Cookaholics Bulletin Board

My wooden cutting board has officially given up the ghost. I need to buy a new one.

Does anyone have a preference of wood type? If so, why. I'm leaning towards John Boos, but other recommendations are welcome.

Amy

I recently have moved to mostly bamboo cutting boards, except for the really big turkey-sized board we use at Thanksgiving and for big BBQs.

They are a nice hardwood and they don't scar up to quickly, knives don't slip, etc. I have a couple of thick, solid ones, and a set of very thin ones I use for misc uses. I don't expect the thin ones to last forever, but the thick ones are nicely made.

--Lisa

I don't care for bamboo cutting boards in that they are mostly plastic with bamboo filler and as such are hard on knives. Wood IMO is a far better option. Bamboo is not a hardwood, but is a grass.

The preferred wood is maple although other woods such as walnut, cherry, and a host of others are a close second. Woods to avoid are teak, rosewood, and any some of the exotics that also carry silicone. Silicone is sand and is hard on knives.

Boos and Boardsmith are good choices. Both do good work. End grain is IMO preferable to edge grain which is preferable to flat grain. Boards are not rocket science to make, and often good deals can be found locally at craft shows, etc.

Thanks for the input.

Jimbo, I agree with you. The board that died was bamboo, and I feel it really dulled my Ken Onion Shun.

I think I'm going to buy maple, which is what I had prior to the bamboo. Andy unfortunately killed it (the maple) by soaking it in water (repeatedly over time) until it just simply separated.

Thanks!

Amy

If you can get to the outlet store in Effingham, IL. you can get a Boo's board about half price. Warning...they are closed on Saturday...sadly I know this...

An afterthought.

This may be a good time to look locally. Telluride should have a lot of local craftsmen, and a cutting board is a simple woodworking project.
It's a flat piece of glued up wood. You can also get one to fit a space. I make boards for myself and friends, and generally make them to fit whatever space they have.

Frank,

While I'll be in Chicago next week, it's a long way from Effingham. Cutleryandmore seems to have pretty decent prices on Boos cutting boards.

Thoughts?

Amy

Jimbo...anything in Telluride costs about double what it should...

Hmmm, I hadn't heard that, but I am going to do some research on the bamboo boards. I haven't found any damage to my knives yet, but you never know. Thanks!

Boos makes nice boards, but it should be possible to get a butcher-block (i.e. end-grain) maple board much much cheaper then boos seems to charge (from what I've seen anyway). Get one big and heavy enough that soaking isn't practical

Amy, all:

Another good source of inexpensive cutting boards, if you're willing to do some finishing yourself, is builder's seconds yards, if you can find one near Telluride. I picked up a 14" x 24" alderwood edge-grain cutting board that way for $4; it was the end of someone's countertop.

I'll also second Jimbo in that you can frequently get a beautiful, one-of-a-kind handmade cutting board in multicolored wood from a local woodshop, saturday market or craft fair for less than the price of a Boos. Heck, if I'd known you were looking, I could have got you one from the flea market in Canberra.

That being said, I've never heard any complaints about John Boos except the price.