Cutting Board Advice

[BladeMama]

I recently bought a Kurosaki Senko Ei SG2 6.5" Nakiri and 8.25” Gyuto and want to get ahead of protecting the blade with better cutting boards. Today, I primarily use the OXO plastic boards and this paper composite board I got from William Sonoma.

I’m looking at getting 2…eventually

1. Hasegawa Wood Core Soft Rubber Cutting Board (17.3" x 11.4" x 0.8" or the next size up).
2. Some kind of wood/teak board (Boos, shuns, another recommendation?)

I’m not dropping $300 right now, but could do up to like $150.

Any recommendations on which you would prioritize, or comments on rather this makes sense to do?

Also, especially for wood boards, I’m kind of in the air. I’ve always heard Boos is great, but a lot of recent reviews makes it sound like they have either gone downhill, or that there is a lot of user error. Any recommendations on good options for a home cook?

Helpful to Know:
I cut a lot of veggies and soft herbs. I’m not so sure about the Hasegawa’s ability to handle the herbs, in particular. Also, I’ve read that veggies can lead to a fair amount of staining on it.

I do not want something that is a pain to wash or cumbersome to maintain. I have a toddler running around all of the time, and honestly do not trust myself to keep up a diligent maintenance routine on a cutting board. As sad as it may be to admit, I am unfortunately human.

 

[deltaplex]

I don't have experience with hasegawa (everyone seems to love them). A wood board, edge or end grain, is relatively easy to maintain and forgiving. I like my Boos, but I got it over a decade ago, so I can't speak to more recent production. That said, you can usually find a local maker who can get you something as good or better than a Boos for their retail pricing.

 

[blokey]

I like Hasegawa, for me it is light but strong, dishwasher friendly, there's going to be stains but not as bad as those cheap white plastic boards.

 

[Heckel7302]

Hasegawas are good. I like mine. I also own a Tenyro Hi-Soft from Korin, and honestly prefer it to the Hasa. It's also significantly less expensive, and in stock

https://www.korin.com/Tenryo-Hi-Sof...ty=1&custcol_sca_line_id=mainItem%3A0u8uc81r6
All the rubber boards stain, but it's not a big issue. I hit it with a diluted bleach solution every once in a while and the stains come out pretty well that way.

 

[Corradobrit1]

If you want low maintenance forget the Hasegawa as a general use board. They are perfect for slicing raw fish which is probably they primary design application. It stains like crazy and never looks as good as it did when new.
I have a few boards from 227wood on Ebay. Superb quality both the construction and materials. Reasonably priced. They are all end grain walnut boards and have been my primary boards for 7 years. The feedback through the blade is much nicer than the plastic Hasegawa. Maintenance only involves a mineral oil spa treatment once in a while.

https://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_fss=1&_saslop=1&_sasl=227wood&LH_SpecificSeller=1

 

[HumbleHomeCook]

Really good questions that are all too often overlooked!

There's only a few pretty hard and fast rules on cutting boards. No stone, glass or ceramics. Avoid bamboo and teak. Plastic isn't great but not terrible. Plastic is also probably not more sanitary in a home kitchen than wood and perhaps it is the opposite.

Many on the internet will have you believe that anything other than one of the soft Japanese boards or at the bare minimum an end grain wood board will have your knives shattering into pieces.

It's simply not true.

Run of the mill edge grain boards work great. I've owned very nice end grain and fairly standard edge grain and neither have made any discernable difference in my knives performance.

End grain boards are beautiful and sturdy. They also expensive, heavier, and oil hogs. Some say the end grain is easier on knife edges as the grains "open" for the edge but I remain highly skeptical that this is repeated internet lore. Others say the end grains are better for bacteria for the same reasons. Maybe, but again, I don't believe there's enough difference to matter. Don't get me wrong, I think end grain boards are great, I just don't buy into them being objectively and noticeably superior.

Edge grain boards are rather plain and the thinner ones are more subject to warping. They may also be more prone to glue separation over time but you can mitigate that a good bit. They are also lighter and less expensive.

I personally would advocate getting a larger edge grain board than having to go smaller to get an end grain board and stay in budget. Which brings us to another important aspect - size. I strongly subscribe to the theory that when it comes to cutting boards, bigger is better. Get the biggest board that you can afford, that fits your space, and fits in the sink.

Blood/juice groove is up to you. They are convenient but take up more board surface. I prioritize the surface and go without the groove.

