How important are cutting boards?

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I want to buy a cutting board,but there are big price differences.

I've read,that it is important to choose hardwood like oak,maple,walnut aso and that its favourable to choose end grain.

but how impoprtant is it really in maintaining sharpness?
will there be major differences in edge retaining,when choosing oak vs. bomboo or maple edge grain vs maple end grain?
 
Yes, cutting boards are important.

The best ones are end grain maple, cherry, walnut or mahogany. Oak is not the best choice.

Answers to your questions can be found on the FAQ page of The BoardSMITH:
http://theboardsmith.com/boardsmith-faqs/

A hard rubber board like a Sani-Tuff is an alternative to an end grain wood board.

Even an edge grain maple, cherry, walnut or mahogany board is preferable to a hard plastic or bamboo board.

The effect on edge retention varies with your cutting technique.
 
Advantage of well done end grain board is similar to one of high end knife. It allows the edge on your knives last longer, it is pleasure to use and often it also looks very nice. All that comes at a cost, of course :)
 
Another consideration is the longevity of the board. Cheap plastic boards are throw away items and are often past their best within a few weeks; while a good quality wooden board can be good as new after decades of use if well looked after.

A good board is much more enjoyable to use and does make a big difference. I'd much rather be using a decent knife on a good board than a great knife on a cheap board. A good board is an important component, like tyres on a car.

If you can afford it then go for it, you won't regret it and it will serve you well for a long time.
 
Avoid Oak; the grain is very open which can cause a lot of problems.
 
Yes, cutting boards are important.

The best ones are end grain maple, cherry, walnut or mahogany.

Even an edge grain maple, cherry, walnut or mahogany board is preferable to a hard plastic or bamboo board.

+1

Bamboo is a grass, so to make a board out of it requires a lot of glue, which is hard on your edges.

Either make the commitment to an end grain that will serve you for decades, or get a smaller edge grain now and upgrade to a nicer board later.
 
I like the Hi-soft cutting board fro Korin.
 
When I talked to Andrey from MTMWood about different species of wood used in end grain cutting boards, he told me that European species of Oak are very different from americans White and Red Oaks species. European version is a lot less porous and is much denser. He told that actually about half of his boards are made from European wood.

There's also a good introduction article about end grain boards on MTMWood site that's worth reading.
 
Bamboo is a grass, so to make a board out of it requires a lot of glue, which is hard on your edges.

Even without problems with glues, bamboo itself is pretty abrasive, due to silicates.

Other grasses have high silicate contents too; sugar cane is abrasive to cutting tools, too. Non-grasses can be problematic too; I find palm fronds very abrasive. Not an issue for cutting boards, though.

Sani-Tuff boards look interesting.
 
Do your end grain boards stay absolutely flat? All my end grain ones are curved after some use, from the constant washing and drying.
 
Mineral oil my friend. There is also a section on board care at mtm website
 
thank you for all the answers.
some very informative posts.
after the first posts,I would have avoided oak,but the post from icanhaschzbrgr makes sense.
Here in Germany oak boards are very popular and they are a little bit cheaper compared to other end grain boards.
 
I have a maple board from MTMWood, and I am very happy with it. Definitely worth spending on a good board.
 
damn,I wanted to buy an european oak board,but after going through the MTM catalogue,its too tempting to buy such a board,because they are so damn nice.
so I'll be again way over my budget :surrendar:
 
Te end grain boards really are a long-term investment. The initial pricing pain fades from memory pretty quick, but the enjoyment of the board lasts indefinitely.
 
Te end grain boards really are a long-term investment. The initial pricing pain fades from memory pretty quick, but the enjoyment of the board lasts indefinitely.

I totally agree and I wouldnt mind beeing over my budget by only few bucks,but I'm moving out and I'm basically over my budget for everything I bought/will buy because I see everything as a longterm investment.
i.e. in the beginning I spent 25 euro for a Henckels santoku and 80 Euro for a Henckels Knife set.Quickly I realised I need to spend more for good quality so I spent 160 euro (~220$) for 2xHiromoto Knives,50Euro for a good Wooden Knife holder,then 35 euro for a sharpening stone (stone was reduced) and now instead of spending 50 Euros for 2 cutting boards,I'll spend almost 3 times as much.

on the other hand they arent as expensive compared to european made cuttingboards,they look very nice and they are an eyecatcher
add that up for a whole appartment and you're couple k over your initial budget.
 
i.e. in the beginning I spent 25 euro for a Henckels santoku and 80 Euro for a Henckels Knife set.Quickly I realised I need to spend more for good quality so I spent 160 euro (~220$) for 2xHiromoto Knives,50Euro for a good Wooden Knife holder,then 35 euro for a sharpening stone (stone was reduced) and now instead of spending 50 Euros for 2 cutting boards,I'll spend almost 3 times as much.

on the other hand they arent as expensive compared to european made cuttingboards,they look very nice and they are an eyecatcher
add that up for a whole appartment and you're couple k over your initial budget.
Sounds pretty normal. Stick around here a bit longer and you'll be waaaaaaaaaay beyond just a couple k over :wink:
 
my fancy end grain board is collecting dust ever since getting a synthetic rubber board (hi-soft). no more annoying maintenance and feels nearly as good, plus it is very gentle on knife edges. also a lot lighter, takes up less space.
 
I want to buy a cutting board,but there are big price differences.

I've read,that it is important to choose hardwood like oak,maple,walnut aso and that its favourable to choose end grain.

but how impoprtant is it really in maintaining sharpness?
will there be major differences in edge retaining,when choosing oak vs. bomboo or maple edge grain vs maple end grain?

yes.

k.

P.s. that is all I can muster at this point.
 
The way you cut might also impact (literally) edge longevity. I've got a decent rubber board, but because I never chop hard, I probably could have saved my money and gotten a cheap thick poly board that I could sand down from time to time.
 
My house mates complained about my larger Boardsmith board. Supposedly, it was taking away counter space where they wanted to cut things. I was a bit baffled, but it seems they found the board too nice to cut on and kept puting crappy boards on top of it. I just gave up and stored it away, but in general, it's an investment that will really make sense. Definitely is worth looking into how to mainain them.

Stefan
 
I found this one at the local TJ Maxx for about 20 bucks. I was so happy I could finally get rid of my poly board and for not much more money. The Mountain Woods board is light so it is easy to wash. Can't say how durable it will be since I've only had it for about 2 months but if it breaks a year or six months down the line, I'll just buy another.

hKx9wTU.jpg


http://www.mountainwoods.com/moreinfo.cfm/Product_ID/112.htm
 
I recently picked up a Core Acacia brand end grain board at TJ Maxx for $25. Couldn't find their end grain listed anywhere, so I could not look up reviews. Dave the BoardSMITH says acacia is alright for end grain boards, but it has voids that need to be filled (which can be seen on both of ours).
http://www.cheftalk.com/t/74564/cutting-board-advice#post_418731

I sanded mine a bit and loaded it up with mineral oil. We'll see how it lasts.
kfc1nl0.jpg
 
Yay! for inexpensive end grain cutting boards. I'll have to look into getting mineral oil or whatever needs to be used to maintain a wooden board to make it last longer. Seems to be kinder to knife edges so I'm loving it.
 
Do your end grain boards stay absolutely flat? All my end grain ones are curved after some use, from the constant washing and drying.

A board shouldn't warp unless you're getting it way too wet. A quick wash with warm soapy water and then dried with a towel is good maintenance. Renewing the finish (mineral oil usually) also helps keep the board from absorbing water.
 
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