The 4 S’s of How to Choose a Cutting Board

Style, Size, Storage & Spend

Style: End Grain, Edge Grain, or Face Grain? 

               Regardless of how it’s cut from a log, wood has three sides as pictured below.

               Face Grain is typically used for serving trays, Charcuterie boards and table or countertops.  While a face grain board can be used for cutting boards, it’s generally a harder type of wood as the grain can reflect damage easily.  Charcuterie boards and serving trays are more ideally suited with a duller cheese knife rather than a paring knife.

               End Grain require more wood and time to create, and are therefore more expensive, but there are considerable advantages to having an end grain board.  Because the grain is facing upward and is the cutting surface, knives end to slide between the wood fibers which has two benefits.  First, your knife stays sharper longer because it’s not cutting across the grain.  Secondly, the fibers of the grain tend to move back together once the knife passes.  The board will show far fewer cut marks than your standard edge grain board, although there are still disadvantages to end grain boards.   End grain boards require more maintenance because the wood grain is exposed along the surface of the cutting board.  Wood tends to absorb more, or lose moisture more, through the grain end.  Based on your climate, dryer air can cause a board to dry out more, but a properly oiled board can last for years!

               Edge Grain, sometimes called long grain, are made by cutting and gluing long strips of wood sideways to create a cutting board.  Usually, edge grain boards use a variety of woods to create something visually appealing as well.  A finished edge grain board is typically half of the steps required to make an end grain board.

Size and storage!  Your kitchen isn’t going to get bigger on its own, so purchasing a board that fits your space and the size of the food you’re preparing on it, is something you need to keep in mind.  The board below is 21 by 16 inches and 2 inches thick; it’s going to take up a lot of space in a cabinet or have residency on your kitchen counter!  I’d prefer you show it off on your counter personally. 

21x16x2 inch “Beast” board!

               The proud owner of this board commissioned it because he was smoking an entire pig and needed a cutting surface big enough to handle the task.  He knew he was going to have it on his kitchen counter instead of inside a cabinet, which is also why I started to offer cutting board stands.  If you’re making smaller meals (less than 3 people), and certainly not carving up an entire pig, a 10 to 16 inch cutting board would certainly fit your needs better.  For meal preparation for 4 or more people, a 16 to 23 inch board would be better suited for you.

               But before buying a board, consider where you’ll be keeping it.  An end grain board is at a minimum 1 ½ inches thick when completed, having a dedicated counter space for it may make more sense.  Measure the space you have available to store a cutting board and purchase the board that not only fits your needs but your space the best.  Some people hate having “clutter” on their counter tops, others find that having a cutting board handy makes life easier.  Plus, having a stand to display your board serves a secondary purpose, boards should be washed in lukewarm water, but placing it on a stand afterward will help it dry completely.

Spend!  Custom made wooden cutting boards are typically more expensive than plastic, bamboo, and certainly mass-produced ones.  Bamboo is an incredibly hard wood, which will dull your knives quickly, and not only do plastic boards get beaten up quickly but all those grooves can hold left over food particles which will lead to bacteria.  An improperly cleaned board can and will make you sick!

Thanks for reading!

Joe