First serious cutting board

Hello,

After several articles reading I've realized that I must own a proper end grain cutting board instead of my ikea 15 € bamboo one. It seems that "boardsmith" boards are among the most popular around here. But the shipping cost to Belgium are the same as the price of the board .

Do you have a good alternative ? I'm looking for a somewhere near 45x48 or 45x30 cm by 2 cm (but boardsmith 5cm thick isn't a problem).
My max budget inc. shipping is around 100/115 €.

Oh, and I that can help, I own a yanagiba stainless knife and soon a tanaka blue 2 gyuto.

Thank you

In the EU I've often heard mtm wood get recommended http://mtmwood.com/en

I can relate to the shipping cost woes… I really wanted a BoardSMITH so paid over $100 USD for shipping to Canada, can only imagine overseas would be even more

There's always Boos board. A good edge grain board would be fine instead of end grain and is more likely to be within budget. You can also see if you can find hinoki (Japanese cypress) boards...that's what many sushi chefs use.

I've heard good things about MTM. Some of those patterns, though. I can see a person getting hypnotized and lopping off a finger.

"Must"...


You can spring for a hisoft which may be more economical.

spoiledbroth said:

"Must"...


You can spring for a hisoft which may be more economical.

Click to expand...

The availability of Japanese rubber cutting boards is virtually non existent in Europe. I ended up purchasing my Asahi board from James (Knives & Stones).

:angel2:I meant more the shipping as the weight and dimensions make make it slightly more manageable. Though I am sure there is a quality end grain board producer close to the op

spoiledbroth said:

:angel2:I meant more the shipping as the weight and dimensions make make it slightly more manageable. Though I am sure there is a quality end grain board producer close to the op

Click to expand...

My bad. In that case you have a point.

If appearence is a requirement then google MTM boards and see what he can do. He was a vendor here for awhile and never had anything but positive feedback. I recall he shipped from Russia - though not certain. (And not all of his boards will remind you of the bad acid trip.) Boos is a more available choice, esp in edge grain. You might also want to search locally to see whats avail. As you have already found out shipping can be a major factor in the price of the board.

If performance is more important then you should explore the Hi-Soft or Hinoki (sp?) alternatives. Nice boards, knife friendly, butt ugly.

How about a hinoki or cypress board. Although edge grain, they are softer on knives and have a nice feel. Being edge grain, sharper knives don't sink into them like end grain boards.

I have both types and usually use hinoki 80% of the time.

Thanks all for your responses,

I see MTM has some nice boards availables (especially the non-trippy ones) and can ships to belgium for around 30$.
I think i'll go check the local professional kitchen store before to see if they have something good. What should I pay attention to when checking boards in a store, apart from side/end grain and type of wood ?

Thanks

End grain maple is my preference.

Mogios said:

Thanks all for your responses,

I see MTM has some nice boards availables (especially the non-trippy ones) and can ships to belgium for around 30$.
I think i'll go check the local professional kitchen store before to see if they have something good. What should I pay attention to when checking boards in a store, apart from side/end grain and type of wood ?

Thanks

Click to expand...

I think the 20mm thickness you mentioned in the first post may be too thin especially for the larger sizes, I have some hinoki boards that get a slight bow when very moist on one side (can be corrected by moistening the other side and strategic drying).
Maple walnut and cherry are probably the 3 most common woods, so avoid something like bamboo; teak looks nice but apparently is harder on edges due to silica so unless you want to sharpen more often.
Consider the block size and stagger (if end grain), and check for gaps in the glue joints for both edge/end grain. I've had a poor specimen of each of the above from boos and am glad I caught it before opening so they were promptly returned.

Since you are in EU you may want to check out the following two makers in CZ. Friend of mine and a memeber here is about to order a larger board there (the first link I think). I am sure you can communicate with the guys in English.

http://www.bakestruhlarstvi.cz/

https://www.instagram.com/jiritaborsky/

The problem from ordering from outside EU is the exorbitant shipping and of course the VAT.

A while ago I was looking for my first good board. I ended up with buying from MITHEIS in Austria/Europe, see www.mitheis-austrianbrand.at

I find their products simple and beautiful, they use regional woods (oak, cherry, walnut) and then I found out they are just around the corner... :doublethumbsup:

Thx, i'm actually coming to Austria in 15 days for 1 week of photography for the Austria tourism office, I'll try to get one.

This:

HIGHLY recommended. It's the best kitchen/knife related item I have bought

Matus said:

Since you are in EU you may want to check out the following two makers in CZ. Friend of mine and a memeber here is about to order a larger board there (the first link I think). I am sure you can communicate with the guys in English.

http://www.bakestruhlarstvi.cz/

https://www.instagram.com/jiritaborsky/

The problem from ordering from outside EU is the exorbitant shipping and of course the VAT.

Click to expand...

I am the friend Matus wrote about..And I have to correct his information, I indeed have a board on order, but from a different source, look here: http://kuchynska-prkenka.cz/

Or even rather here: https://www.vasekuchyne.cz/duspiva/

Mine will be end grain, 54 x 36 x 5,5 cm, in european cherry, for about 120 euro, I have already inspected them personally in a shop (but they all were too smal for me, so I ordered one custom) and they were in my opinion absolutely flawless, they guy who makes them is very nice, I am quite sure speaks very well English (he originally studied economy, but decided later on that's nothing for him and came back to a work which already his grandfather has made = woodworking), so may try to contact him ([email protected] or [email protected]) and ask him, if he could make one for you and how much would be the shipping...The waiting time for mine should be about 3 weeks...

And as Matus correctly mentioned, should you import a board from Russia, you would need to consider the costs for VAT...

Shipping costs to Europe and Canada are a huge source of frustration for me! Really wish I had a work-around. For non-U.S. customers, if you shoot me an e-mail with your shipping address, I can generally get a lower rate than what will be listed on my website. A tiny difference in weight can make a huge difference in shipping costs internationally, and I'll do my best. In the case of the OP, the price gap is probably just too big, unfortunately.

On thickness, I'd really try to stay around 5cm if possible for end grain. They will resist warping and generally survive better.

J

I bought my 3 end grain walnut boards from a vendor on Ebay '227wood'. I can vouch for his professionalism and the quality of his product. I've been using a 22x18 chopping board for over a year and it looks as good as when it arrived, with just the occasional mineral oil treatment.
I even bought a couple of 'seconds' which I had cut to a custom size as stands for two power amplifiers.
He may be willing to ship to Europe.

I have end grain and hinoki, and end up using the hinoki board more often - just because it's so light and convenient.

I also live in Europe and it worked out cheaper for me buying off amazon.jp than getting it locally (they ship internationally now).