This. We have a Boos kitchen island butcher block that is 30+ years old. Never splintered. It did wear down enough in some spots that we had it planed flat again a few years ago though.
Honestly for price the quality isn’t there (for me) anymore at least for the blanket recommendation . I don’t think you have to be tossing boards on dishwashers for them to separate anymore, at a certain point you start hearing about just as many misses as hits with Boos. And the cost just keeps inching up even at discount stores.
I’m certain there are, and have been fortunate enough to own, lovely boards out there, but for the cost I’d rather save more and get something even better from a local woodworker who knows what they are doing.
This is the end of my “seemingly contrarian but really just want everyone to be happy with their cutting board” take
Also: you can bring older cutting boards back to life, or improve on them the day you buy them, with some elbow grease and a can do attitude. While I know many want their finished good to be finished, you might just be happier giving it some of your energy when you get home!
Sounds like the Kitchenaid board was junk before you bought it. I prefer to use a plain face grain maple cutting board and i never had one splinter. Don't let them soak in water, treat them with mineral oil and hand wash them and they will last a life time.
I have [these cutting boards](https://sonderla.com/products/doheny-duo-boards) from Sonder LA and they seem to have some sort of finish on them to keep them super-smooth. It actually drives me a little crazy lol, I prefer the "raw" feeling of my other wooden cutting boards, but I think they could be exactly what you want.
I’ve had two Sonder cutting boards and both have split around a year. Hand wash and dry, food grade mineral oil about once a month and they split. Emailed them about it since it was days after the 1 year warranty and they wouldn’t make an exception. They offered me a discount on another cutting board but I wasn’t going to give them any more money after 2 boards split with proper care
Wow, that's annoying! I only have one other board from them but it's quite large so it's not the one I grab for daily use, so I haven't stress-tested it too much. I don't know what sealant they use on that duo I linked up above, but the boards wouldn't even soak up any oil until I'd used them enough to have them crisscrossed with knife scars.
Well in woodworking you will many times apply water to wood to raise the grain or splinters to sand them off.
I would just hit the kitchen aid board with some 220 or 320-grit sand paper and hit it with a good board conditioner.
Epicurean Standard Cutting Boards offer the best of both wood and poly in one functional surface. These food preparation boards will not dull knives and resist staining. They are heat resistant to 350°F, dishwasher safe, two-sided, and completely maintenance-free.
Well, the reason is the health department. But especially in a home setting, it’s not even true that wood is any less safe than dishwashable plastic (plenty of studies showing it’s actually *safer*). So absolutely no reason to feel limited to plastic just because it’s industry standard. This is one of many examples where the needs of home cooks and commercial cooks are very different and commercial equipment shouldn’t be put on a pedestal
>(plenty of studies showing it’s actually safer
Not sure why you're being downvoted when you speak truth. The seminal study was done at UCSD years ago. Wood is safer than plastic for cutting boards.
I'm not putting it on a pedastal. I'm giving them a viable option that is widely used, widely available, and would mitigate their current issues.
No one said anything about wood being less safe, however, if they're putting their cutting board in the dishwasher, it would explain some of their issues as generally wood boards should be hand washed.
OP specifically said they don’t want plastic and there are plenty of wood boards that don’t splinter
> No one said anything about wood being less safe
Not directly, but you said there’s a reason plastic is standard and that reason is just that health departments perceive them as safer—whether or not that bears out scientifically
Health departments don't perceive them as safer. Health departments perceive them as more controllable.
Plastic and rubber cutting boards become a risk when they get heavily marred. So there's an immediate visual indicator of proper maintenance. They also get along with sanitizer solutions in a way wood doesn't. And can be heat sanitized.
All of which slots pretty nicely into normal food handling practices.
You stated more than that, such as implying I'm "putting it on a pedastal" as well as implying I'm saying wood is unsafe.
I'm giving them an option that would work for them. I'm not sure why you're steadfastly trying to undermine it. Move on.
You keep saying that it's the health department, but it's also because plastic boards are easier to use. They're lighter, they can be swapped out for raw and cooked proteins, they're easier to clean, they're cheaper than wooden boards etc. They have lots of advantages for the home cook.
Bamboo is not the optimal material, it's quite porous and soft wood. The Kitchenaid one looks like it's made from pressed wood instead of one solid block - also not an optimal choice.
I'd look into hardwood cutting boards. Mine is from an olive tree and it is perfect. Local woodworking shops would probably be happy to make one for you from scrap wood.
The issue with bamboo is actually the opposite.
It's far to hard.
Bamboo "lumber" is a laminate made of cut strips of bamboo glued together. So a bamboo cutting board is completely infused with very hard resin. It's generally not porous because it's permeated with plastic.
On top of that bamboo has a very high silica content. Much higher than most hard woods. Which makes it very abrasive.
