Cutting board recommendations

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UglyCasanova

UglyCasanova

Lifer
Mar 25, 2001
19,275
1,361
126
I need a new general purpose cutting board. I'm not a fan of plastic for my veggies (I have separate plastic boards I cut meat on), it needs to be large, I hate grooves in the board because they interfere with the cutting, and it needs to not warp.

And preferably sub $100 as well. :)
 
IronWing

IronWing

No Lifer
Jul 20, 2001
71,882
31,958
136
I made my own, end grain hard maple.
dcats2.jpg

Yes, we clean it regularly.
 
UglyCasanova

UglyCasanova

Lifer
Mar 25, 2001
19,275
1,361
126
TastesLikeChicken said:
I'm a fan of end-grain, hardwood cutting boards. There's a guy on eBay who is highly rated and makes some really nice stuff. You can get an end-grain cherry or walnut board for under $100.

http://stores.ebay.com/JonesCustomWoodWorking/Cutting-Boards-/_i.html?_fsub=2166818010
Click to expand...

Awesome, those are nice. So is the price.

Is my reasoning correct that a thicker board has less chance of warping? The bamboo one I have now warped and is thus practically useless to me now. Rocks when you cut and the non-flat surface is obviously difficult to cut on.
 
notposting

notposting

Diamond Member
Jul 22, 2005
3,498
33
91
UglyCasanova said:
Awesome, those are nice. So is the price.

Is my reasoning correct that a thicker board has less chance of warping? The bamboo one I have now warped and is thus practically useless to me now. Rocks when you cut and the non-flat surface is obviously difficult to cut on.
Click to expand...

I would think a larger one would resist warping, but I could see splitting being more of a problem.

I ended up getting a cheapo set of bamboo boards from Bed Bath and Beyond last fall, lightweight, no warping yet, and if I get 5 years out of them it will be money well spent (it was probably $20 for a set of 3, plus keeping them conditioned will probably extend their lives).

I just went and looked at the reviews I had on a board (big honking teak model) saved on Amazon, CI recommended it. Terrible quality control apparently though, broken off the bat, cracks developing quickly, warping, etc etc.

I still need to buy a big carving board for the upcoming holidays, our big cutting boards were so leaky they prompted my purchases last year.
 
lxskllr

lxskllr

No Lifer
Nov 30, 2004
59,064
9,459
126
UglyCasanova said:
Awesome, those are nice. So is the price.

Is my reasoning correct that a thicker board has less chance of warping? The bamboo one I have now warped and is thus practically useless to me now. Rocks when you cut and the non-flat surface is obviously difficult to cut on.
Click to expand...

Put feet on the bottom to counteract warping. Thick blocks will warp less than boards.

I'm not a fan of bamboo. I got a small one to use as a material trial, and I'm not impressed. They have their place I suppose. The small one I have is very convenient for sitting in a chair, and cutting cheese for crackers, but I'd never buy a full size board of that material.
 
TastesLikeChicken

TastesLikeChicken

Lifer
Sep 12, 2004
16,852
59
86
UglyCasanova said:
Awesome, those are nice. So is the price.

Is my reasoning correct that a thicker board has less chance of warping? The bamboo one I have now warped and is thus practically useless to me now. Rocks when you cut and the non-flat surface is obviously difficult to cut on.
Click to expand...
Thickness does comes into play but end-grain boards are far, far less likely to warp as opposed to edge-grain boards. End-grain boards are also easier on your knives due to the orientation of the wood fibers. They do require some maintenance. Once a month I thoroughly scour mine with the rough side of an SOS pad, apply a coating of white vinegar for anti-bacterial purposes and allow it to dry, then apply a good coating of food-grade mineral oil and allow that to soak in, and finally finish it with a rub of bees wax. A well maintained end-grain board will last for decades.

One thing I would recommend is to avoid boards that use mixed woods. The woods will wear differently and you will get high and low spots in the long term. You can plane/sand those boards and refinish them to resolve that problem but you are better off getting one that is all cherry, walnut, maple, or whatever your preference of wood is.
 
