End grain cutting board - help!

Hi!

I am sorry if this is not the correct place to post this, but I found no other place that seemed fitting.

I have just ordered my first japanese style knife and wish to get hold of a new cutting board to avoid ruining the edge.

I have read up on this and have found that end grain is the way to go.

Sadly, in Norway there are very few options available. Most are plastic or non-end grain wood. The ones made of end grain is acacia etc.
However, I have found a couple of places abroad:

1
http://www.bordpladefabrikken.dk/shop/lille-huggeblok-amrk-10150p.html
Size: 395x395x60mm
Available choices of wood: either beech or american walnut
Rubber feet: Doesn't look like it (guess I can do that myself)
Other: ground out around the edges to gather meat juices etc
Price: 695DKK (equivalent to about 100$)

Comments: Decent size. Not sure about the ground-out "moat" around the edge; I remember trying that some years past and it ended up being annoying with foodstuffs clogging there. Also, the actual cutting space is reduced a fair bit. I'd rather get a straight surfaced board. (Guess I excluded this board myself right off the bat )

2
http://mtmwood.com/en/mtmwood.php?product_id=961
Size: 460x360x40mm
Available choices of wood: this one is like a chess board made of both walnut and maple
Other: has rubber feet.
Price: 162$

Comments: From Russia. Bit scepctical to russian sites, but as I understand they are a trusted vendor here I guess it's ok. 40mm thickness seems practical. The pattern gives quite a bit of a contrast and might not be what I would design myself, but it looks pretty decent all the same. The other boards they have uses different types of wood which I'm not too fond of, so this one is pretty much the only one I am looking at. Quite big, but not extreme. Also, in Soviet Russia, cutting board cuts you


3
http://shop.bordercraft.co.uk/index.php?route=product/product&path=59&product_id=50
Size: 400x400x50mm
Available choices of wood: either walnut, cherry or maple
Other: looks like no rubber feet, guess I can do it myself though.
Price: £80 (equivalent to about 118$)

Comments: 50mm is pretty thick, but this seems pretty standard when it comes to end grain boards. Decent size. Probably looks better to me than the mtmwood one mentioned above. When being able to choose, the boardsmith (which I might have ordered from if they weren't located in the US) says that cherry is the type which is easiest on the knife edge (even though that was black cherry; I do not know if the bordercraft.co.uk-vendor uses black cherry or some other sub-par cherry). Anyone with any experience from this vendor who can vouch for them or something? Pretty decent size.

Questions:
What do you think? What is the safest / best purchase here?
I guess this one is a question decided by personal preference, but what is the "best" wood: maple, walnut, cherry, beech or birch?
Perhaps there are other places selling quality boards in Scandinavia / Europe that you know of?

PS: Others have talked about some boards which are not made of wood nor plastic but some other materials. Not too sure about those though; I sort of have my mind set on a proper wooden cutting board which looks nice.

Thanks on front!

Andreas

Avoid acacia, it's too hard on the knife.
Also, how much space do you have? If you can accomodate it I'd go for the medium 500mm size in choice three for the extra 40£.
I'd email vendor 3 for info in the wood types, but personally prefer cherry.

Maple, walnut, and cherry are all good choices--those are the ones I hear most often.
I agree to go with the biggest board you have space for. Prep is more pleasant when you have some space to pile things up, move them around, etc.
Juice grooves take away space, can make it harder to get food off the board, and add to cleaning tasks. Unless you cook a lot of meats, I'd go with a plain board.

This will solve your problem: http://www.butchersequipment.co.uk/pro-chopping-board-60-x-40-x-10cm.html (you can get a thinner one).

It is £179 (circa 200 Euros) for a 60 x 40 x 10 cm board (i.e. twice the size of most domestic boards) End grain, 4 large bolts running through end to end. If you check them out you will see that they get excellent reviews for service. They do smaller boards, but once you have gone large you won't go back!

The quality is excellent (I have bought this block and other stuff from these guys) and the service is reliable in my experience. My order came next day as promised (I am in the UK). The price is incredible because they are supplying the trade, not the retail market. I bought this board for heavy duty fish prep in a mobile unit we use for outside catering. It is heavy and tough as you would expect from equipment intended for pro use, and will do the job of being kind to your knives.

Worth noting that the end grain blocks are not rectangular or square like most domestic boards. They are grooved and slotted together so the glue area is much larger. Far less risk of cracking between the blocks.

I wouldn't dismiss acacia end grain boards offhand. If you can get one inexpensively, it is a real bargain. Just sand off the poly finish first. They are soft enough that your knife will stick to it if you chop on it hard enough. I mean, that's the whole reason behind using end grain board right? Even if the fibers are a bit harder than some other woods, the orientation will allow the fibers to part when a sharp edge chops down. Apparently Dave at the Boardsmith is okay with acacia.

http://www.kitchenknifeforums.com/s...cutting-boards?p=300100&viewfull=1#post300100

WingKKF said:

Apparently Dave at the Boardsmith is okay with acacia.

http://www.kitchenknifeforums.com/s...cutting-boards?p=300100&viewfull=1#post300100

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I think if you follow the links he says it's "okay to use but normally the wood is full of voids which will be filled with a filler." which may be a bit different than being "okay with it"?

