A cutting board is one kitchen tool that you cannot do without, whether you are a professional or a hobbyist cook. In this case the multi-purpose board is an ideal cutting board for slicing your meat and vegetables and working surface. Moreover, it is possible to use a cutting board as a serving platter as well as put some fruits there.
Because it is a kitchen staple, you are prepping food on it and you want it to be safe and durable. Wood cutting boards, you should bring into the kitchen. Wood cutting boards have always been a favorite of pro chefs because they are sanitary and impact resistant compared to other alternatives on the market.
Wood cutting boards are long-lasting, gentle and safe for your knives. They’re also aesthetic, be it with a loaf of bread on it, or otherwise leaning reading up against a wall. What you may not know is that not all woods are great for cutting boards. So, how do you pick a good set of woods for cutting boards? Read on to find out.
How Do You Determine the Best Wood for Cutting Boards?
Ideally, a wooden cutting board and butcher block should serve you well for years as you use it frequently. However, before we proceed further, there are a few facts that you would like to know concerning the wood species.
1. Janka Hardness Rating
The hardness rating of wood is measured in pounds-force or LBF. The harder the wood, the higher the Janka hardness rating, and ideally the more resistant to dents, scratches and dings from knives. For that reason, you should opt for hardwoods with a gentle medium rating, like maple.
When you select a softwood, such as pine, for a cutting board, you’ll be annoyed with scratches and dents. Softwood has a low Janka hardness rating, that’s why. Also, a very high rated wood will dull your knife, if used too many times.
2. Porosity
The wood grain or porosity refers to the visible pores. The bacteria and liquid can freely enter into the cutting surface, depending on the size of pores on the wood. This in turn leads to stains, wood warping and even mold growth.
Due to this, when choosing the wood porosity it’s better to prefer closed grain woods with invisible to a human eye pores, rather than open grain woods that absorb moisture and provide a base for bacteria breeding.
3. Toxicity
Toxicity mainly looks at how food-safe the cutting board is. For food safe woods select those that also produce edible fruits, and / or nuts, and / or sap, and / or leaves. Other woods such as Purpleheart are attractive, but they are toxic and contain toxins that can leach into and soak into food placed on the cutting board.
4. Conditioning
Conditioning is a general term for rubbing your cutting boards and butcher blocks with food grade mineral oil like beeswax to prevent them from splitting, warping or shrinking. The reason is that in its natural form, the wood shrinks faster as the surrounding humidity rate declines.
Cleaning and conditioning cutting boards and butcher blocks from time to time ideally every quarter, is essential to controlling wood’s propensity to shrink. Some woods for cutting boards need to be conditioned more often than others, however. As such, you’ll need to oil them here and there to keep them in good shape.
5. Thickness
A thicker wood cutting board is always better than the thinner one. It won’t warp or split with age, so this is why. Plus, thick wooden boards are so sturdy they don’t slide on the countertop because they are heavier. Therefore, make sure you get a board that is two inches thick or thicker so it wouldn’t get marked if it involves a lot of pressure on your part.
6. Weight
Like the thickness, a good cutting board is heavy to make it stable and durable. However, if you'll be in the market for a portable cutting board, it doesn't make sense to have a heavy board.
7. Cost
The choice of which wood for cutting boards and butcher blocks to choose could also be determined by the cost. For example, the cost of store bought cutting surfaces will change based upon which type of wood species the cutting surface is made from. Also, unlike cutting boards, butcher blocks are much more expensive. However, if you want to take the DIY route you can get hardwood designed the way you want to personalize it with your style.
What Are the Best Woods for Cutting Boards?
Having looked at what are the key features to have in mind when choosing a wood species to make into a cutting board, below are the best woods for cutting boards.
1. Cypress
For a long time, cypress has been one of the wood used for cutting boards in Japanese homes. For example, a natural anti-bacterial, anti-mold ingredient called Hinokitiol is found in Japanese Aomori Hiba cypress wood. It also has a natural odor that snuffs out ammonia smells. Also, cypress is a long lasting, food safe wood and is easy on your knife's cutting edge.
2. Maple
The most common wood used in cutting boards and butcher blocks are hard maple wood, or sugar maple wood. Maple cutting boards are impact resistant and do not dent or scratch either, with a Janka hardness rating of 1450LBF. Also, because hard maple is a closed grain hardwood, these boards carry a low porosity.
Hard maple is food safe, which is another reason why maple cutting boards are industry standard. It’s because tiny pores prevent bacteria from penetrating the wood and the food on the cutting surface. A maple cutting board is unfortunately heavy and durable; it shows stains quickly and needs frequent conditioning.
3. Beech
At 1300 LBF, beech is second to hard maple in terms of the best for closed grain cutting boards. It is hardwood, but it is surprisingly kind to your knives because it has a high scratch as well as impact resistance. Additionally, this wood is food safe because the small pores work to deter bacteria and moisture from soaking in.
It was originally creamy, soft pink, and slowly stains red. In other words, the wood darkens a little and the stains look more on the pink undertone before the wood darkens. Beech is loved for its durability, unfortunately, it shrinks faster than maple or teak or walnut, therefore you must condition it every month.
