cutting boards question

Hello everyone ( yet another question)

I have at home some regular/old plastic cutting boards. However, I was planning to buy some new ones. Is it worth paying a little more and to buy a big thick board made of wood? Any wood/maker recommendation?

Thank you

Larry

If you have lots of money in your pockets then you bet it's worth paying for a wooden cutting board. On the other hand, if you live paycheck to paycheck and your budget is stretched pretty thin using those cheap plastic cutting mats will work. What you don't want to use are any glass or ceramic boards or boards made out of bamboo. Ideally you want an "End grain" wooden board. The next step down is an "Edge grain" board. There's only one board maker that I would recommend and that's David Smith aka The BoardSmith. His boards are as good as they get. I'm not saying there's not other makers as good as David, it's just I don't know any.

I got this at the local TJ Maxx for $20. Bargain of the century. All it needs is hand washing, drying and food safe mineral oil maintenance when it gets light colored from the cuts. It's much nicer to use and more edge friendly than any other non-wood boards I've used.

Boardsmith.

WingKKF said:

I got this at the local TJ Maxx for $20. Bargain of the century. All it needs is hand washing, drying and food safe mineral oil maintenance when it gets light colored from the cuts. It's much nicer to use and more edge friendly than any other non-wood boards I've used.

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Acai is even harder than bamboo, I'd probably just go with maple.

ThEoRy said:

Boardsmith.

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What he said

These fora are generally geared to drive you to specific vendors and products, so take suggestions with a big grain of salt. I use a rubber board because I don't like having to baby a wooden board.

I got the 20x20 catskill on amazon for $120. Very happy with it. I made my own board butter with mineral oil and beeswax for all knife handles, boards, and wooden spoons. If I had a tablesaw i would make my own board.

XooMG said:

These fora are generally geared to drive you to specific vendors and products, so take suggestions with a big grain of salt. I use a rubber board because I don't like having to baby a wooden board.

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I think a more accurate take would be that the forum is populated by passionate, highly discerning end users who through extensive trial and error can make useful recommendations.

I can't imagine having to baby a well made end grain board like Boardsmith. Simply wipe clean and some regular maintenance with mineral oil/wax. That's less maintenance than any knife in my drawer gets on a regular basis. Only time a board needs a lot of work is if you abuse it or let it dry out.

Thanks for the input guys!

XooMG said:

These fora are generally geared to drive you to specific vendors and products, so take suggestions with a big grain of salt. I use a rubber board because I don't like having to baby a wooden board.

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The OP asked for a wood maker recommendation.

ThEoRy said:

The OP asked for a wood maker recommendation.

LarryC said:

Hello everyone ( yet another question)

I have at home some regular/old plastic cutting boards. However, I was planning to buy some new ones. Is it worth paying a little more and to buy a big thick board made of wood? Any wood/maker recommendation?

Thank you

Larry

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They asked first if it was worthwhile to get one made of wood. Perhaps it's not in their best interest. I didn't contradict you, I only warned the OP that there'd be funneling toward vendors (BoardSmith) before establishing that they do in fact want a wood board.

XooMG said:

They asked first if it was worthwhile to get one made of wood. Perhaps it's not in their best interest. I didn't contradict you, I only warned the OP that there'd be funneling toward vendors (BoardSmith) before establishing that they do in fact want a wood board.

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I kinda agree with your previous point that recommendations tend to be very similar. But I do not think it's a any kind of bias. This is what people on this forum use, and since it's the same people, you get same recommendations.
However if the OP is fine using heavier, bigger boards there is no reason not to buy a wooden one if $$ permits.

@OP, You can give a try to MTMwoods ( http://mtmwood.com/index.php?route=common/home ) as well.

I have a couple of acacia boards which I like a lot. Acai, I don't know if there is a wood, I have only eaten the fruit.

I only went with a Boardsmith board a few years ago because I had already seen one in person. It made me dump the inexpensive end grain board I already had, which was made of a lot of very small pieces. And my wife liked the new board enough that she ditched the handful of edge grain boards she already had for a Boardsmith board of her own. Later I met David Smith in person, and got to interact with him and discuss his design and construction considerations/ decisions. This led me to later agree to help out at a show in the DC area, which I did for two years, and to buy additional boards. The product and the person behind the product are why I usually recommend BoardSmith. FWIW, my brother-in-law is a hobbyist woodworker and he tackled a maple board himself this past year, using a Boardsmith board as a model. It turned out very well. But the time needed for him to make one was enough that it would not be worth his while to ever consider making any for sale. The MTM boards look nice, although I prefer the staggered block configuration BoardSmith uses versus the stacked blocks that seem common on the MTM boards for long-term stability. In fact, some of the MTM boards are downright stunning!

Unless you don't like or wish to actively take care of a wood board, then rubber or hi-soft boards would be an option.

More durable than plastic.

Doesn't warp like wood when left wet.

Can be sanded down like wood for a fresh new look.

No oil required.

The only surface that would be softer on your knives would be a cutting board made out of marshmallows.

I have hi - soft and like it. Easy to move from granite to sink and wash it.
For me the important thing is who is using it more often.

Chef Doom said:

The only surface that would be softer on your knives would be a cutting board made out of marshmallows.

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Where can I get one of those?! I'd like to buy a big board of marshmallows that could be used both for breakfast and cutting.

Nothing really compares to the feedback of an edge grain board. Rubber boards are really grabby, and plastic boards cause skating. It's worth it to get a decent wooden board just for the feel alone.

At work we had to use inferior boards even color coded. At home wood all the way. Like my boardsmith, have found(don't laugh) some nice cross grain wood boards at Ross. There are a few good ones among the crappy stuff, don't buy the thin ones, they will warp. I bought one for small prep & another for proteins. Both were cheap.