Budget Cutting Board

[SkinnyFatGuy]

Hey guys, this is my first post and just wanted to say that this forum has been a tremendous help in making my decision to get some fine cutlery. I am a college student and love to do my own cooking, so I want to invest in some decent beginner stuff -

I just bought a Tojiro DP 240 gyuto, King 1/6 combo stone, and now am looking for a cutting board. My budget was $200 for everything so Ive spent 110 + 40 on the knife and stone, and have 50 left....I know most prefer maple end grain but that is too much $$ for me, I also dont need a huge board, just something affordable and acceptable. Any help is greatly appreciated, thanks again.

[doug8066]

Cheap chinese bamboo cutting boards available from Walmart type stores. These are available in a variety of sizes. (Here in New Zealand we get "wiltshire" brand). The bamboo wood is only medium hard - does not damage knives.

The boards are cheap enough to toss out and replace when they get worn or warped.

[VHo]

do they have a "ross" near you? they carry some kitchen items real cheap. x<$10

or try timbernation.com I got a custom board from him, very reasonable, and love it.

enjoy that dp, that's where I started, great knife.

[Newbflat]

There has been some grumbling about Bamboo cutting boards on this forum.... and im in the grumbling camp. Its not the bamboos fault its the glue, and there's a lot of it. The best thing i did for my knives was to stop using my bamboo board.

Try IKEA and there rubber wood boards.

[Pensacola Tiger]

Look for a Sani-Tuff on eBay. It's ugly, but it's the next best thing if you can't afford a good end-grain board. A 12"x18"x1/2" is just under $50 shipped.

http://cgi.ebay.com/Cutting-Board-Sani-Tuff-Rubber-12-X-18-X-1-2-Thick_W0QQitemZ330391154730QQcmdZViewItemQQptZLH_D efaultDomain_0?hash=item4cecd8f02a#ht_1064wt_958

[anvlts]

Hey guys, this is my first post and just wanted to say that this forum has been a tremendous help in making my decision to get some fine cutlery. I am a college student and love to do my own cooking, so I want to invest in some decent beginner stuff -

I just bought a Tojiro DP 240 gyuto, King 1/6 combo stone, and now am looking for a cutting board. My budget was $200 for everything so Ive spent 110 + 40 on the knife and stone, and have 50 left....I know most prefer maple end grain but that is too much $$ for me, I also dont need a huge board, just something affordable and acceptable. Any help is greatly appreciated, thanks again.

Get end grain maple board from Overstock.com. 15"x15". A great board for $50.
http://www.overstock.com/Home-Garden/Maple-End-Grain-15-inch-Square-Chopping-Block/3911944/product.html

M

[thombrogan]

Get a Fiskars cutting mat in the crafts section of your WalMart or similar discount store. I use mine more than I use my Sani-Tuff.

[Tristan]

Those overstock boards look very sweet. How different are they from theboardsmith in terms of quality?

[ordo]

Those Sani-Tuff boards are amazing. I would like a big one, but shipping cost to Argentina is more than the board itself. Are they so heavy?

[Pensacola Tiger]

Those Sani-Tuff boards are amazing. I would like a big one, but shipping cost to Argentina is more than the board itself. Are they so heavy?

Yes, they are surprisingly dense.

[RobinW]

Cheapest I've found Sani-tuff on is Atlanta Fixtures.

http://www.atlantafixture.com/Detail.aspx?CurrentCategory=0&CurrentPage=1&Mode=Keyword&ItemId=210412&LogoLink=Summary.aspx%3fMode%3dManufacturer%26MfgI d%3d548%26MfgName%3dTEKNOR%2bFINANCIAL%2bCORPORATI ON&LogoImage=ProductImages%2fLib0000195%2f100x100%2ft eknor+apex.jpg&LogoText=&MfgName=TEKNOR+FINANCIAL+CORPORATION

$30 for a 15*20*0.5 board. Add approximately $10 for S&S.