4. Teak
Teak holds up well to impact and scratches as it has a hardness rating of 1070 LBF. It is great for wooden closed grain cutting boards, but we only use teak because they dull all your knives since they’re about as bad as you get. It also grows in tropical conditions, so teak is resistant to mold, and therefore makes a great choice for outdoor furniture, wood for boats and cutting boards.
Teak naturally possesses oils hence cannot shrink as fast as other woods in conditioning. This wood can get by on a conditioning every quarter or every two years. Additionally, teak has an orange to a dark brown color which covers normal kitchen spills like turmeric and beetroot.
5. Walnut
Yet another best wood for cutting board is walnut. A soft closed grain hardwood with a hardness rating of 1010 LBF. It makes a walnut cutting board easy and safe on your knives. The downside of this wood is however, that it has a low hardness rating meaning you’ll get scratches and dents if you apply too much pressure while cutting.
Walnut wood is food safe, since it produces edible nuts, and does not contain toxins. It is equipped with medium pores that prevent bacteria and moisture from soaking in and making mold or allowing it to grow on it. Like maple or beech, you'll also only need to condition this wood every other quarter. For another thing, walnut has a rich, chocolate color, which means it’s just the thing for a cutting surface or a countertop, since it doesn’t show stains.
6. Bamboo
Bamboo is hard grass, not wood, and is becoming a popular fast because it is eco friendly. Here, you find the bamboo plant to mature quickly in 3 to 6 years compared to the maple tree which takes 30 years to fully mature. Also, bamboo grows sustainably and chemicals aren’t required, so it’s food safe.
In terms of a harness, bamboo has a hardness rating of 1380 LBF, and is impact and scratch resistant. It is also water resistant to stop bacteria and mold from growing and breeding after it acquires contact with liquids. However, a bamboo cutting board is high in silica content and will dull your knives over repeated use.
What Are the Different Wood Grains?
There are three different designs of wooden cutting boards: end-grain, edge grain and face grain. Now let’s look at type of each grain below.
a). End-Grain
End grain boards are made by combining wooden boards in such a way that they are fused together. The wooden boards are finished by lining up the shorter ends to form an upward facing level surface. Furthermore, the wooden cutting board surface looks like a checkerboard with 2 x 4 ends.
With short ends with an open wood cell structure and and are more fibrous than a top face board, end grain boards have a soft cutting surface, meaning gentle on your knives. Furthermore, minor dents do not show up on end grain cutting surfaces. The wood has an open wood cell structure and can self heal so there are no dents or scratches in the cutting surface.
b). Edge-Grain
Edge-grain boards are made by fusing cut wooden boards so that the side edges make an upward-facing level surface. An edge grain cutting board doesn't have that checkerboard look of a cutting board that you get from the end grain, it has long and lean stripes that look like the sides of a 2x4.
The bottom line is that this simple cutting board construction doesn’t sacrifice the weight and stability of the board. This is happening because edge grain boards are heavier than the end grain boards and so it means that they won’t slip off when in use. These boards and butcher blocks are cheap as well, since simple as they are to build.
c). Face-Grain
A face-grain cutting board is made by gluing together long and narrow slats at their shorter ends. The wood grain is parallel to the wooden board, as if we’re looking at the wood grain from a cupboard door or wood tabletop.
This is so attractive and so preferred because it showcases the wood fibers. Sadly, face grain wooden cutting boards can easily get scratched from the edge of your knife. It's also noticeable that this dents and scratches.
How To Clean and Maintain A Wood Cutting Board
Knowing how to clean and care for wooden cutting boards keeps food safe and your boards lasting longer. Nevertheless, a good cutting board may become less durable with a poor maintenance.
- Avoid soaking in water - Wooden cutting boards are not water-friendly and soaking in could damage them. For this reason, it is advisable to clean it right after use and to leave it to drain water. You could also use a cleaning product, if for example you were cutting raw meat.
- Buy the best wood for cutting board that suits your needs -If you buy a butcher block or cutting board that’s best for your needs, it’ll be quite easy to maintain. For instance, you’re a rough chef who cuts with too much pressure: look for hardwood like maple rather than softwood.
- Keep the cutting board away from a dishwasher - Wooden cutting boards aren't dishwasher safe, so keep the cutting board away from a dishwasher. Because during cooking in the dishwasher wood surface is subject to high temperatures and fast cooling. Therefore it shrinks and warps, making it less durable.
- Routine conditioning - The best wood for cutting board needs routine conditioning to keep it from shrinking and drying. Furthermore, there are antibacterial wood conditioning oils that increase the hygiene level of the wood cutting boards. You will need to condition monthly, quarterly or biannually, dependent upon the wood species.
Conclusion
Whether you are in the market to replace your wooden chopping block or wooden cutting board, selecting the appropriate type of wood for cutting board ensures that food safety, longevity and sharpness are achieved of one’s knives. Moreover, no wood type is the same, it is thus important to consider the hardness rating, grain, porosity, toxicity and weight before using the specific wood type.
