End-Grain Cutting Boards Are Superior For Your Knives For 3 Main Reasons:

1. End-grain boards are far gentler on knife edges, so your knives will stay sharper for longer. That’s one of the core principles here at Artisan Revere, and it’s part of why we only make end-grain boards. How’s it work? End-grain board fibers and capillaries are aligned a bit like the pages of a phone book that is standing up vertically. Your knife edge would easily fit between the pages of the book, because they would move aside and open up just enough to let the knife slip in. Now, what happens if you rotate that book so it’s laying flat on the table with the cover up? It suddenly becomes a heck of a lot stronger. If you try to cut, you now have to try to slice through hundreds of pages that are densely packed together. This will dull your edge much faster. 

2. End-grain cutting boards are self-healing, and experience only minimal scarring the way an edge-grain cutting board would. End-grain boards, when properly cared for, can last a lifetime with only a very rare need to re-sand.

3. The amazing thing about wood, specifically end-grain, is that it has anti-microbial properties and is one of the most food-safe cutting boards out there, so long as it's used correctly. These boards should not be used for uncooked proteins—we always recommend plastic for uncooked protein (more on this later). Check out these articles for more information:

   
   

   • UC Davis' Cliver on Cross Contamination

     
     

   • UC Davis' Cliver on Experimentally Contaminated Boards

     
     

   • Fulda University (Germany) Study by Lucke on the Hygienic Aspects of Wood vs Plastic Boards

Edge grain boards, on the other hand, are less expensive, easier to construct, typically lighter and thinner, dull your knives much faster, scar easily, warp easily, and need to be sanded to create a new clean layer frequently. Go take a look at your board—if it’s edge-grain, and it’s scarred up and warped, it might be time to start thinking of it as disposable. 

Ultimately, it comes down to three things: price, work you’re willing to put in, and appearance. You’ll have to put in more work with the less expensive edge grain board, because you’ll need to sharpen your knives far more frequently and do more maintenance work, in the form of sanding, on your board. You’re likely to throw the board out, instead of sanding it, once the scarring gets deep enough because those scars harbor bacteria, rendering edge grain boards as unsafe for your family. Alternatively, you can simply replace an edge grain board more frequently, before the scarring gets too bad, and that’s when you’ll need to decide if you’d like to buy “right”, or buy often. Finally, which style do you like more? If you enjoy sharpening your knives on stones, or have a great sharpening system like the WorkSharp Sharpener, then you may be more comfortable going with an edge-grain cutting board in maple, cherry, or walnut. If you prefer increased edge retention (knife staying sharper longer) and a bit more heft and gravitas, pick up an end-grain cutting board, like the ones we make in our Michigan shop.

P.S. Our cutting boards are made from rescued American Walnut, American Cherry, and American Maple. And because our boards are made from grade-A custom lumber from a wood shop making large custom furniture, we’re able to buy tier-1 small end pieces that they’re not able to use for their large tables and cabinetry. That makes our cutting boards carbon negative, and it’s why we’re one of the most environmentally-friendly small cutting board makers in the world. 

Size —  Thicker Is Better:

A premium end-grain cutting board should be at least 1.25 inches thick. 1.75 - 2.0 inches is perfect. A good size for a cutting board is anywhere from 16” x10” to 20” x 16”. Edge-grain (the less expensive boards) can be much thinner and lighter—anywhere from 0.5-1.0 inches thick. The thicker your board, the lower the likelihood of warpage, assuming good joinery and good maintenance practices.

To Juice Or Not To Juice:

Juice grooves can be pretty convenient when cutting up large pieces of meat, however, we’ve found that they’re rarely necessary if you rest your meat properly. Rest your medium-rare steak for 5-7 min, and there just won’t be enough juice leakage to require a groove. We will create a juice groove if requested, but we strongly urge our customers not to go down this route.

Juice Grooves Create Two Problems For Cutting Boards:

1. Grooves weaken your board. They decrease the structural integrity of the board, which can increase the chances of warping if not properly maintained. Wood is not inert. It moves. It breathes. It expands and contracts. Its capillaries are not 100% perfectly aligned, and creating a groove introduces additional variability to moisture absorption. The wood in the groove absorbs more moisture, potentially creating minor cracks as the wood moves differently relative to the flat-top. Small cracks eventually become larger cracks, thereby increasing the possibility your board will warp, bow, or crack.

2. Grooves can harbor bacteria. Liquids are filled with bacteria. The more surface area you create, and the more easily the liquid penetrates the wood fibers, the more bacteria will live in the board. This reduces the safety of your board.

You should NEVER prepare uncooked animal proteins on the same board as other foods (another reason to use a wooden cutting board for vegetables, while reserving your plastic board for protein). Please replace your plastic boards once they start to get too many deep scars—that's where bacteria like to reside. Or, if you’re handy, you can always sand your plastic board to eliminate the scarring. [Random orbital sanders are great for this, but don’t forget to have a good vacuum system, wear a mask, and/or to do the grinding outside]. When sanding, start at a low grit (80 or 120), and progress to a higher grit by increasing the grit by about 50% per step. The mask is exceptionally important to avoid getting plastic particulate into your lungs. 

Synthetic Rubber:

Finally we come to the specialty boards—synthetic rubber. This one from Hasegawa is well-respected.  Synthetic rubber boards are great for advanced knife users who primarily employ slicing motions. They’re suboptimal for prep work with heavy duty rocking motions where more force is employed, though if your knives are sharp, you should not have to chop with too much effort. Synthetic rubber boards are grippy and also do less damage to your knives. Many Western knife users will not like these boards. If you grew up with German or French knives, there’s a good chance you’re cutting with a very forceful cutting motion, and if you’re doing that, you are likely to create scarring. Finally, synthetic boards tend to stain easily, which can be quite frustrating if appearances matter. 

And there you have it. Eight  easy steps to take care of your cutting board—brought to you by Artisan Revere.

Pro-tip: Invest in a quality cutting board designed to keep your knives sharper, longer, is easy to maneuver, and is built to last a lifetime with minimal care. Check out the Artisan Revere End-Grain Cutting Boards, made with rescued end-grain American hardwoods and meticulous attention to the details—for boards that are safer for you and your family, and a joy to work with.