[SkinnyFatGuy]

Thanks for all the speedy replies guys, Im leaning towards the Sani-Tuff, low maintenance and within budget, however the end grains for $50 werent bad either, Im thinking I would get a nice high end one once I have more $$ (for maintenance (oils and such)). I know wood boards need a little special care, but how are the Sani-Tuffs anyway? Any bad experiences?

[doug8066]

Back to bamboo - what are the complaints ?
For me, good, cheap, medium wood chopping boards are just what is needed.
The Chinese ones we get here are well cut and in a variety of sizes.

Of course, for $10, you take the chance that the board might warp, or the glue come unstuck in time.

No big deal. Toss it out and buy a new one. These are CHEAP bear in mind.

If you want quality, end grain, hand made boards, well you will pay for this extra quality. Here in NZ in our home kitchen, we have a large end grain Rimu timber cutting board. Beautiful - like cutting on butter. But it cost us $100 at a fair, which would be about $300 in a retail shop.

[Seb]

I had a Wiltshire bamboo board from K-mart. They're as hard as anything. As in very, very hard. Threw mine away after it split... never again.

[doug8066]

PS - Rimu is a medium, not hard, wood, native to NZ. It is very prized because of it's beautiful rich and complex golden, glowing grain, and it's much prized for wood furniture making

It's not cheap. We have a hand made Heart Rimu dining tablet at home here. It just glows..... I use Briwax and 1000 steel wool to refresh it about every 6 months. It will be an heirloom for our daughter.

That's why I love our Rimu endgrain cutting board.

[doug8066]

I had a Wiltshire bamboo board from K-mart. They're as hard as anything. As in very, very hard. Threw mine away after it split... never again.

Can't figure that, Seb. The ones we have here are only medium hard. And work OK as disposables.
Put it down to Chinese [lack of] quailty control.

[Seb]

Is anybody familiar with these Epicurean (http://www.everten.com.au/product/Epicurean-Recycled-Cutting-Board-Nutmeg-17x14.html) recycled cardboard cutting boards?

[Seb]

Can't figure that, Seb. The ones we have here are only medium hard. And work OK as disposables.
Put it down to Chinese [lack of] quailty control.

I'm sure they're identical. You and I probably have different subjective definitions of 'medium hard' and 'very, very hard'.

If you care to browse through the archives as I did when I was deciding on what board to get, you'll be able to acquaint yourself with all of the issues surrounding bamboo boards and the waterproof and food safety issues relating to the glues used in cheap China-made boards.

[parmenides]

Is anybody familiar with these Epicurean (http://www.everten.com.au/product/Epicurean-Recycled-Cutting-Board-Nutmeg-17x14.html) recycled cardboard cutting boards?

It is like extremely hard cardboard filled with Aoto dust. Ruins your edge in 5 cuts only, it is better than glass, a bit worse than stainless counter top. This is good for those who have never had a sharp edge thus it can do no harm.

[kcma]

Those Sani-Tuff boards are amazing. I would like a big one, but shipping cost to Argentina is more than the board itself. Are they so heavy?

they last forever and can be resurfaced. and yes, they're incredibly heavy ;)

[Seb]

I think I will try a sani-tuff. The shipping is horrendous but what the hey.

BTW, is there any reason not to get the 1/2 thickness boards instead of the 3/4?

[anvlts]

Is anybody familiar with these Epicurean (http://www.everten.com.au/product/Epicurean-Recycled-Cutting-Board-Nutmeg-17x14.html) recycled cardboard cutting boards?

I saw them at BB&B. Felt like they were made of glass. I put one down as quickly as I picked it up. I think those geniuses who conceived the idea could find a better use for recycled paper. It will dull your knife in an instant.

[Seb]

Thanks for the warnings, guys. I've decided to get an acaciawood endgrain board.

[fambrough]

I feel the same as Marco about those boards. I am also no fan of bamboo, nor even some of the commonly used hardwoods for endgrain boards. I think your choice is perfect.

