Cutting boards

Cutting Boards

Good knives require a good cutting board. This is immensely important for your knives and also makes cutting more enjoyable. As often is the case, opinions on materials vary widely. Wood, plastic, glass or stone? Butch is here to help and explain the differences. After that, you will know why we at Butch prefer wooden cutting boards.

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Items 1 to 60 of 104 total

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The Materials

Glass or Stone

Please stay away from these materials. While they may be easier to clean and more durable, knife blades will be affected. Since stone and glass do not give way, the blades will become dull much faster. And dull knives logically do not cut well.

Plastic

Plastic cutting boards are considered hygienic and easy to care for, as they are mostly dishwasher safe. This is basically correct, but if there are deep grooves on the surface, bacteria can also accumulate here with poor cleaning. In terms of lifespan, you have two options. Either you opt for a cutting board made of hard or soft plastic. Soft plastic quickly becomes unsightly, but is good for your knives. Hard plastic increases the lifespan but is again bad for the blades. The processing of plastic cutting boards is very time-consuming and does not correspond to the price.

Bamboo

Countless cutting boards made of bamboo are now available. Bamboo is a fast-growing and inexpensive raw material that is also easy to process. Many small pieces cut across the grain are glued together during production. The second variant is three-layered: two plates are made with larger longitudinal pieces. Small pieces cut across the grain are inserted in the middle between the plates. Since bamboo contains no tannic acid, thorough cleaning is essential for bamboo boards. Some see the enormous hardness as an advantage, but it is rather a disadvantage. Knives with finely sharpened blades wear out more quickly.

Wood

Our favorite and first choice are wooden cutting boards. Good cutting boards use wood with a high tannic acid content, such as oak, walnut, walnut, cherry, and maple wood. The high tannic acid content has an antibacterial effect and inhibits germ formation. Woods such as rubberwood, acacia, and beech are also used for cutting boards. However, the tannic acid content of these woods is relatively low. In addition, they are rather soft, which quickly creates deep cuts. Regardless of which wood was used, thorough cleaning and some care are mandatory. We will discuss the correct cleaning in the Cleaning & Care section later.
With deep cuts, thick wooden boards can be resurfaced by most carpenters and look like new afterwards. This is why wooden boards are particularly impressive due to their long lifespan. And the thicker a board is, the more often it can be resurfaced.

Long grain or end grain / Cutting board or chopping block

Not all wooden boards are created equal. Besides the type of wood used, the kind of wood is also a crucial criterion. Cutting boards made of long grain wood are glued together from long strips. The cut is made against the grain. Chopping blocks are usually made from end grain wood, i.e., strips cut across the grain. Since the cut is made into the grain, the block can regenerate better and the surface retains its fine appearance for longer.

Cleaning & Care of Cutting Boards

Wood needs to be thoroughly cleaned, cared for, and cherished. Then you will enjoy your cutting board for a very long time. After use, thorough cleaning is mandatory. The best way to do this is in a sink with running water: apply a little dish soap to the cutting surface, ideally scrub with a brush to remove any residues from the cuts, rinse under running water, done. The board should then dry thoroughly and ideally be stood upright.
Dish soap, however, removes moisture from the wood. Therefore, wooden cutting boards should be regularly oiled. There are various care oils for this purpose. Make sure that these care oils are food-safe! Especially wood care for outdoor use is not suitable for use with food at all. Linseed oil is a good alternative, the use of sunflower, rapeseed or olive oil is ok, but not optimal, as vegetable oils resinify.

You can find a detailed guide on cleaning & care in our magazine: Care instructions for wooden cutting boards

Hygiene

Let's dispel a widespread prejudice: wooden boards are not hygienic, which is why their use has also been banned in commercial kitchens. We vehemently disagree with this. As already mentioned, many types of wood inhibit germ formation due to their high tannic acid content and can indeed be described as very hygienic. The ban on use is due to strict regulations and lack of hygiene. In kitchens with a good reputation, wooden boards are still in daily use. However, you should never cut vegetables after raw fish or meat on the same board. Be sure to clean in between or simply turn over boards that can be used on both sides.

Manufacturer

There are many manufacturers of cutting boards... These brands convinced us:

Boos Blocks Cutting Boards

For over 125 years, the American company John Boos & Company has been producing cutting boards and chopping blocks in every imaginable size and shape from maple and walnut wood. All Boos Blocks are certified with the seal of approval from the US health authority NSF (National Sanitation Foundation) and the ladies and gentlemen take it very seriously. No certification, no use in professional kitchens!

Jack & Lucy

A young, innovative brand from Solingen that values sustainability: cutting boards from the "Pure" series are made from a single piece of wood. This type of production requires very good wood quality and also produces very little waste during production. This results in handmade, unique pieces with different grain patterns and a natural, honest look.

KAI Cutting Boards

Oak wood and a Japanese manufacturer of cutting tools don't seem to fit together at first glance. And somehow that's true. The European representative KAI Europe has the cutting boards and chopping blocks made in Austria by a true master of his craft. Only selected wood of the highest quality is used.

Nesmuk Cutting Boards

Cutting boards and chopping blocks in the most elegant form. Only heartwood from southern German oak is used to make Nesmuk boards. The heartwood forms the center of the stem cross-section and is the oldest and most valuable part of a stem. Outstanding cutting boards for excellent knives.

Noyer Cutting Boards

Noyer is a young Danish label that stands for high-quality furniture and home accessories made of walnut wood. All cutting boards are made by hand in a small workshop in Valby near Copenhagen from high-quality walnut wood. Each piece has a unique appearance and is therefore one of a kind. No two items are exactly alike.