AMD64Brunette
Enlightened
Anyone know of a good cutting board to buy?
Don't want to slice up my countertops,if I can help it.
Don't want to slice up my countertops,if I can help it.
Cutting boards?
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jacobd
Enlightened
Find a local woodworker and get a nice hardwood one made, preferably from maple. Last a lifetime and you won't pick up microplastics and crap from plastic ones. Just make sure you wash well after each use, and oil it every few weeks/months to keep it treated and sealed.
AMD64Brunette
Enlightened
Thanks.
Honestly, Wal-Mart. I mean their physical brick & mortar locations. Kitchen aisle has a good selection of about half a dozen cutting boards in different sizes. That's what I use. No issues. You want something fancy, check out the countless overpriced offerings on Etsy.
Robocop
Mammoth Killer
My wife is always cooking something and uses her very high end kitchen knives almost nightly. She has tried various cutting boards and after many years figured out what works best. We have had everything from 45 dollar options all the way up to the 250 dollar range.
Today she mostly uses a board that was about 100 dollars and was purchased at a cutlery store during a trip to the Gatlinburg area of Tennessee. It is a fairly thick board made of Teak wood using the edge grain construction rather than the end grain style. Teak is hard enough to last a lifetime yet forgiving enough to not dull your knives quickly.
The Teak wood also has a more natural property of resisting bacteria as well as not absorbing liquids. An edge grain construction also helps absorb less than an end grain. If you prep food often a decent board is worth the cost and if maintained will last a lifetime. So my opinion is basically anything in Teak wood with edge grain construction. Check out Amazon for many options in the 50 to 100 dollar range with Sonder being a popular choice.
Today she mostly uses a board that was about 100 dollars and was purchased at a cutlery store during a trip to the Gatlinburg area of Tennessee. It is a fairly thick board made of Teak wood using the edge grain construction rather than the end grain style. Teak is hard enough to last a lifetime yet forgiving enough to not dull your knives quickly.
The Teak wood also has a more natural property of resisting bacteria as well as not absorbing liquids. An edge grain construction also helps absorb less than an end grain. If you prep food often a decent board is worth the cost and if maintained will last a lifetime. So my opinion is basically anything in Teak wood with edge grain construction. Check out Amazon for many options in the 50 to 100 dollar range with Sonder being a popular choice.
fuyume
Enlightened
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A brilliant ideal, old friend. :)
yeoldoak
Newly Enlightened
Old plastic cutting boards can be cut to shape, heated gently with boiling water then bend to give a curve, insert into a body vest or similar and you have a stab vest : )
pnwoutdoors
Enlightened
Ditto on the suggestion to consider teak. Fairly easily cleaned and preserved. Edge grain vs end grain depends on a person's preference.
Here's one that's gotten some attention. And it's on sale right now @ ~$100 -- Teakhaus teak edge grain 24x18" w/ juice canal:
https://teakhaus.com/collections/tr...gle-carving-board-with-hand-grip-810996010156
Here's one that's gotten some attention. And it's on sale right now @ ~$100 -- Teakhaus teak edge grain 24x18" w/ juice canal:
https://teakhaus.com/collections/tr...gle-carving-board-with-hand-grip-810996010156
I have boards made of teak, maple, walnut and one out of bamboo. They're all the same size 15x24x1in They're all two sided (no feet)
I do have poly boards all over the property that get used for everything but I'm not counting those.
The teak board is my go-to. There's a little weight to it, but I don't consider it too heavy. Any weight in any of the boards just helps with stability.
The walnut board is about the same weight at the teak but isn't as hard. Easier on knives but they tend to cut into the board easier compared to the teak.
The maple board is about half the weight (I'm guessing didn't weight them lol) but seems just as hard as the teak. Isn't as pretty sitting against the back splash as the other boards.
The bamboo board is stupid light and hard. It was also the cheapest one. I don't use it very often. It isn't as pretty as the other boards.