I bought an edge grain maple Boos I think it was two years ago and it's great. It's been my daily board since getting it and I use one board for everything.

For $150 you can get a good board in a good size. Here's a nice one that comes in three sizes:
https://www.cuttingboard.com/john-boos-reversible-maple-cutting-boards-r-board-series/
One of those should last you for years.

Now, the next most important question is, how are you planning to maintain your knife edges.

 

[Gshep91]

If you want low maintenance forget the Hasegawa as a general use board. They are perfect for slicing raw fish which is probably they primary design application. It stains like crazy and never looks as good as it did when new.
I have a few boards from 227wood on Ebay. Superb quality both the construction and materials. Reasonably priced. They are all end grain walnut boards and have been my primary boards for 7 years. The feedback through the blade is much nicer than the plastic Hasegawa. Maintenance only involves a mineral oil spa treatment once in a while.

https://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_fss=1&_saslop=1&_sasl=227wood&LH_SpecificSeller=1

Seconding 227wood.

I have a 14x18 walnut and it’s great for the price

 

[tostadas]

If weight is an issue for you like it is for me, I am a fan of the Shun hinoki boards when they have their seasonal warehouse sales for half off. They don't look anywhere as nice as the maple or walnut hardwoods, but the considerable weight savings is worth it to me when I wash it.

 

[Corradobrit1]

Really good questions that are all too often overlooked!

There's only a few pretty hard and fast rules on cutting boards. No stone, glass or ceramics. Avoid bamboo and teak. Plastic isn't great but not terrible. Plastic is also probably not more sanitary in a home kitchen than wood and perhaps it is the opposite.

Many on the internet will have you believe that anything other than one of the soft Japanese boards or at the bare minimum an end grain wood board will have your knives shattering into pieces.

It's simply not true.

Run of the mill edge grain boards work great. I've owned very nice end grain and fairly standard edge grain and neither have made any discernable difference in my knives performance.

End grain boards are beautiful and sturdy. They also expensive, heavier, and oil hogs. Some say the end grain is easier on knife edges as the grains "open" for the edge but I remain highly skeptical that this is repeated internet lore. Others say the end grains are better for bacteria for the same reasons. Maybe, but again, I don't believe there's enough difference to matter. Don't get me wrong, I think end grain boards are great, I just don't buy into them being objectively and noticeably superior.

Edge grain boards are rather plain and the thinner ones are more subject to warping. They may also be more prone to glue separation over time but you can mitigate that a good bit. They are also lighter and less expensive.

I personally would advocate getting a larger edge grain board than having to go smaller to get an end grain board and stay in budget. Which brings us to another important aspect - size. I strongly subscribe to the theory that when it comes to cutting boards, bigger is better. Get the biggest board that you can afford, that fits your space, and fits in the sink.

Blood/juice groove is up to you. They are convenient but take up more board surface. I prioritize the surface and go without the groove.

I bought an edge grain maple Boos I think it was two years ago and it's great. It's been my daily board since getting it and I use one board for everything.

For $150 you can get a good board in a good size. Here's a nice one that comes in three sizes:
https://www.cuttingboard.com/john-boos-reversible-maple-cutting-boards-r-board-series/
One of those should last you for years.

Now, the next most important question is, how are you planning to maintain your knife edges.

I will also add acacia to the list of woods to avoid due to high silica content.
Agree get the largest you can afford and fits on the countertop. The 227wood boards have sturdy rubber feet which I also recommend but it obviously prevents you using both sides.

 

[Corradobrit1]

If weight is an issue for you like it is for me, I am a fan of the Shun hinoki boards when they have their seasonal warehouse sales for half off. They don't look anywhere as nice as the maple or walnut hardwoods, but the considerable weight savings is worth it to me when I wash it.

I just wipe down with a damp towel. No need to move to a sink for cleaning.

 

[Gshep91]

Weight matters. I have an @OwlWoodworks board a bit larger than the 227wood one but it weighs significantly more.

I like the board enough to not care but I know for some people, it could be problematic if you don’t always leave it out

 

[Kgp]

If you could squeeze a little more, John at the Boardsmith has some nice ones in the $200 range with free shipping over $200. Lifetime investment. I have a 3 inch 18x24 walnut that my grandkids can fight over when I’m gone. His maple boards are more reasonable. He’s also a forum vendor.

