Kitchen Knives and cutting boards....

coxhaus said:
That is probably why end grain is easier on the blade.
Click to expand...

That's the theory. And, while I am not an expert on any such thing, that has been my experience. Plastics, glass, and bamboo (particularly the bamboo) all seem to dull my knives faster than my end-grain butcher block. The butcher block requires a little maintenance--in contrast to the zero maintenance of a plastic or glass board-- but it's worth it in my mind to not have to sharpen my knife mid-turkey. The walnut end-grain is also pretty on the counter which is a bonus. My wife actually was happy with the purchase after she saw it on the counter for a few days.
 
I don't get it! I use a Bamboo cutting board and never have to do more than swipe on a steel or Ceramic rod if it's my Chef's knife, should do that before each use anyway according to the top Chefs. My wife, on the other hand, uses a plastic board that causes me to resharpen the "little" knives she insists on using nearly weekly. I used those laminated Maple boards for decades and just got tired of finding splits along the laminations, granted they took several years to show up but I never knew how long they had been trapping food particles.
 
CAP55 said:
I don't get it! I use a Bamboo cutting board and never have to do more than swipe on a steel or Ceramic rod if it's my Chef's knife, should do that before each use anyway according to the top Chefs. My wife, on the other hand, uses a plastic board that causes me to resharpen the "little" knives she insists on using nearly weekly. I used those laminated Maple boards for decades and just got tired of finding splits along the laminations, granted they took several years to show up but I never knew how long they had been trapping food particles.
Click to expand...
There is another factor - the user. I was cutting beets tonight and don't like staining my wood. I used the plastic. I was very careful to barely make it through the beet onto the board. I'm generally careful on wood too, I just noticed I was paying special attention. Of course, I don't know your wife, but think she might use the blade differently than you?
 
The wife definitely uses a knife differently, generally uses too small a knife for the job at hand and her board is a plastic cheapo from Wally World, not poly.

I may have to rethink Bamboo; I cut a lot of vegies and herbs with strong odors yesterday and today the board still had a pretty strong odor, much worse than my old Maple board. The funny part about the odor today is that it only showed up when the board got wet! I'm thinking about just going poly and sanitizing it frequently, if the Bamboo retains that much odor, what else is it holding.
 
Buy (or make) a quality wooden cutting board, and you will notice an appreciable difference in knife sharpness, and also cutting efficiency. It takes a little upkeep, but as others have said on here, they will last for generations, and are much kinder to knife edges.

While I own a couple plastic boards, they only get used for raw meats because cleanup is very easy: everything else goes on the Boos blocks.

When I feel the need to clean the wooden blocks, I cut a lemon in half, grab a bit of coarse Kosher salt, and scrub the board, wipe it clean/dry, and then treat the block to re-oil it.

While wooden blocks might be a bit more money initially and require periodic upkeep, they are well worth the investment.
 
trash the glass "cutting boards" and replace with wood cutting boards.

Wood has been scientifically proven to hold fewer germs and other nasty's than glass, and plastics.

Glass will dull any blade, as glass is near as hard as a diamond, and a bunch harder than any metal or metal alloy.

"People" have been using wood cutting boards (and butcher block tables) for thousands, perhaps millions of generations. "People" ain't extinct from using them yet. Our ancestors didn't die out from food poisoning because they had wood cutting boards and (at least for a few generations until bronze was invented (or discovered) and became popular) knives made from chipped rocks, and (fire tempered/hardened) critter bones.
 
Last edited:
After buying a new knife set last year my cutting board preference has evolved a bit.

On the cheap knife that I used I would use an old bamboo board that was given to us. I like the fact that it was light and seemed better than the plastic one my wife used. However I read that they aren't the best for egde rention. That lead to looking into end grain boards. I picked up a medium larchwood random. Very beautiful board and I sure it will last forever. However due to the weight and thickness it was a bit cumbersome to wash. My wife didn't use it so I picked up a hinoki board for her. While it's nowhere near as nice I prefer the slimness and weight of it. The hinoki was also about a 3rd of the price. However if I could only have 1 it would be the end grain.
 
Well, kinda back to square one...still using the same cutting boards, so I'll be resharpening knives again soon. Could be worse...at least they get used alot (which means home cookin':thumbsup:). Cost a' doin' business I guess..

Ironically, the lady of the house has recently online 'befriended' a small family-owned business that turns out some really nice custom wood products, including this cutting board she bought...unfortunately it's so 'pretty' it'll probably only be decorative.

Cutting Board Green.jpg


Cheers,
Boss
 
End grain or you should look at soft rubber boards such as a Yoshihiro. My main Gyuto is a Tsourkan so spending $200+ on a cutting board so I don't have to sharpen it every week is worth the investment. If you want a wood board I would suggest that you checkout boardsmith as they have different woods and size otions.
 
There are plenty of wood cutting board choices, many mentioned earlier. But the pro choice is 100% rubber SaniTuff.
 
Liquidm1980 said:
After buying a new knife set last year my cutting board preference has evolved a bit.

On the cheap knife that I used I would use an old bamboo board that was given to us. I like the fact that it was light and seemed better than the plastic one my wife used. However I read that they aren't the best for egde rention. That lead to looking into end grain boards. I picked up a medium larchwood random. Very beautiful board and I sure it will last forever. However due to the weight and thickness it was a bit cumbersome to wash. My wife didn't use it so I picked up a hinoki board for her. While it's nowhere near as nice I prefer the slimness and weight of it. The hinoki was also about a 3rd of the price. However if I could only have 1 it would be the end grain.
Click to expand...

I like thick and heavy cutting boards. They give a solid an stable platform to cut and look great. End wood baltic pine is cheap in my country and performs well. Relatively soft wood is easy on the blade. I also feel like this softness also helps the blade cut some things like thin leaves of some herbs. End grain is also very durable.

One day I will buy or make a cutting board like this:
schneidbrett-massivholz-mit-gefraestem-motiv-einleger-samurai~3.jpg
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top