We love slicing and dicing. Good knife skills are essential to a well-run kitchen, as are a good collection of utensils. And though knives get a lot of attention, it's easy to overlook the humble cutting board. And while wood offers so many advantages over the thin, silicone ones, there is one major downside.
One of the most annoying parts of using bigger, heavier cutting boards is finding a way to handle to the inevitable finely chopped vegetables and meats once you've handled them. You can't easily lift the board to move them, and often end up using bowls and scraping the onions and pepper pieces off the board. This is awkward and we're happy to report that we've found a better way- the Core Bamboo Pro Chef Butchers Block with Three Prep Bowls.
Unlike a couple of the others solid cutting boards that we've seen recently- the Fox Run and the John Boos- this one isn't meant to be hung and can't hold your knives. But it's arguably even cooler than the others, and not just because it's pretty enormous (at 22" x 16") and made from lovely bamboo. Bamboo is naturally antimicrobial and highly sustainable, and unlike plastic boards, wooden ones "heal" to some extent. Plus, it's lighter than most hardwoods (this one runs about nine pounds), and doesn't soak up quite as much liquids as others can. The only downsides are that bamboo cutting boards generally should not be put in the dishwasher, plus they tend to be more expensive.
The Core Bamboo Pro-Chef line has a few options- two prep bowl models are also available. But we like the three-bowl version, since we regularly have multiple different items to prepare. The bowls themselves are pretty large- we were able to fit a pair of small chopped onions in one- and they sit nicely and recessed so that you can easily move your cut-up items into the bowls. And for ease of extraction, there is a indentation so that you can lift the bowl out of the cutting board when you're ready to transfer everything.
The feet on this board are helpfully non-stick, and the board felt level and incredibly solid. Those with limited counter space might want to look elsewhere, but for anyone with a nice kitchen island or who likes to show off a prep area, this cutting board is perfect. Rounded edges are smooth, the finish feels durable, and it cleaned off easily in our tests. The bowls are dishwasher safe too! Available now, for around $100- an investment, but one that will thrill any chef, even a professional.
