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Wood slicing boards are ubiquitous in lots of kitchens: they’re the workhorse of meal prep, the Ginger Rogers to your knife’s Fred Astaire. However do you actually need a dear one? Once we examined wood slicing boards, our prime three picks all got here from smaller producers who make their slicing boards from high-end woods, and most of them have been at the least $120.
With so many types and supplies on the market, we took a while to interrupt down simply why our prime slicing board picks are usually costlier—and why they’re value it.
They’re Made From Higher Supplies
![MAPLE END GRAIN CUTTING BOARD](https://www.seriouseats.com/thmb/fuF7Vrtw-Gy9eaVe8nMW6vmYyxQ=/fit-in/1500x1000/filters:no_upscale():max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/maple-end-grain-cutting-board-1cca657d81b94aa78853ad7c3b8e3a94.jpg)
Board Smith
![12 x 18 x 1.75 End Grain Maple Butcher Block](https://www.seriouseats.com/thmb/veKfgiZ7Yd1-yGuaXE3DuXixRYU=/fit-in/1500x1000/filters:no_upscale():max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/end-grain-maple-butcher-block-16bd3168c4a548b49e43fd3251292082.jpg)
Brooklyn Butcher Block
Our prime three picks come from The Boardsmith and Brooklyn Butcher Blocks, who solely work with maple, walnut, and cherry wooden. All three of those woods are well-regarded for his or her sturdiness whereas nonetheless having sufficient give to be light in your knives (although some folks assume cherry is somewhat too gentle). These aren’t the most costly woods on the market, however the boards must be straight and with out blemishes with a purpose to mix them right into a high-end slicing board, making the uncooked supplies for well-made boards costlier than their bulk lumber counterparts.
Cheaper slicing boards are often created from bamboo, acacia, teak, and even compressed paper. All of those supplies are hailed for his or her pure water resistance, however each bamboo and teak have excessive silica content material which could be actually robust on knives, whereas compressed paper boards are the toughest materials of all of them. Acacia’s hardness can fluctuate relying on the place it was grown, and whereas we choose maple, our finances decide is created from acacia.
They’re Typically Made Finish-Grain Fashion, Which Is Simpler on Knives
Most cheap slicing boards are created from edge-grain wooden, that means the boards are aligned lengthwise earlier than assembling. It’s a less expensive development technique as a result of there are fewer items to assemble.
Finish-grain boards, which make up three of our 4 prime picks, expose the ends of the boards on the slicing floor in a brick-like sample. As a result of there are such a lot of extra wooden items concerned within the development course of, it takes much more time and precision to assemble. This fashion of board can be gentler in your knives as a result of the wooden fibers are oriented vertically, permitting the knife’s edge to go between them. You possibly can learn extra in regards to the two varieties of board development in our overview.
Excessive-Finish Slicing Boards Final Longer
Severe Eats / Vicky Wasik
Nicely-made slicing boards last more than cheaper ones, and our senior culinary editor Daniel Gritzer has been utilizing his Maple Finish Grain Boardsmith board for greater than six years. As a result of end-grain boards have a pure self-healing high quality, he studies that there isn’t a seen deterioration within the floor high quality, regardless that the board has gone by means of some durations of neglect.
So whereas our favourite slicing boards is likely to be expensive, they’re much less prone to cut up, not like the cheaper ones Daniel ordered for the Severe Eats kitchen that failed solely after a couple of months.
Thicker Boards Keep True
The thicker the slicing board, the more true it’ll keep—thinner slicing boards are at a better threat of warping as a result of there’s simply much less materials to carry them straight. And the extra materials you employ—you guessed it—the costlier the slicing board turns into. Our picks from The Boardsmith and Brooklyn Butcher Blocks are each two inches thick, whereas our Ironwood Gorumet finances decide is just one-and-a-quarter inches thick. It might be lower than half the fee, nevertheless it’s nearly half as thick and will likely be extra prone to warp if it absorbs an excessive amount of water.
Customization
Severe Eats / Vicky Wasik
Each The Boardsmith and Brooklyn Butcher Blocks supply numerous ranges of customization, like including a juice groove, ft, or handles. It’s an effective way so as to add a private contact to an even bigger funding: if you happen to’re going to have one in every of these slicing boards for a very long time, you may as effectively make it your individual. Our updates editor Jacob Dean custom-made his end-grain board to be at the least two inches thick and custom-sized to his countertop, with beveled edges that make it simpler to select up.
Since cheaper boards are made in bulk, a lot of these customizations aren’t doable. Our finances decide comes with ft connected, which we’re torn on: whereas rubber ft can forestall skidding, additionally they render one facet of the board unusable as a slicing floor. With a {custom} order, you can also make the selection on whether or not you need ft or not, which may double the workspace your slicing board gives.
So, Are Costly Wooden Slicing Boards Value It?
We predict so! Our prime picks from The Boardsmith and Brooklyn Butcher Blocks are created from high-end wooden, they usually’re gentler in your knives and last more than many lower-cost choices. For those who do have a tough time with their worth level, nevertheless, we additionally suggest this acacia possibility from Ironwood Connoisseur. It received’t be as much as the standard of our prime picks, nevertheless it’ll nonetheless carry out fairly effectively.
FAQs
What’s the finest hardwood for a slicing board?
The very best hardwoods for slicing boards are maple, walnut, and cherry. All three have barely totally different properties, however they’re all sturdy sufficient to stop kitchen knives from making deep cuts whereas nonetheless being gentle sufficient to be light on a knife’s edge.
Can I lower uncooked meat on a wood slicing board?
Whilst you can lower uncooked meat on a wood slicing board, it’s more durable to sanitize and clear than a plastic slicing board. On the similar time, older plastic slicing boards can have deep grooves that acquire micro organism and are more durable to scrub, so be sure you throw out any slicing board when you begin to see deeper knife marks exhibiting up on its floor.
Do you have to seal a hardwood slicing board?
Sure—hardwood remains to be porous, and an unseasoned slicing board dangers swelling, cracking, and warping if it isn’t correctly sealed with mineral oil. We have now a information to indicate you the right way to carry out common seasoning, and we suggest reasoning your slicing board everytime you discover drops of water are now not beading on the floor.
Why do folks choose wood slicing boards?
{Most professional} kitchens use an array of plastic slicing boards as a result of they’re simpler to scrub (they usually’re cheaper, which issues once you want one board for every prep station), however at house, many cooks {and professional} cooks choose wooden. Wood slicing boards are versatile they usually’re simpler on knives. If somebody has a group of high-end knives that they’d like to guard, a wood slicing board is your best option. In addition they are available a wide range of shapes and sizes, and high-end wood slicing boards could be custom-made to the consumer’s liking.
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