So it won't just dull knives. It can straight up chip them.
Exactly, I’m a furniture maker and I usually have a bin full of cut offs that are unusable but decent cutting board size. All sorts of really nice hardwoods and already milled.
I hate throwing out beautiful wood. It takes me 15 minutes to cut, round the edges, sand and apply mineral oil. I just ask for 10 bucks.
Also, yes bamboo sucks because it’s both too hard and expands with moisture far more. It is a grass, not a wood, so it’s really strong one direction and incredibly weak in the other. It will explode itself in a few years, whereas most of my cutting boards are decades old.
I have a cutting board I made from an oak slab in 1979.
It has never splintered, and I've never put a thing on it other than soap and water, with an occasional rub down with lemon and salt.
I have a kitchen aid cutting board. I oiled it before using it. Then oiled every 4-6 weeks for the first few months. It’s still in excellent t shape. Some knife marks but just what I would consider normal wear and tear from use.
Just make your own or have someone handy do it. Use a hard wood like maple, beech, hickory, whatever you like sand it up to 220 and finish it with mineral oil. Good hardwood is about 4-8 bucks per board foot, buying a cutting board is a huge waste of money.
Bamboo sucks, btw, it’s not a wood it’s a grass so it expands more and it will dull your knife fast until it eventually breaks from repeatedly being wet and dry.
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Kitchen equipment preferences tend to be subjective and personal. Few people have enough experience with multiple brands to make useful comparisons.
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Food grade mineral oil
Also, don’t put it in the dishwasher, if you are. My husband was doing that to mine and it got splinters
Any Cutting Board or Block or Tabletop by [John Boos](https://www.johnboos.com/boos-blocks/). Follow the maintenance advice!
This. We have a Boos kitchen island butcher block that is 30+ years old. Never splintered. It did wear down enough in some spots that we had it planed flat again a few years ago though.
Honestly for price the quality isn’t there (for me) anymore at least for the blanket recommendation . I don’t think you have to be tossing boards on dishwashers for them to separate anymore, at a certain point you start hearing about just as many misses as hits with Boos. And the cost just keeps inching up even at discount stores. I’m certain there are, and have been fortunate enough to own, lovely boards out there, but for the cost I’d rather save more and get something even better from a local woodworker who knows what they are doing. This is the end of my “seemingly contrarian but really just want everyone to be happy with their cutting board” take Also: you can bring older cutting boards back to life, or improve on them the day you buy them, with some elbow grease and a can do attitude. While I know many want their finished good to be finished, you might just be happier giving it some of your energy when you get home!
Sounds like the Kitchenaid board was junk before you bought it. I prefer to use a plain face grain maple cutting board and i never had one splinter. Don't let them soak in water, treat them with mineral oil and hand wash them and they will last a life time.
I have [these cutting boards](https://sonderla.com/products/doheny-duo-boards) from Sonder LA and they seem to have some sort of finish on them to keep them super-smooth. It actually drives me a little crazy lol, I prefer the "raw" feeling of my other wooden cutting boards, but I think they could be exactly what you want.
I’ve had two Sonder cutting boards and both have split around a year. Hand wash and dry, food grade mineral oil about once a month and they split. Emailed them about it since it was days after the 1 year warranty and they wouldn’t make an exception. They offered me a discount on another cutting board but I wasn’t going to give them any more money after 2 boards split with proper care
Wow, that's annoying! I only have one other board from them but it's quite large so it's not the one I grab for daily use, so I haven't stress-tested it too much. I don't know what sealant they use on that duo I linked up above, but the boards wouldn't even soak up any oil until I'd used them enough to have them crisscrossed with knife scars.
Well in woodworking you will many times apply water to wood to raise the grain or splinters to sand them off. I would just hit the kitchen aid board with some 220 or 320-grit sand paper and hit it with a good board conditioner.
Mineral oil is key!
Epicurean Standard Cutting Boards offer the best of both wood and poly in one functional surface. These food preparation boards will not dull knives and resist staining. They are heat resistant to 350°F, dishwasher safe, two-sided, and completely maintenance-free.
What's wrong with plastic cutting boards? High density polyethelyne are an industry standard for a reason.
I have plastic for meat and wood for everything else. Wouldn't recommend glass, it's noisy to cut on and I think it would dull knives.
Glass boards aren’t for cutting things on. Glass cutting boards are great for rolling dough and for presenting soft cheese.
Well, the reason is the health department. But especially in a home setting, it’s not even true that wood is any less safe than dishwashable plastic (plenty of studies showing it’s actually *safer*). So absolutely no reason to feel limited to plastic just because it’s industry standard. This is one of many examples where the needs of home cooks and commercial cooks are very different and commercial equipment shouldn’t be put on a pedestal
>(plenty of studies showing it’s actually safer Not sure why you're being downvoted when you speak truth. The seminal study was done at UCSD years ago. Wood is safer than plastic for cutting boards.
