Equipment expert Adam Ried reveals his top pick for heavy-duty cutting boards.
Buy our winning heavy-duty cutting boards:
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The height of the board being comfortable or not all depends on the height of the countertop on which they stand ,so Julia's reaction to the board she tested doesn't seem relevant.
Do love the production of ATK Videos, whether real or staged. Spectacular. And seeing first-hand the items under review is life affirming.
I have tried over a dozen Teak boards, always giving them away. Right now have the Teakhaus 20X15X1.5 on my counter. Love this size weight combo. In general do not like the feel of the Teak cutting experience. Like Walnut for me, has a hollow feel to it. That said, this size and weight minimizes it. But I was looking for a lighter board just to cut up chicken. For everything else, I use a 20 x 15 & 24 x 18 inch Beechwood endgrain board. For me, incomparable. Luxury feel, that is solid, dense and commanding. Have two Maple ones identical which are probably better, but I prefer the Beechwood as it feels more luxurious. However, it is "slower" in action than Maple. Birch would be my third pick. Money is no object for me. My experience stretches over 40 years of hard cooking. Using 10 inch German Chef knives and Chinese vegetable cleavers on the large end. Have given up on Japanese knives.
Am trying to love this teak board I have. But still have difficulties. It is no match for my Beech in terms of feel, control, effectiveness and safety. But weighs much less. So am trying. We shall see.
My mom had purchased the Large TeakHaus Edge Grain chopping board, and it's slimmer cutting board model a few months ago. However, the chopping board has deep cuts in it from her using ceramic knives on it with quite a bit of force on it. The cutting board is fine though, just light scratches.
gotta be honest I usually really trust your recommendations, but the board smith really blows all of these out of the water, its not even close. and again they are tripping saying the feet are not ideal, if you are getting a large wooden board you want the feet. otherwise your board will be moving around. there is virtually zero advantage to a reversible board, when you can continue to resurface as necessary.
The hinoki board is designed for hard Japanese steel knives; to be more forgiving to the edge.
I would like to see a review on stainless steel cutting board. Thanks
While teak might be preferred in the Test Kitchen review, no mention was made of the environmental consequences of using teak. Teak is a tropical hardwood and overharvesting has led to concern for its survival as a species. Let's go with the far more abundant hard maple and do more to save this planet. There must be reasons why it has been butchers preferred wood over hundreds of years.
I did it with Woodglut.
Sorry but maple is the best wood, then walnut/teak. Look for a maple end grain board. A good wax/mineral oil will stop moisture, EVERY single authority on cutting boards/woodworking will tell you end grain is the way to go, it's also much more expensive for a reason. It's also softer on the knife, more durable. This vid is not great.
boards need a drain channel at perimeter. this is a fail sorry.
Japanese are to make sushi with gentle cut.
There is a difference between cutting boards and carving boards. I was browsing for a good way to clean my pride and joy carving board. I just can't bring myself to wash it with soap and water, and I don't think I really have to in most cases. I carved a perfectly smoked and roasted turkey and a ham this weekend. I also can't imagine cutting raw meat on my carving board, but it's going to happen sooner or later. We all like medium rare in my household.
I was horrified when I did briefly wash my J.K. Adams carving board with soap and water. It ended up appearing as if I had lost all the hours of conditioning spent until it was perfectly seasoned. I applied a thin coat of mineral oil and came back. (YaY!)
So, how would you suggest we clean and condition these beautiful unfinished wooden cutting and carving boards?
No mention of the type of glue used in any of these boards,I guess they assume they are safe and non toxic.The "winning board" here is made in Vietnam,just sayin.
So, when I was in school, we were taught wood cutting boards spread bacteria and contaminate food. Is that not true?
How come you only show the result of the Japanese cutting board but not the rest. Are you just trying to sell us the 15lb one? Lol
Well, I primarily make wood bowls in my shop. I quit using mineral oil years ago. While it does provide an 'impermeable' barrier and has been used on butcher blocks for eons, as a finish, it is pretty much worthless. The walnut oils are far better. The walnut oils sold in the store for salads are not the same thing. 2 that I know of, one from The Doctor's Woodshop (chemist with a PHD) and Mike Mahoney's oil, and Mike is an internationally known turner. The walnut oil will soak in, then cure and harden. The Doctor's product also had carnuba wax in it which is the hardest natural wax out there. Apply with a heat gun for the final coat. It will take a week or so for the oil to cure. The oils are 'heat treated' to remove or break down any nut proteins that might cause any allergic reaction. Food save. So, with an end grain board, mineral oil appears to disappear. Mostly it just soaks in, but the wood will never be saturated. Not sure if it evaporates or what, but essentially it is gone. Apply the final coat of walnut oil with a heat gun for better penetration.