[mr moto]

Shipping is a killer for those incredibly dense Teknor Apex Sani-Tuff boards, so try your local Asian market or restaurant supply shop.

If you want a really big one...........
http://www.foodservicedirect.com/index.cfm/S/150/CLID/856/N/93257/Sani_Tuff_All_Rubber_Cutting_Boards.htm

I find that these excellent boards get a bit harder over the years, but we're talking a REALLY long time here, decades perhaps. I think they're the only boards that can really be scrubbed clean.

[toolusingprimate]

I have used a 3 foot length of bowling alley, which was 2" strips of hard maple. It was great but I left it behind in a domestic 'rearrangement'.

I used a sidegrain teak board from Fante's -- it split on a couple of glue lines, although I only used damp cloths and scrapers on it.

I used an endgrain noname teak board which also split on glue lines.

I am using a $35 end grain Chinese non-maple hardwoodboard found on the internet. It came covered with a hard ?urethane lacquer finish that was slippery and dangerous, so I sanded and scraped it off, and oiled the surface with mineral oil. I clean it by scraping and damp cloth. It partially split at one of the glue lines, but I filled the crack with epoxy and resurfaced it so it won't hold bacteria. That would be completely unacceptable in a pro kitchen. I also taped some wine corks to the bottom surface so it won't get mildew spots underneath from moisture. Probably equally good or better to stand it on edge when not in use. It's very nice to my knives (Tojiro DP, plus other Japanese, Swiss, and German).

I have seen stories online of every brand of endgrain board splitting at gluelines, so apparently the expensive brands (Adams, Boos, etc) are no guarantee of freedom from splits, although they do give warranty replacements

I have used several polypropylene boards from Costco which are nice to knives, but I don't like the 'screendoor' finish, which tends to hold residue (mashed Chinese black beans, etc.) and over time the undersurface seems to get mouldy. They are good to knives, but pickup stains and can't easily be resurfaced.

I got a Sanituff 1/2" thick board from foodservicedirect. It stains, but can be sanded and resurfaced (with effort comparable to a good sharpening job on a knife). I think it is some kind of urethane material, judging from the smell of the sanded surface. Its undersurface got some mildew, but could be sanded clean, although some light stain remained. I taped some corks to the bottom, after resurfacing it. Bleach or Bartender's Friend seem to do it no harm, and clean it up reasonably.

It can warp, although it seems to go back into reasonable plane if propped up appropriately. I recommend against putting it in a dishwasher....just cleaning it with very hot water seems to soften it enough to bend a bit. I cheaped out and got the 1/2", but if i did it again would get 3/4" to be safer from warps, although the shipping would be more expensive. It is not as nice a surface to cut on as wood, but it is slipfree and safe. I prefer it by far to polypropylene.

If money were no object I would use end grain 2" maple, but I would not expect it to last forever.

I also use the cheap thin flexible plastic 'camping' sheets, but they are a bit fragile if you bear down with a really sharp heavy knife.

I hope some of that helps.

eg

[BruceB]

This is not a bad board available a BB&Beyond

http://www.bedbathandbeyond.com/product.asp?order_num=-1&SKU=16024414&RN=2059

[BruceB]

Thanks for the warnings, guys. I've decided to get an acaciawood endgrain board.

Here's a picture of mine. It's a little harder then I would like, but I enjoy sharpening my knives.

http://lh5.ggpht.com/_7ragX6kYV8c/S1CTvT7vOKI/AAAAAAAAAIY/HPekmCaam88/s640/100_0056.jpg

[SkinnyFatGuy]

how are the sani-tuffs on the edge when compared to end grain?

[anvlts]

likely much easier. But it's not as pretty as the endgrain wood.

M

[paulraphael]

I'd love a sanituff, at least for some things. But the combination of ugliness and high price is a deterrent. They're not all that much cheaper than high end boards like boardsmith.

For a budget board, I'd want to shop around and look at them in person. I've found it hard to trust pictures and descriptions when buying cheap ones online.