The teak and bamboo get used the most.
The bamboo board has been very durable and is stupid light. That one is my wife's favorite because it is so light and easy to clean.
My favorite is the teak board. It's also the oldest @20yrs and gets used daily. I don't remember what I paid for it.
The groove side could probably be sanded smooth with little effort to bring it back to 'new' state. But doesn't 'need' it just yet even after 20yrs of daily use.
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I do have poly boards all over the property that get used for everything but I'm not counting those.
The teak board is my go-to. There's a little weight to it, but I don't consider it too heavy. Any weight in any of the boards just helps with stability.
The walnut board is about the same weight at the teak but isn't as hard. Easier on knives but they tend to cut into the board easier compared to the teak.
The maple board is about half the weight (I'm guessing didn't weight them lol) but seems just as hard as the teak. Isn't as pretty sitting against the back splash as the other boards.
The bamboo board is stupid light and hard. It was also the cheapest one. I don't use it very often. It isn't as pretty as the other boards.
The teak and bamboo get used the most.
The bamboo board has been very durable and is stupid light. That one is my wife's favorite because it is so light and easy to clean.
My favorite is the teak board. It's also the oldest @20yrs and gets used daily. I don't remember what I paid for it.
The groove side could probably be sanded smooth with little effort to bring it back to 'new' state. But doesn't 'need' it just yet even after 20yrs of daily use.
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I've had this 24x18 Teakhaus board on my counter since mid 2017. It's nice and heavy, takes oil well.
I bought the one w/o the grooved top. I've never liked the grooves, just a bother to clean.
I've been nothing but happy with it. I expect it to last many years to come.
My advice on cutting boards is
- Never use glass, metal or ceramic cutting boards. Just don't. No.
- End grain is fine, edge grain is fine. Both are fine, it doesn't matter.
- Buy as big as you can possibly fit. A good working area makes for less accidents
- A separate board exclusively for chicken isn't a bad idea. I've got a 24x18 half-inch thick sheet of white HDPE I keep under my Teak board for chicken. I have no qualms about using harsh sanitizing chemicals on it if need be.
- Oil your wood board once you get it, then once quarterly or so. Look up how. Food grade mineral oil is fine, you don't have to buy the "cutting board use" brands, that's just food grade mineral oil too, but you pay more for less. If it dries out completely, it is very likely to develop a crack, and cracks keep and hold bacteria.
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This is the reason I won't get a wood block/board for now...the lady wants one, but will never maintain it lol.
I barely ever cut anything, and if I do, I have a bowl to catch what I cut in my hands.
Great advice on no glass, tile, or metal boards. Your knife edges will suffer. Stick with a nice wooden, bamboo, or plastic board for cutting non-meats AND a different dedicated plastic board for cutting meat to reduce bacterial cross contamination. As a woodworker myself and a safety professional, I can tell you there is no reason to be concerned about "food safe" finishes. All finishes become food safe once they harden, and the microscopic amount you would get from cutting on the board would never be enough to harm you anyway. For sizing, the experts say choose one slightly larger than your longest knife laid diagonally. The biggest trick with wooden boards (if you decide to go that way) is to mount rubber feet under each corner. Otherwise, any moisture trapped under the board will cause it to warp like a Pringles Chip (my daughter's did that). Now I always make them with rubber feet and no more warping has occurred. End grain or flat sawn will work equally well.
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I just recently bought one of the big TeakHaus boards as referenced above. I wanted to get away from the plastic boards I had been using. My testicles can only handle so much microplastic, they say. So far I absolutely love the teak board. It is very pretty, washes up easily, and is thick and heavy so it doesn't slide around during use.
I own a couple of expensive cutting boards, but I still think the Breville branded cutting boards sold separately to sit on top of your toaster oven with large rubber feet, recessed hand holds on the sides, good quality bamboo and large sizes are a great value at around $40-$50 on Amazon.
