7 keys to purchasing your cutting board

1. Size of Cutting Board
Your first consideration should be how much counter space you have. Every kitchen should have at least one large cutting board. The bigger the board, the less you will find yourself fussing as the larger surface area of a cutting board gives you more space to work with. You are likely to leave it where it sits, as a good-size cutting board weighs a good deal. So buy a cutting board that fits your counter space. A stylish wood cutting board will also enhance the look of your kitchen. Small cutting boards are convenient for clean up and cutting small things quickly (for example a garnish or some cheese).

2. Shape and Thickness of Cutting Board
The second question is which shape works best for you. Your main choices are rectangular, square, or round. And be sure that if you buy a cutting board that's several inches thick, its surface doesn't sit so high on your countertop that you can't cut on it comfortably.

3. Is it for cutting veggies, carving meat, cheese, etc?
Cutting boards are a daily, necessary part of the kitchen. The carving board with its blood gutter and juice grooves is something you need only when you carve.

* Meats: Do you really want a lovely roast beef leaking all over your daily cutting board and probably onto the floor? If you do a lot of carving, purchasing a Chef’s carving board is a good purchase since it will extend the life of expensive knives and provide a carving surface large enough to carry a turkey or roast to the table. Carve on a carving board. Then clean and maintain your carving board the way you would your cutting board.

* Bread, veggies, and the like: There are also bread-specific cutting boards, designed especially for that task--usually a matter of hardwood slats above a removable tray or crumb box. The deal is, the crumbs fall between the slats of the cutting board into the crumb box for easy disposal or for use as--ta-da!--bread crumbs. It's on the artsy-craftsy "give it as a wedding gift" side.


4. Is it Flat Grain or End Grain?
End Grain boards are the best to be found and will meet the needs of the most discerning customer. End Grain is more durable than regular cutting boards and they look beautiful on your countertop. An end-grain is a much harder surface and has a greater tolerance for the chopping motion. These boards give a truly resistant cutting surface while being kind to the blade’s sharp edge. This is really important since you don’t want to compromise your cutting instruments because of your board.
The old fashioned cutting boards were always end-grain design (the chopping block) for a reason; it keeps the knives much sharper. Instead of crushing against the wood fibers the blade goes between them much like cutting into a firm brush. You will find that your blade edges last much longer, and you'll see no knife marks on the board.
5. Where is your potential board made?

We are proud to say that our cutting boards are North American made using fine Canadian larch wood. Check out where other boards are made. The Canadian dollar provides our customers added savings.

6. Is the board beautiful?
Cutting boards are often left sitting on counter tops when not in use. It is nice to have a board that is functional art and a conversation piece.

7. Is the wood bacteria resistant?
Larch wood is one of the best woods to resist bacteria, water, and decay. This is why the First Nations people used to larch wood for boat building, fence posts, and snow shoes.