[FryBoy]

Search Amazon. For example, this 16" x 18" x 2" Snow River end-grain maple cutting board (http://www.amazon.com/Snow-River-7V03299-16-Inch-18-Inch/dp/B00280MY36/ref=sr_1_16?ie=UTF8&m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&s=kitchen&qid=1264280381&sr=1-16) is only $59.99, no tax, free shipping:

http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/418G78005GL._SL500_AA280_.jpg

[toolusingprimate]

I can sometimes feel the edges of very sharp knives sinking into the endgrain of my wood board. It doesn't seem to hurt the edge, though. That doesn't happen with the sanituff.

The sanituff board is pretty impervious, although it does get knife marks from rock chopping with heavy sharp knives (not from thin sharp Japanese ones, though). I haven't noticed it degrading the knife edges, but I hone my knives pretty frequently, and I am only a home cook, so the edges are always pretty fresh from the 6000 or 8000 stones. It's hard to tell if one or the other surface wears out the knives faster, because I use both surfaces every day, and I am not in a high throughput situation. I suspect technique has more of an effect than the surface.

The wood feels noticeably better, with more feedback, and a bit more positive positioning feel. I tend to do protein on the wood, and veg on the sanituff, so overall the sanituff gets treated a bit rougher.

Regarding bamboo -- it has silicon particles in the wood matrix, so I have always figured it would dull knives faster than maple or other traditional hardwoods. Anybody have any actual data on that?

tedg

[parmenides]

At one point you have to decide who you love more. I shifted to softer boards over time and save more knife life. Mid hard end grain boards are the most forgiving for me. But I cut them down over time, that is using card scrapers to clean the suface. After 6-12 months I need to plane them flat again to avoid problems with very flat edges like on Usubas. I do not like any kind of poly (ethylene/propylene/urethane/butadiene etc), they always try to catch my edges somehow. Cherry is not only good for making C2H5OH.

[Keith]

Sounds like you are off to a good start with the knife stone & board.There is something to say about lighter boards easy to wash etc.I bought a 20x14 bamboo from Ross over a year ago paid under 20.00 for it.So far it has held up well no warping.I do not worry about the glue,my VC cleaver has put alot of cut marks in it.That being said I ordered a endcut board because they are better boards

[anvlts]

Search Amazon. For example, this 16" x 18" x 2" Snow River end-grain maple cutting board (http://www.amazon.com/Snow-River-7V03299-16-Inch-18-Inch/dp/B00280MY36/ref=sr_1_16?ie=UTF8&m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&s=kitchen&qid=1264280381&sr=1-16) is only $59.99, no tax, free shipping:

http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/418G78005GL._SL500_AA280_.jpg

I would stay away from end grain boards comprised of short, narrow planks, like the Snow River board. I don't know what glue they use, but I do know that some glue gets very hard when cured and so one would be cutting across of a lot of glue seams on a board like that.

M

[SkinnyFatGuy]

How often does everybody oil/wax their boards? Recommended once a week or so...? ..what if you dont use the board everyday, still needs to be oiled as frequently?


You guys are awesome, thanks for all the info.

[anvlts]

I think once a week might be an overkill. If you don't use the board frequently, than maybe once every couple of weeks.

[paulraphael]

Endgrain boards are much thirstier for oil than other kinds. Mine needed to be oiled daily for the first week or so, every few days for a little while after that. Now it has enough reserves that I only have to oil it once every month or two. Make sure the bottom stays well oiled too, otherwise you could cause warping.

Two things my board likes: the traditional goop formula (mineral oil with about 10% bees wax or parafin by weight) and a bench scraper (the pastry tool ... perfect for quick clean ups, and it also seems to keep the board polished).

[Keith]

Pastry tools for alot of things like cleaning out sauces from stainless bowls & you are right,they work well on cutting boards
Endgrain boards are much thirstier for oil than other kinds. Mine needed to be oiled daily for the first week or so, every few days for a little while after that. Now it has enough reserves that I only have to oil it once every month or two. Make sure the bottom stays well oiled too, otherwise you could cause warping.