Maybe more notable from that same thread to me was: "Choose a wood that follows the general rule of thumb - from a tree with edible fruit, nuts or sap." (I believe Acacia to be a fruit bearing tree--not sure if it's actually edible--so that does follow).

By the way, for a serious board 5cm is not that thick. I have a few domestic type end grain and long grain boards ( a one piece 40cm by 30 cm by 6cm mahogany long grain board I have had for over 20 years and it has been excellent). In a heavy usage environment (such as pro kitchen of demo kitchen) it is easy to break domestic end grain boards or for them to get cracked. Pro environments tend to use plastic because they are family kind to knives, are colour coded, can go in the washer and can be dropped with no issues. I like end grain boards with built in tie rods. My big block (not the one above - that is my mobile block ) has that and iron corner reinforcement.

The one I recommended above will last your whole cooking life, looks good and will withstand a lot of abuse. Some of the boards on this site from American vendors look really great, but importing heavy goods like this (that are quite expensive anyway) is not economic. Much less of an issue within the EU of course.

Edit - just a further thought. From practical experience I am not fond of boards with feet. I think they are weaker under heavy use (especially chopping) and a reversible board enables to you even up wear and also easily oil/wax both sides to minimise shrinkage risk.

I own MTM boards and wanted to clarify one point, the boards on display are just exemples of his work. He will make any pattern you want from any of the wood he has available to the dimensions you would need.

Also ask for cypress wood. The japanese cypress is called HINOKI. Cypress can self clean from bacteria and such. That's why they put cypress trees at cemeterys.

Thank you all for your comments!

I have seen both 40, 50, 60 mm and even thicker boards. 60 is a bit thick I think (placed on top of the counter, I fear it will be uncomfortably high when cutting).

Therefore, I think that between 40 and 50 mm is good.

What I wish to know a little bit more about is this:

Some have mentioned the risk of the board cracking. I will probably not use any meat cleaver or anything, and I am unlikely to drop the board on the floor. But still; is 40 mm a bit on the thin side when it comes to sturdyness / longevity? If 40 mm is a bit too thin, is 50 mm preferable?

Thanks again!

sanyar said:

Thank you all for your comments!

I have seen both 40, 50, 60 mm and even thicker boards. 60 is a bit thick I think (placed on top of the counter, I fear it will be uncomfortably high when cutting).

Therefore, I think that between 40 and 50 mm is good.

What I wish to know a little bit more about is this:

Some have mentioned the risk of the board cracking. I will probably not use any meat cleaver or anything, and I am unlikely to drop the board on the floor. But still; is 40 mm a bit on the thin side when it comes to sturdyness / longevity? If 40 mm is a bit too thin, is 50 mm preferable?

Thanks again!

Click to expand...

I have some hinoki boards and they aren't the "true" hinoki board (being a solid piece of wood; if anyone knows where to get please advise), but are edge grain and range from 3/8"-3/4" thick depending on the size. I've had the thinner one curl slightly but have been able to correct this.

If the board is going to crack as you mention I don't think it would be solely because it is 10mm thinner than the other option, but rather due to a manufacturing defect or neglect. I had a 450x450x75mm John boos end grain block that i returned because I saw a small gap before I even used it (I'll try and find the pic). I have some JB edge grain maple too and yes it's not the easiest on ultra fine edges but I will use hinoki if I'm that concerned about a particular blade. Remember your have sharpening stones too.

supersayan3 said:

Also ask for cypress wood. The japanese cypress is called HINOKI. Cypress can self clean from bacteria and such. That's why they put cypress trees at cemeterys.

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I second this Hinoki rec. This works very nicely.

Hinoki also smells nice when new. Adrian's recommendation looks good, I'd like to find something like that in Canada.

tjangula said:

I had a 450x450x75mm John boos end grain block that i returned because I saw a small gap before I even used it (I'll try and find the pic)...

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Sanyar,

Here is the pic i was referring to on a 75mm (3") thick end grain. The glare is because it is still in its wrapper. I returned it without issue due to the manufacturing defect.

tjangula said:

Sanyar,

Here is the pic i was referring to on a 75mm (3") thick end grain. The glare is because it is still in its wrapper. I returned it without issue due to the manufacturing defect.

View attachment 26988

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Interesting. A minuscle gap - I guess that it is a gap filled with white glue which can be seen. Not sure if I would have reacted myself, but Ill keep an eye out. Not fun to return it if I buy from a store abroad though.

Perhaps I have my standards too high but when I pay that kind of money for a product I have an expectation that these issues won't exist. This was right in the centre if the board.

Minor cosmetic issues such as an engraving not coming thru 100% (for example some Carter knives seem to be missing the bottom of the C) are one thing but this was different. I want to cut on wood not glue.

tjangula said:

Perhaps I have my standards too high but when I pay that kind of money for a product I have an expectation that these issues won't exist. This was right in the centre if the board.

Minor cosmetic issues such as an engraving not coming thru 100% (for example some Carter knives seem to be missing the bottom of the C) are one thing but this was different. I want to cut on wood not glue.

Click to expand...

Such little details like this is the knowledge I like to receive; I would probably not have reacted myself if I hadn't received your tip. Much obliged

Not much stagger on those blocks of wood, either.

If you ever go over the border to Sweden, check out cervera (a chain like kitcn) they have an Anders Peter one wiich is really nice