# Cutting Board Help Needed



## rkaspet (Oct 3, 2011)

I am in the market to buy an end grain cutting board... I was thinking of getting a walnut board end grain board.   Does anybody have any reviews or thoughts about the boards at this site Walnut Cherry and Maple - End Grain Cutting Boards    .   I cannot seem to find reviews for these boards from this site,  however they look quite nice though.  

Here are the questions I have, any help would be great!

What should I look for in an end grain board?  I’m quite confused as there are too many choices out there and hundreds of different sites. 

Is walnut a good choice as far as material? It looks too nice , will it get ruined?  Is it too hard/soft?

Is it worth the money to get an end grain board vs edge grain?

If I get one with a gravy channel is that difficult to clean?

They say they use mineral oil and beeswax on them, is that normal? Or should it be sealed with a clear coating of some sort?  

Should I get a cutting board with legs / feet on it? Or is it better to have it without feet so I can flip the board over?  Toooo many combinationssss , what should I dooo…

Any recommendations would be great!  Does anybody have a walnut cutting board like the ones at the site I mentioned?  Please send me a message or reply as I do not want to pay so much for something without knowing if it’s a good cutting board.    

Sorry if I had too many questions..   Thank you all again!


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## Hammster (Oct 3, 2011)

Unless you want the particular wood for its looks, I'd suggest a bamboo cutting board. Bamboo is very "green" (sustainable, etc) and makes a darn nice cutting board, among other utensils.


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## rkaspet (Oct 3, 2011)

I heard bamboo is wayy to hard for knives??


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## Hammster (Oct 3, 2011)

Well, I don't think so and I have 2 of them.
I also have a steel and sharpening system to take good care of my knives so if they do start to get a little dull, which will happen to any knife on any board in time anyway, they get a swipe on the steel or on the stone when needed.


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## RPCookin (Oct 7, 2011)

I have 3 wood cutting boards, and the bamboo one is what I use 95% of the time.  I love it.  It doesn't dull a knife any faster than any other wood board.


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## Andy M. (Oct 7, 2011)

rkaspet said:


> I heard bamboo is wayy to hard for knives??




The word is that, while the bamboo itself is not overly hard, the epoxy used to hold the bamboo together is extremely hard and therefore harmful to edges.

I use plastic cutting boards exclusively.  I like their price, ease of cleaning and how little care they require.


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## justplainbill (Oct 7, 2011)

I've cut both green and dried bamboo on numerous occasions. It's tough on the cutting tools.


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## GB (Oct 7, 2011)

I hated my bamboo cutting board. It looked great, but it dulled my knives very very fast. 

End grain is, in my opinion, definitely worth the extra price compared to edge grain. I have an end grain board as well as a number of plastic boards. I use the wood board for veggies and the plastic for meats.


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## justplainbill (Oct 7, 2011)

There was a time in NYC when you had a right to watch the butcher grind your meat.  I've had that courtesy extended to me at several locations on eastern Long Island.  From what saw, many 'real'  butchers use wood blocks.


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## no mayonnaise (Oct 18, 2011)

I highly recommend the wood pulp-resin types.  They're extremely heat resistant, you don't get much in the way of slices into the board like plastic, you can put it in the dish washer, it doesn't dull knives any faster than wood, and they last forever.  Mine has had intense use and you can barely tell.  I wouldn't use anything else given the choice.  I was lucky enough to get mine from a supplier for free (24"x18"!!!!!) several years back when they were really only distributed to restaurants.  Now you can get them at Bed Bath & Beyond.

Don't get feet on the board.  If you need it to stay put then you can put a damp paper towel down underneath it.  The wood pulp-resin board I use doesn't seem to wander at all when I use it.


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## Bigjim68 (Oct 18, 2011)

I'd have to disagree with plastic or plastic impregnated boards not dulling knives.  Wood has many advantages, one of which is it is easier on knives.


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## Sir_Loin_of_Beef (Oct 18, 2011)

I have a variety of cutting boards, from maple (2) to bamboo (3) to Plastic (2) to glass (1). I have 3 with channels; 1 maple, 1 bamboo, 1 plastic. I have an end grain bamboo board and a straight grain bamboo board with 4 holes that hold cups for putting my mess in place (mise en place). 

I tend to gravitate to the bamboo boards because they're made with a sustainable material, they don't dull my knives and they don't need any special care; you use them, you wash them, you dry them, and you put them away. 

I use the maple board with the drip channel for carving my Thanksgiving turkey because it is quite large. I use the bamboo board with the drip channel for most other meat and poultry that I expect to leak juices. 

I shy away from plastic because your knives will create cuts that harbour bacteria that will continue to grow inside the board, even after a trip through the dishwasher, and will be released the next time you cut something on the board. I pretty much save the plastic board for slicing bread and cutting fresh vegetables.

The glass board is strictly to work with doughs because, with a little bench flour, it's a practically non-stick work surface and  it's easy to clean up afterwards.

I hope this encourages some thought before buying your cutting board, or boards.


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## no mayonnaise (Oct 18, 2011)

Bigjim68 said:


> I'd have to disagree with plastic or plastic impregnated boards not dulling knives.  Wood has many advantages, one of which is it is easier on knives.



It's not plastic, it's a resin.  It does not dull knives any faster than plain wood.


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