Two things my board likes: the traditional goop formula (mineral oil with about 10% bees wax or parafin by weight) and a bench scraper (the pastry tool ... perfect for quick clean ups, and it also seems to keep the board polished).

[TheBoardSMITH]

So far, some good information has been given. Maybe I can offer a little more.

Bowling alley wood - YIKES! They use a lot of oil on those, the kind of oil you wouldn't want to eat. And the dirt. Have you ever seen the machines that clean the alleys with all the dust and dirt they pick up?

Teak - Another great (?) choice. Full of silica and much to hard for even the lowest quality European knives. Oily as well. Enough oil to help loosen a good glue joint.

Acacia - Sold mostly in discount stores. All the ones I have ever seen at BB&B had holes, cracks and checks that were full of filler.

Bamboo - As someone stated, it isn't so much the hardness of the bamboo its the tremendous amount of glue that is used.

I haven't seen the Sani Tuf boards but I believe they are good stand-ins for a high quality board. From all the reports I have heard, they are a good value as well.

Those pressed wood flour boards that are being sold now are nothing more than MDF in disguise. There is a waterproof MDF which is used in cabinet shops and the local Outback has started using that material for their breadboards. The resins used will dull an edge quickly.

How often to oil; whenever the cutting area starts looking lighter in color than the surrounding area. How much to oil; enough for the oil to be absorbed then buff off the excess. Yes, you can oil to much. When the boards gets warm, like in direct sunlight, the oil will seep to the surface. In some cases it will drip through to the bottom.

Pastry scrapers do work well with cutting boards. They will remove a lot of material quickly. Don't use wire brushes as I have seen some do.

Splitting is caused by moisture either left on the surface of between the bottom of a board and a counter top. All the wooden boards can split but normal care will help to prevent this.

Some of the manufacturers use a resin hardener on their boards which is supposed to add life to them. Those resins can dull a knife and don't add any extra life to a board. What the resin does is prevents the cutting surface from feeling fuzzy when the wood fibers raise after washing.

Hope this helps a little.

[mr moto]

Thanks for the great information, David.

[mongatu]

Walmart sells some inexpensive endgrain boards for $25 or so. The one I got is 14 x 14 and about 1.7 inches thick I think. The boards vary in the size of the wood blocks they are made with. If you sift through the pile of boards, you can usually find one that is made from fairly large blocks of wood, hence there will be less glue and glue lines to cut across. They are in no way as beautiful and nice as the Boardsmith boards but they are very nice to cut on and are very reasonable in price.

[paulraphael]

Pastry scrapers do work well with cutting boards. They will remove a lot of material quickly. Don't use wire brushes as I have seen some do.

By material, do you mean food or wood? I've never seen even a sliver of wood shaving or sawdust come off with my pastry scraper ... it seems more like a burnisher than like cabinet scraper.

[Rustynuts]

So far, some good information has been given. Maybe I can offer a little more.

Bowling alley wood - YIKES! They use a lot of oil on those, the kind of oil you wouldn't want to eat. And the dirt. Have you ever seen the machines that clean the alleys with all the dust and dirt they pick up?
ardness of the bamboo its the tremendous amount of glue that is used.

.

Bowling alley wood is fine if prepped right. Only the first portion of the lanes are hard maple though (where the balls get dropped). The surface of the lanes are finished, so most (all?) of the oil just stays on the surface. After a good planing, you should have virgin wood to play with! Many people make workbenches out of this material. One other thing to know, is that the slats of wood are typically spiked together, so if they are not removed, be aware that somewhere down there in the wood is some hard steel lurking!

[toolusingprimate]

Bowling alley: Mine was a surplus unused length (a gift). No oil. No dirt. No problems. I used it happily for about 10 years. It was nice and heavy and good to my knives. I have no idea how to find a new one, and probably would not seek it out, but it was a completely satisfactory experience.