As for teak, it does have a lot of natural oil in it, which is why it was the main wood used for boat decks. It also has a lot of silica/sand in it. I would not want one for a cutting board. My preference would be hard/sugar maple or beech, which are the two top choices for wood rolling pins. Birch is comparable. Bamboo is grass, and while fairly hard, it has long fibers that cut and peel up. An end grain bamboo board would be better. That Chinese wood is too soft for a cutting board. Cherry is a bit soft, but will work. Walnut is okay as well, and makes for excellent colors, but if you put hot food on it, you can get some walnut wood taste from it, and that is not a good thing.
Thanks for the recommendation! Just ordered a TeakHaus board myself!
Teak is very hard. I think african teak is among the top 10 hardwoods.
The winner board they mention here (TeakHaus) has pretty bad reviews on Amazon. So beware fellas and read the reviews first before throwing away your money. 🤘
Which grain configuration is best and worst for the board’s durability, and which grain configuration dulls knives faster?
I have a good friend who does woodworking & he made me a beautiful 21" long 2" thick cutting board that's 2 toned maple & black walnut + he wood burned my initials in it. However I don't use it that much because it's super heavy. I'm vertically challenged standing @ only 4'9"m my counters high & my sink isn't big. So I put a dish towel down under cutting board & place on kitchen table which is lower, then pick it up & haul it to the bathroom & wash it in the tub. But as you can see this is a project in a half. so I had him make a 2nd custom cutting board a little smaller & lighter. When I posted pics on my social media people went nuts because the work he does is so quality & it's gorgeous. He also made me a cool magnetic knife rack to hang on the wall. All 3 pieces match so it's like functional artwork that gives the room character.
All the boards I make are black walnut cherry and hard maple or combo of each. How come you didn’t show the cuts on the other boards?
Dear Adam mentioned “short people” having some difficulty with the thicker cutting boards.
Beautiful Julia, I have wondered how tall you and Bridget are.
Can you tell me😊?
Standing next to Christopher when he was on the show, caused you and Bridget to really look short.
On the new show I don’t see your hubby, Julia and you have a different wedding ring.
I pray that you and he are still together❣️ I adore each and every one of you on the show !!!
I don’t intend this to be so invasive; I just care for all of you. I just turned eighty years old and all of you are like my kids💖
Really would like to know that you and your hubby are together and how tall to and Bridget are.
Best success to each and every one of you❣️
Thank youAdam for the cutting board info.👍🏻🌹
Glad to see this on yt after watching on local pbs. Need to get one of these on my wish list. Thought I had a nice bamboo one til I used it for dough and my bench scraper found every little piece that wasn’t perfectly flush with the next.
Would you recommend mineral oil seasoning of new wooden rolling pins and gnocchi boards?
Where can I buy the Japanese cypress board?
End grain maple isn’t the same hardness are side grain? Idk
The product description on Amazon mentions you guys, "America’s Test Kitchen has said you will never need another cutting board set."
Please include a Canadian Larchwood board, they're very popular.
Love this board but after the first use and clean with hot soapy water under a tap, the board instantly brought up tiny wood particles from the grain. Some rub off but they generally stay on or just produce more.
I used a blue foam scrubby, nothing abrasive. Even on the side that I didn’t use the foam on, when wet the wood particles came up.
Can you advise on why this is happening or how to prevent/cure it?
Thanks!
End grain is better for your knives.
Single piece teak or edge grain, which is best?
Are we still pretending that hi-soft rubber cutting boards are not the meta? 🙃
The end grain board absorbed the most oil? Okay, good. That'll slow down eventually. It'll also last the longest and have the least amount of damage through use. It's also super anti-microbial. It's verdicts like this that make me doubt ATK knows anything about what they're doing.
You forgot to mention that softer wood is more gentle to the knife edge. If you use like Victorinox fibrox or something cheaper you dont care that much. Japanese hand made knife owner would eye rather hinoki, aomori hiba, hi-soft or something like that.
just purchased! needed a new one!! Love your advice as always guys. Keep up the good work😁