Hayabusa Rider

Hayabusa Rider

Admin Emeritus & Elite Member
Jan 26, 2000
50,879
4,267
126
notposting said:
I would think a larger one would resist warping, but I could see splitting being more of a problem.

I ended up getting a cheapo set of bamboo boards from Bed Bath and Beyond last fall, lightweight, no warping yet, and if I get 5 years out of them it will be money well spent (it was probably $20 for a set of 3, plus keeping them conditioned will probably extend their lives).

I just went and looked at the reviews I had on a board (big honking teak model) saved on Amazon, CI recommended it. Terrible quality control apparently though, broken off the bat, cracks developing quickly, warping, etc etc.

I still need to buy a big carving board for the upcoming holidays, our big cutting boards were so leaky they prompted my purchases last year.
Click to expand...

I use one of the large bamboo boards and it works well. I have a positively enormous plastic one too and a couple smaller as well. While I appreciate the aesthetics of some boards their functionality isn't any better. I put my money elsewhere.
 
TastesLikeChicken

TastesLikeChicken

Lifer
Sep 12, 2004
16,852
59
86
Hayabusa Rider said:
I use one of the large bamboo boards and it works well. I have a positively enormous plastic one too and a couple smaller as well. While I appreciate the aesthetics of some boards their functionality isn't any better. I put my money elsewhere.
Click to expand...
I would disagree with the bolded statement. End grain boards are not as brutal on your knife edge. I have a few bamboo boards (which are also edge grain by nature), along with a few polypropylene boards of various sizes and thicknesses. The plastic boards are also easy on knives but they tend to scar up easily and need to be replaced fairly frequently. The bamboo boards are nice for a while but tend to warp in a few years. otoh, my edge-grain maple board is from the 80s. It is still perfectly flat and the wood has developed a lot of character through use over the years. I use it pretty much every day.

In the short term an end-grain board is more expensive. In the long term you will go through many bamboo and plastic boards while an end-grain board keeps on going, if it's well maintained, and will end up being the better value.
 
K

Kelvrick

Lifer
Feb 14, 2001
18,422
5
81
I use the epicurean cutting boards. I'm too lazy to take care of a really good board/block.
 
UglyCasanova

UglyCasanova

Lifer
Mar 25, 2001
19,275
1,361
126
Ok I'm in the market again. I thought this was my Christmas present but I got something different. I'm looking for a nice wood one, $100 max.
 
N

nageov3t

Lifer
Feb 18, 2004
42,808
83
91
I bought something like this at the Correll store in my local mall last year, and I use the crap out of it.

it was hard to find a board I could use to comfortably roll out a pie crust. only real complaint is that it's a bit cumbersome to wash (fortunately, I have a big sink, but I could see it being an issue if I didn't)
 
alkemyst

alkemyst

No Lifer
Feb 13, 2001
83,769
19
81
Beer snobs, pizza snobs and now cutting boards.

I don't get it. These are all easy things to not get right, right off the bat.
 
T

Tiamat

Lifer
Nov 25, 2003
14,068
5
71
Boos end grain boards are the best. They are worth the cost and protect the blade edge.
 
P

piasabird

Lifer
Feb 6, 2002
17,168
60
91
I have a small light one made from Bamboo. Works great. Seems really tough.

Any time you leave a wood board sitting in water overnight say in the sink, you are asking for trouble. My advice is dont do that. It is just common sense.

I have seen a lot of cooking shows from korea that show these cutting boards made from what look like a chunk from a tree or something like that. In some places that is more popular. I dont like some cutting boards because old dry hardwood is really hard to care for. In the USA wook is dried in kilns to make it dry for cutting and shaping.

Nice Cats.
 
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notposting

notposting

Diamond Member
Jul 22, 2005
3,498
33
91
My cheap bamboo set are still working fine, as is some ancient plastic one we have. Did just get a new carving board, used it today, the JK Adams with dip for poultry on one side. Should be good for quite a while. Good luck OP.
 
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