Teak: gluing teak is accomplished industrially after treating the surface with a solvent to remove the oils. Same technique is used on other tropical hardwoods (Dalbergia sp. etc.). Probably kinda tedious for assembly of end grain cutting boards -- dunno if they bothered for mine. Mine split because of exposure to dampness on the countertop, I am pretty sure. I don't happen to like cutting on teak due to what I experience as poor tactile feedback. I agree it is probably harder on knife edges than some other hardwoods are, and I have also read it contains some silica. I wonder which has more silica -- teak or bamboo.

I have walked on a number of teak boat decks whose glue joints seemed just fine, and whose owners trusted said joints with their lives ;-)

Oiling: I used the same technique Boardsmith recommends. I re-oil as he recommended, when the darkened oiled surface starts to lighten again. I think recommendations to do it by time period don't make a lot of sense (although that's what the instructions that came with the board said -- but they also had an impervious urethane finish on it, so WTF). I think it depends on what goes on your board, and how often and what you clean the surface.

I haven't found my pastry scraper removes enough wood surface to make a perceptable difference in a year of daily scraper use. I made a sharp squared off edge on the scraper; it removes a small amount of shaving, in which there is palpable oil from the board -- that's one of the ways I keep track of how well oiled the board is. But it hasn't dished out the board or changed the cutting feel. My current board is Beechwood, which IIRC is harder than maple, although the endgrain seems nice to my knives.

ted

[eeediot]

Walmart sells some inexpensive endgrain boards for $25 or so. The one I got is 14 x 14 and about 1.7 inches thick I think. The boards vary in the size of the wood blocks they are made with. If you sift through the pile of boards, you can usually find one that is made from fairly large blocks of wood, hence there will be less glue and glue lines to cut across. They are in no way as beautiful and nice as the Boardsmith boards but they are very nice to cut on and are very reasonable in price.

+1 for Mongatu...i got the same board he reffers to and think it's just about the best bang for buck esp for buyers on a budget...though i didn't see them on the website so there's a possibility they no longer carry it.

[Newbflat]

Teak: gluing teak is accomplished industrially after treating the surface with a solvent to remove the oils. Same technique is used on other tropical hardwoods (Dalbergia sp. etc.). Probably kinda tedious for assembly of end grain cutting boards -- dunno if they bothered for mine. Mine split because of exposure to dampness on the countertop, I am pretty sure. I don't happen to like cutting on teak due to what I experience as poor tactile feedback. I agree it is probably harder on knife edges than some other hardwoods are, and I have also read it contains some silica. I wonder which has more silica -- teak or bamboo.

I have walked on a number of teak boat decks whose glue joints seemed just fine, and whose owners trusted said joints with their lives ;-)

Teak is the worst wood ever for cutting boards. As "theboardsmith" said it is full of silica and really does a number on your blade. Its like there's fine sand in the wood. I work with it a lot (Im a marine carpenter) and if you are cutting it with a table saw and you look underneath when ripping it, if its dark enough you will see sparks!.... no joke. A normal table saw/ band saw blade has a shore life span with the stuff... like ten times shorter.

If its an old thick Teak deck, its corked and the seams tarred. If its a newer thin deck its seamed with a rubber compound that stretches with the expanding and contracting of the wood during heat and humidity. There almost never glued and if they are they are sealed in some way so they won't expand and contract.... much. And in a year or two the seam will split any ways... its not a good idea. You can glue Teak but you must strip surface oils with acetone and use resorcinol glue which is very hard on knives .... don't bother with Epoxy.

[richinva]

+1 what Newbflat said.

I turn bowls from teak and there's nothing harder on tools, with hickory, pecan and persimmon coming in close for runner-up positions.

Also brought back some great memories about time lived aboard a sail, working at a boatyard, burning teak to stay warm, but most of all, Resorcinol!!!

Rich