 

[YannR]

Recently bought an Asahi Pro from moderncooking for home use, really satisfied with it, nice smooth cutting feeling and pretty easy to clean it up, dry hyper fast, plus, it doesn't take any odor, and don't need to be oiled or anything like that.

Price seems pretty fair to me.

 

[curreel]

I bought an endgrain olive wood board from KwoodStore on Etsy some months ago, and am very happy with it.

 

[NotAddictedYet]

I do not want something that is a pain to wash or cumbersome to maintain. I have a toddler running around all of the time, and honestly do not trust myself to keep up a diligent maintenance routine on a cutting board.

Then Hasegawa style boards all the way. I used mine over the end grain way more nowadays. Expensive dnd grain looks great but is much, much more needy.

 

[Corradobrit1]

Expensive dnd grain looks great but is much, much more needy.

Completely disagree with this. I oil mine once every 2-3 months. Takes 2 mins. Thats it. Takes longer to walk the Hasagawa over to the sink over that time period.

 

[Just a DK]

Any of the hinoki woods work find on amazon really… for 150 you could get multiple and many sizes. As your collection grows you can decide to upgrade here and there. I liked the rubber/plastic boards for years but we decided to try to reduce synthetics in our stuff as much as possible as a why not…. Maybe we are just crunchy like that.

 

[Stevem627]

I have (unfortunately) many cutting boards. I would recommend the Shun Hinoki boards since they are lightweight, but I never cut meat or things that would stain. The ideal way to use one is to wet it all around first and it will last a long time. If I could only have one board, though, I’d want the Hasegawa since you can use it for everything AND throw it in the dishwasher.

 

[mc2442]

I will 2nd the Boardsmith boards. Great quality, I have had a 16x22 for years and it is still in great condition.

 

[Yoshi]

I've got a hasagawa and an Ashahi pro.

The hasagawa is light and dishwasher safe down side is it's a bit too soft to go chopping heavily on it. The patterned surface also makes cleaning slightly more annoying. That said it's really good with meat slicing. It does stain but not really that badly, and you can bleach it slightly and it'll be sparkly white again (yes according to the manual is safe to bleach)

My Ashahi is 30mm thick, really much heavier than hasagawa. I recently took it to the London meet up and most people liked it. Sturdy, fantastic feedback and zero maintenance. You can sand it down a few years down the road, and BAM you have a new board again. Easy to clean as well. Highly recommend it for veg chopping

 

[flow_the_pro]

I think I was in the same position as you, wanted to get some nice boards with the nice knifes. I'm also used to cut on the soft "plastic" boards.
I bought a hasegawa, Asahi, and end grain board.
And I can say that wood just feels way harder then the boards I'm used to, and hence doesn't make for a comfortable cutting feel. The Asahi actually feels quite like wood, and is also not my preferred board, also it stains and smells.
I also had a Mazaki, W2, Knife that I felt was dull after every single use on the wood board.
My most used is the Hasegawa now, it's the softest and thus for me most comfortable to cut on. It's also lighter compared to the 4Kg+ of the other boards.
Yes it stains easily, but I put it in the dishwasher every 4 uses or so and normally the stains are gone afterwards.
So especially if you are not used to cut on wood, but softer materials, I would advice for the Hasegawa.

 

[e30Birdy]

I personally started with a 25 Euro endgrain made of beech wood which I got somewhere in the Netherlands. Great board and maintenance isn't bad, I made some board butter with mineral oil and beeswax I got from our local beekeeper. But my eyes were always set on a big Hasegawa and don't regret it, its my favorite Board and use it for everything really. Once in a while there will be a task where the wood board gets pulled out but 99% of the time it is the Hasegawa FSR. If one wants a bit less stating and a bit harder one could grab a FSB as well, they are a bit darker and harder than the FSR. I have yet to try an asahi but I also don't need it.

 

[Simply]

Have 4 or 5 Hasegawas. Prefer them to wood boards right now, store them all on a plate/lid organizer in a cabinet. I’d recommend going as large as you can accommodate. Here’s the plain and simple

FRK- softer, will stain, great feel for slicing, not as great for push cuts/fast chop (still works fine, but the blade will bite if you’re heavy with your cuts), quiet cuts

FSB- harder, thinner, pretty resistant to staining, awesome feel for push cuts/fast chops, will give you that satisfying tap-tap-tap-tap.

