TrulyNet has reviewed truly excellent knives recently. There have been some from Wusthof, the Global SAI Vegetable Knife, as well as an ultra-fine ceramic blade from Kyocera. And if you have made a commitment to good knives, then it only stands to reason that you need a solid cutting board for your kitchen as well- plastic won’t do, as it looks cheap and generally won’t last. As long as you have the space, you should look into solid wood- durable and attractive, and even self-healing.
The John Boos Maple Reversible Cutting Board w/Grips and end grain construction measures about 20″x15″ and is over two inches thick. This cutting board is a remarkable piece of technology that will not soon be made obsolete by a new disruptive technology, and you won’t have to worry about feature creep or app bloat or battery drain. It is an exquisite piece of wood that is actually made up of pieces of wood cut into sections turned in such a manner that it’s the end grain portion that provides the cutting surface. The rationale is simple: “during cutting or chopping, the end grain wood fibers absorb the impact of the knife blade, allowing your knife to stay sharper and your board surfaces to stay smoother.”
This is certainly a substantial piece- you’ll need to actually use good body mechanics when it is lifted. Once this board is placed on the counter, it is not going anywhere of its own accord! Not only can you protect your blades and ensure that they stay sharper, longer, but perhaps the best reason to have this cutting board in your kitchen is for sheer aesthetics. It does not support Bluetooth, it does not need to be connected to your home Wi-Fi network and the NSA cannot connect to it to find out what you’re chopping. We’ve been fans of John Boos for a while; the previous blocks that we tested from them are still in constant use and hasn’t show much wear or tear.
John Boos included some Boos Block Board Cream which can be used to give it, as they suggest, “a good oiling on all surfaces every 3-4 weeks.” Apparently, WD-40 won’t do in this situation because it needs to be oiled with a food grade oil. Purchase directly from John Boos online in three different sizes, and expect to spend around $170 for the 20×15 model as tested.