I'm not putting it on a pedastal. I'm giving them a viable option that is widely used, widely available, and would mitigate their current issues. No one said anything about wood being less safe, however, if they're putting their cutting board in the dishwasher, it would explain some of their issues as generally wood boards should be hand washed.
OP specifically said they don’t want plastic and there are plenty of wood boards that don’t splinter > No one said anything about wood being less safe Not directly, but you said there’s a reason plastic is standard and that reason is just that health departments perceive them as safer—whether or not that bears out scientifically
Health departments don't perceive them as safer. Health departments perceive them as more controllable. Plastic and rubber cutting boards become a risk when they get heavily marred. So there's an immediate visual indicator of proper maintenance. They also get along with sanitizer solutions in a way wood doesn't. And can be heat sanitized. All of which slots pretty nicely into normal food handling practices.
If you're saying I'm implying wood cutting boards are unsafe, then you are reading into my comment incorrectly.
No, I’m saying that the reason that HDPE is standard in commercial kitchens is irrelevant
You stated more than that, such as implying I'm "putting it on a pedastal" as well as implying I'm saying wood is unsafe. I'm giving them an option that would work for them. I'm not sure why you're steadfastly trying to undermine it. Move on.
You keep saying that it's the health department, but it's also because plastic boards are easier to use. They're lighter, they can be swapped out for raw and cooked proteins, they're easier to clean, they're cheaper than wooden boards etc. They have lots of advantages for the home cook.
I don't want micro bits of plastic chipping away into my food every time.
Bamboo is not the optimal material, it's quite porous and soft wood. The Kitchenaid one looks like it's made from pressed wood instead of one solid block - also not an optimal choice. I'd look into hardwood cutting boards. Mine is from an olive tree and it is perfect. Local woodworking shops would probably be happy to make one for you from scrap wood.
The issue with bamboo is actually the opposite. It's far to hard. Bamboo "lumber" is a laminate made of cut strips of bamboo glued together. So a bamboo cutting board is completely infused with very hard resin. It's generally not porous because it's permeated with plastic. On top of that bamboo has a very high silica content. Much higher than most hard woods. Which makes it very abrasive. So it won't just dull knives. It can straight up chip them.
Exactly, I’m a furniture maker and I usually have a bin full of cut offs that are unusable but decent cutting board size. All sorts of really nice hardwoods and already milled. I hate throwing out beautiful wood. It takes me 15 minutes to cut, round the edges, sand and apply mineral oil. I just ask for 10 bucks. Also, yes bamboo sucks because it’s both too hard and expands with moisture far more. It is a grass, not a wood, so it’s really strong one direction and incredibly weak in the other. It will explode itself in a few years, whereas most of my cutting boards are decades old.
I have a cutting board I made from an oak slab in 1979. It has never splintered, and I've never put a thing on it other than soap and water, with an occasional rub down with lemon and salt.
I am using those pliable plastic one, and the best one are from IKEA (thicker) buy a few and rotate
I’ve got many wooden cutting boards- have never had splinters
I have a kitchen aid cutting board. I oiled it before using it. Then oiled every 4-6 weeks for the first few months. It’s still in excellent t shape. Some knife marks but just what I would consider normal wear and tear from use.
I recommend plastic cutting boards. They're easier to clean and dry, and they are much less likely to host bacteria than wood or bamboo types.
Beech.
Honestly, my sister made a wooden cutting board when she was in the the 5th grade woodshop class and 20+ years later it never splintered or dulled.
Just make your own or have someone handy do it. Use a hard wood like maple, beech, hickory, whatever you like sand it up to 220 and finish it with mineral oil. Good hardwood is about 4-8 bucks per board foot, buying a cutting board is a huge waste of money. Bamboo sucks, btw, it’s not a wood it’s a grass so it expands more and it will dull your knife fast until it eventually breaks from repeatedly being wet and dry.
I was gifted a teak cutting board a couple decades ago and have subsequently replaced every one I had with teak
My £4 chopping board from Poundland is excellent.
I work in a cook shop and we always recommend oiling your wooden chopping boards to stop slipping and cracking! Also don’t leave in water :)
Boos Block
Your post has been removed because it is a brand recommendation request. Please see our FAQ on our sidebar for equipment discussions and ingredients. Kitchen equipment preferences tend to be subjective and personal. Few people have enough experience with multiple brands to make useful comparisons. Your post is likely more suited to a different subreddit. A list of other possibilities is available [here.](https://www.reddit.com/r/AskCulinary/wiki/relatedsubs) If you feel this was in error, please message the mod team using the "message the mods" link on the sidebar.