Curious to try a fsr and/or hi-soft. Can never have too many boards

 

[e30Birdy]

Have 4 or 5 Hasegawas. Prefer them to wood boards right now, store them all on a plate/lid organizer in a cabinet. I’d recommend going as large as you can accommodate. Here’s the plain and simple

FRK- softer, will stain, great feel for slicing, not as great for push cuts/fast chop (still works fine, but the blade will bite if you’re heavy with your cuts), quiet cuts

FSB- harder, thinner, pretty resistant to staining, awesome feel for push cuts/fast chops, will give you that satisfying tap-tap-tap-tap.

Curious to try a fsr and/or hi-soft. Can never have too many boards

FSR and FSK are basically the same board but FSR are the board for commercial use and available in bigger sizes while the FSK are designated home use boards made in smaller sizes.

I have thought about adding a FSB to the arsenal but I haven't ran into push cutting or chopping issues with mine. Once in a while I get some stickage but not as bad anymore as when I first got it.

 

[SwampDonkey]

I disagree with recommendations against teak, the higher silica content aspect is overstated in my opinion, at least for a home cook that isn't blowing through hundreds of pounds of veggie prep a day. Maybe a rock chopper with a lot of board contact might see some but I haven't noticed any difference in edge retention of my teak vs my cherry board over a month of testing for each with a common knife, so I picked up a large teak end grain at the end. The benefit is a higher natural oil content so it is more resistant to warping when washing/drying it. Maple/cherry are more thirsty and require more constant oiling but it's not a huge deal once you get them properly set up.

I have a few edge and end grain boards and the end grain feels noticeably softer on knives, I would definitely recommend one, though any wood board should be 1.5" thick. 1" is more likely to warp.

This is my monster, but you can get smaller sizes. 24x18" just lives on my counter top. Teakhaus also is running a sale right now, though Walmart somehow always stocks them below everyone else for the most part.

https://www.walmart.com/ip/TeakHaus...-w-Hand-Grip-Rectangle-24-x-18-x-1-5/42767485
This is a 240mm knife it's dwarfing

20x14" a more manageable size yet big enough prep a whole meal on comfortably.
https://www.walmart.com/ip/Teakhaus-Teak-End-Grain-Butcher-Block-20-x-14-x-2-5/14685012?from=/search

I also have one of these as a travel board for airbnbs and such, it's not terribly big but is well made, inexpensive, and great for small counters. Just don't buy their knives.

https://dfackto.com/products/butcher-block-cutting-board-american-cherry

I don't have the full uncropped pic but it's cropped right about the edge of the board. The top knife is 180mm for scale.

 

[JASinIL2006]

Hasegawa FSB boards are great for cutting proteins, but I'm not always a fan of the textured surface when chopping herbs and some veggies. The FSB boards seem to be pretty easy on knife edges and I find them to have a more pleasant feel when cutting than regular plastic cutting boards.

I also have a a couple Acacia end grain boards in different sizes (Amazon.com). Acacia is another species that sometimes is mentioned as hard on edges due to silica content, but as a home cook, I really haven't noticed undue wear on my blades. More importantly, I think end grain boards have a really nice feel when cutting that you don't get on edge grain wood or plastic boards. I think just about any decent cutting board would be superior to that Williams Sonoma thing.

I'd love to have a nice end grain cherry or maple board, and I plan to make one in the near future, but you really don't have to break the bank to get some nice boards.

 

[Gshep91]

Surprised no love for the larchwood lineup.
https://www.larchwoodcanada.com/
Decent prices & lots of size options

 

[Tekkz]

If you want low maintenance forget the Hasegawa as a general use board. They are perfect for slicing raw fish which is probably they primary design application. It stains like crazy and never looks as good as it did when new.
I have a few boards from 227wood on Ebay. Superb quality both the construction and materials. Reasonably priced. They are all end grain walnut boards and have been my primary boards for 7 years. The feedback through the blade is much nicer than the plastic Hasegawa. Maintenance only involves a mineral oil spa treatment once in a while.

https://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_fss=1&_saslop=1&_sasl=227wood&LH_SpecificSeller=1

Great prices on those.

 

[John Loftis]

After all these years, I'm still surprised at how strong folks' opinions are about cutting boards! While I'd love it if everyone gave our Boardsmith boards a try (we have been a sponsoring vendor here since the forum's founding...), I don't think we are the best choice for the OP. I think we offer the best-made and some of the prettiest butcher block out there, but it's not inexpensive and it's not zero maintenance.

