Why Wood?
The Wood
I take great care in hand selecting the best wood for each of my products. That always means looking for pieces that are visually striking. For products such as my cutting boards that will contact food, that also means using only appropriate species for the purpose. A food safe wood is one that has a close grain structure such as Maple or American Black Walnut. Many are also naturally antimicrobial.
A cutting board is more than just a surface on which to cut things up. There are many types of boards and board materials you might come across and your choice of board can make or break the experience. Here's some info.
Board material
Cutting boards can be made of many materials. You can find wood boards made of many materials. There are plastic, glass, epoxy, and even marble boards.
Glass and Marble: Right off the bat, glass or marble are harder than your knife and will quickly dull or even damage your blade. These materials should be avoided.
Epoxy: There are boards made entirely of epoxy, and boards that are a combination of epoxy and other materials that can look pretty appealing. Unfortunately most epoxies that might be combined with a cutting board are pretty hard and will quickly dull your knives.
Plastic: Easier on you knife than glass, it's the lightest option for a cutting surface, making it easier to pick up and slide ingredients into a pan. Plastic can also be washed in a dishwasher. On the downside, your blades will leave channels in the plastic over time that cannot be easily removed and that can harbor bacteria. Plastic boards are generally limited in aesthetic variety as well.
Wood: Wood boards are often the easiest on your knife, requiring fewer sharpening interruptions. Many types of wood have antimicrobial properties that prevent bacteria from surviving if they get caught in the wood fibers. On that note while wood does get scratched, it is generally pretty durable and scratches it does get will not be as deep as might be in plastic. If it does get scratched up wood can also be sanded down to get it back to being perfectly smooth. Wood boards can be true art. There are plenty of interesting patterns and wood combinations from a single slab to intricate works with many individual pieces glued to make one fantastic board. Finally, when you get a hand made wood cutting board from a small maker, you know they've put a piece of themselves into it.
Wood grain orientation and what it means for your board.
When you choose a wood cutting board you have the option of the 3 different grain directions for the cutting surface.
Face Grain: The majority of boards are 'Face Grain'. If you cut a slice all the way across the center of a log, the two largest surfaces of that board are face grain. If you have a board made of one, or only a couple somewhat wide pieces, it's very likely this is face grain.
Edge Grain: The two long, thin sides of the board are considered edge grain. You'll often come across edge grain on boards consisting of numerous thin strips glued together.
End Grain: If you can see the curve of the growth rings of the wood you're looking at end grain. Boards made of end grain will often be made of many rectangular sections glued together. If you think of a bundle of straws, end grain is like looking down at all the openings. While you can’t actually see the ‘straws’, they are there, and make things easier on your cutting blade.
So what's the difference? You won't notice much difference between face grain and edge grain. They're fairly similar in structure, and both will involve cutting across the wood fibers. End grain on the other hand will show fewer and shallower marks since the knife edge slips in between the fibers rather than needing to slice through them. Due to this it is also the easiest on your cutting blades. End grain boards take a significant amount of time and effort to make and are therefore often the most coveted.
