far as I can tell from their website, http://ozarkwest.com makes the gorgeous wood end grain boards on the food network shows. At least the photos are the best looking boards I've seen. If I ever decide I need a really beautiful wood board, that will probably be my pick.

[tme4tls]

Lisa-

Hard maple is the traditional wood used for cutting boards here in the States. Hard, dense, durable and heavy, it will serve for years with care. However, some national manufacturers infuse their maple boards with a resin hardener in an attempt to harden the surface which can cause chipping in some of the harder Japanese knives.

Acacia is seen a lot in cheaper boards. Certainly usable and has a look similar to walnut but with more voids in the wood. Not a soft wood, it is 1.25 times harder than maple. Also, they are not made here in the USA so the manufacturing plants may not come up to American standards and the glues used may not be able to withstand repeated washings.

Teak is not a good choice. It is 2.5 times harder than maple and contains silica which can sand down the edge of a good knife.

Cherry is a great choice. Softer than maple, beautiful color that will turn darker over time and durable in an end grain board. Is not as expensive as walnut but still has an expensive appearance.

End grain is the best construction method. When the knife edge contacts the cutting surface, the wood fibers relax a little bit and allow the edge to penetrate slightly. When the edge is removed, the wood fibers may show a cut but not severed fibers as with cheaper long grain boards.

David

The BoardSMITH

Edited January 9, 2010 by tme4tls (log)

[paulraphael]

I do it by eye and couldn't give you a ratio for beeswax to mineral oil, but I can tell you how to get it how you want it.

I make the same glop ... 10% wax by weight works great. I also find parafin works just as well as beeswax. I've been going back and forth and can't tell the difference in practice.

End grain boards drink a LOT of oil/wax. Mine needed to be oiled daily for a week or so, a few times a week for many weeks after. Finally it stabilized; now I oil it once a month at most. Be sure to oil it on both sides, especially in the beginning, so you don't encourage it to warp.

Dave at Boardsmith makes the nicest boards I've seen or used.

[qrn]

I use 1/2" Poly boards from the rest/butcher supply places. I cut them to size , so they fit in the D/W either horiz or vertical...Always have at least 2 in a load...

I make antique repro furniture and pool cues, so I have lots of wood available, and the equipment to make the "best", wood boards...Waste of time,,, Poly is best..IMHO,, (with which, that, and $10.00 will get you a cup of coffee most anywhere......

Bud

[Lisa Shock]

Thanks guys, I wound up getting a maple/cherry checkerboard end grain cutting board from a local place that is about to stop making wood cutting boards entirely. I will see how it works out, if it doesn't, I'll order one of yours, David.

[Blether]

Did you get your board yet ?

[Lisa Shock]

Oh yes, they sent it right away. I am a bit disappointed because it isn't the board shown in the pictures and it appears to be very resinated because it's very hard, smooth, and feels cold and kind of artificial. There are several squares where there is clearly filler material around knots. It appears to be THIS board. It's also 2 inches longer in one dimension than my old board, but weighs less.

So, I don't really want to spend $12 to return it, and it didn't cost much, so, I am going to keep it to use in photgraphs and as a backup, and look at getting on of David's boards in a few weeks when I am on my feet with my new job that starts next week.

I know you are wondering why I bought the checkerboard instead of the plain board you liked, and, in retrospect that's probably what I should have gotten. The reason is that a patterned board, for me, is easier to practice knife cuts on. (I don't need flashy decor in the kitchen.)

[Blether]

I'm sorry to hear you're disappointed in it. I found that that finish isn't so hard - the knife blade goes through it and in a month or two I think you'll see it wear through in places. My guess is it's wood oil or similar - a more practical hand than me (or the maker) should be able to tell you how to remove it if you'd prefer. I can see why they finish it that way, for the general market, and I couldn't resist a big, inch-and-a-quarter hardwood butcher-block board for 30-odd bucks.

[Shel_B]

A friend, who is a skilled woodworker, has offered to make an end grain cutting board for me. Wow! That's exciting.

How thick should the board be - I've seen good quality boards from 1 1/4-inch all the way to 2 1/4-inch? What factors enter ito deciding the thickness.

The board will have a pattern, and one thought is to use hard maple with purple heart. Besides purple heart, what other wood might work well? What about walnut?

Thanks!

Edited March 14, 2010 by Shel_B (log)