I won't wade in to all the strong opinions (teak, hinoki, larch, edge grain vs end grain, Boos, etc), but I will say that if there were a better material or method out there, I'd switch to it in a heartbeat. The entire focus of our business is on being the best that money can buy, so my attitude is always to improve anything we can improve.

For anyone who might want to try us out, we'll be starting our black friday sale next Monday. We'll list the details of the promotion on our sub-forum.

 

[Jovidah]

Really good questions that are all too often overlooked!

There's only a few pretty hard and fast rules on cutting boards. No stone, glass or ceramics. Avoid bamboo and teak. Plastic isn't great but not terrible. Plastic is also probably not more sanitary in a home kitchen than wood and perhaps it is the opposite.

Many on the internet will have you believe that anything other than one of the soft Japanese boards or at the bare minimum an end grain wood board will have your knives shattering into pieces.

It's simply not true.

Run of the mill edge grain boards work great. I've owned very nice end grain and fairly standard edge grain and neither have made any discernable difference in my knives performance.

End grain boards are beautiful and sturdy. They also expensive, heavier, and oil hogs. Some say the end grain is easier on knife edges as the grains "open" for the edge but I remain highly skeptical that this is repeated internet lore. Others say the end grains are better for bacteria for the same reasons. Maybe, but again, I don't believe there's enough difference to matter. Don't get me wrong, I think end grain boards are great, I just don't buy into them being objectively and noticeably superior.

Edge grain boards are rather plain and the thinner ones are more subject to warping. They may also be more prone to glue separation over time but you can mitigate that a good bit. They are also lighter and less expensive.

I personally would advocate getting a larger edge grain board than having to go smaller to get an end grain board and stay in budget. Which brings us to another important aspect - size. I strongly subscribe to the theory that when it comes to cutting boards, bigger is better. Get the biggest board that you can afford, that fits your space, and fits in the sink.

Blood/juice groove is up to you. They are convenient but take up more board surface. I prioritize the surface and go without the groove.

I bought an edge grain maple Boos I think it was two years ago and it's great. It's been my daily board since getting it and I use one board for everything.

For $150 you can get a good board in a good size. Here's a nice one that comes in three sizes:
https://www.cuttingboard.com/john-boos-reversible-maple-cutting-boards-r-board-series/
One of those should last you for years.

Now, the next most important question is, how are you planning to maintain your knife edges.

Sorry, but while I agree with a lot of your points (especially the first paragraph about the general categories)... some of what you're saying is not true. You always 'come to the rescue' of the edge grain boards (and it's not like I hate them, I have several of those too) but have you even used an end grain one?

Endgrain boards can be slightly more expensive, but not a whole lot more. The John Boos board you posted? That costs more than my 60x40x6 and my 45x35x4 (cm) endgrain beechwood boards combined. Cheap end-grain boards exist you just have to dig around a bit instead of just going to the first big retailer. And the cheap ones are still great! I'm sure there's some Mexican sweatshop cranking them out in volume...

They're also not neceessarily heavier; if they're the same volume they're the same weight. Yes you can get really thin edge grain ones, but those are also the ones most likely to warp. A thick edge grain lke the Boos you linked is still going to be heavy.

Oil hog is IMO also overstated; this is only really true for the initial period. What is the case is that you tend to wash out the oil a bit easier, but this is only a problem if you actually wash them every day. For that reason I wouldn't recommend them for a meat board but for your general purpose board it's not a problem at all.

Putting aside the edge retention part, the main benefit is that they just feel much nicer to cut on. Miles nicer.
Sanitary is IMO a wash since I'd always recommend a seperate easy to sanitize board for stuff like meat anyway (and sounds like OP would just prefer something you can dishwash).

I do agree that bigger is better; but when you go big basically all of the wood ones (regardless of configuration) become 'static' objects and annoying to clean. Which again promotes having a seperate meatboard.

Juice gruives I personally find incredibly annoying, and they're only really useful on a board you use for cooked meat. Personally I just have a few seperate cheapo boards with juice groove but I always prefer my proper board to not have it. I actually find them inconvenient because it basically creates a dead zone on the edge of the board where it's more problematic to cut, and when you're trying to scoop ingredients stuff occasionally gets stuck in it.