My FAVORITE Cutting Boards - WORST to BEST

Taking a look at all the cutting boards I own and ranking them from worst to best! I also tell you how I use each one, and why I prefer one over the other. But first we answer the question, why is a good cutting board important?

Correction to the dialogue, Larchwood Canada's factory is in Margaree River in Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia. Not Wolfville, Nova Scotia as mentioned.

*In order of appearance:*
Ikea plastic cutting board
Costco plastic cutting board
Artisanal walnut edge-grain cutting board
Beau Grain Walnut/Maple/Cherry end-grain cutting board
@LarchwoodcanadaNS end-grain cutting board

I finally got my hands on some synthetic rubber boards months after this review. That review can be found here:

Parker Asahi Cutting Boards 7 Boards Reviewed | Kitchen Tools

Hasegawa cutting board review by @nadm

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If you have any questions about Japanese knives or about some brands, feel free to ask it in the comment section below.

If you have seen my knife review videos and own one of those knives yourself, feel free to add your experience in the comments as this will help other users make an informed decision.

Thank you all for your support and feedback!
#cuttingboard #edgegrain #endgrain

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🎵 Track Info for outro
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Creative Commons — Attribution 3.0 Unported — CC BY 3.0

⏰ TIMESTAMPS
0:00 - Introduction
3:13 - My cutting boards
18:35 - Summary

[KitchenKnifeGuy]

*Dimensions:*
Beau Grain 17.5” x 13.25” x 2”
Larchwood 17.5” x 13” x 1 5/8”

[Skrelnick]

Target has large acacia and rubber wood boards for 20$. Rubber wood is extremely easy on knives but it’s relatively soft for a hard wood. I bought 2 in case they stopped selling them but 3 years later the first one is still completely fine after almost daily use. I spent 5 min sanding it smooth with an orbital sander the other day, re- oiled it, and it’s like brand new. I’ll probably never need the second one.

[roberjohnsmith]

I just got my first Hasegawa and I'm in love. The way my knife feels when it touches the board... 🤤
It's droolworthy.
I want larchwood next though, super jealous

[markhemming]

Thanks for the detailed explanation on why Larch Wood Canada is your favorite make of board. My research is over. I know enough, will be buying my own, and have saved a ton of time. I'm also a woodworker and have never heard such a concise explanation of the difference between soft and hardwood. Much appreciated and thank again for you commitment to your craft.

[jeffhicks]

You can easily sand these down with something like a sanding sponge or block. Its just wood so all you need is two grits. Doesn't take that long. I prefer doing it wet if it's done manually by hand. Then you let the board dry, soak it in oil a couple times then the oil and wax and wax polish.. Just like new. All the cuts and scratches go bye bye.

As for end vs edge grain. Test it for yourself, it makes zero measurable difference in edge wear if you're talking about the same wood. Obviously different woods have different abrasive properties and whatnot. End grain has looks going for it, it also has the fact that it hides knife marks quite well. But it's higher maintenance and lower durability. Generally more expensive and failure prone in general too. Keep it dry! I'm a big fan of teak edge grain and I do love some nice maple in a thick end grain board. The cutting feel is oh so nice and they do look very pretty too. Think of it like larchwood on a budget. Same cutting feel at likely half the cost. Also, the maple tends to be cheaper at least here in the US where we have tons of it. Walnut is great also, either way end or edge. I agree it makes for a very nice serving board.


As for the Japanese rubber boards. They are fine. They mostly exist because in Japan wood is not legally approved for use in food service, and everyone generally hates miserable plastic boards so Japan came up with something that combines the best of both. Some channels promote myths about a lot of stuff, including the alleged properties of edge saving, just click right here and buy one off my site will ya? All nonsense but the products are solid. They dont dull knives much or any worse than a decent wood board, which was their design goal when these products were developed in the first place. Not even the manufacturers claim they save edges better than wood. Only youtube guys selling them on their site claim that. Without any evidence, as usual. I have a smaller Asahi and a larger Hasagawa. They're both good products but have their differences. The hasagawa has that same grid texture thing like the plastic board you showed. The hasagawa is also a sandwich construction with two thin layers of synthetic surface sandwiching a wood core, with plastic along the rim or sides or however you say that. Over time that's a failure point but it does add some nice thickness and also save weight when you get into larger sizes vs the solid one piece of synthetic like Asahi.

[LikeBOOMCA]

Isn‘t larchwood technically a hard wood but at the softer end of hard woods?

[robertmooretruro]

Larchwood Canada cutting boards are from Margaree on Cape Breton Island.

[Bobbjulie]

Thank you very much.. you just increased my knowledge of butcher blocks by 100%.. as many times as I have been deer hunting in the woods and passed by larch trees, I always was cognizant of the fact that in the fall they would lose their needles.. it surely is one tree that stands out against the rest.. it is not overly encompassing on the forest floor.. but I value it much more now that I have viewed your presentation.. I have a Boos BOARD that’s been in its original rap for over a year and it very well may stay there. I am looking into a Larch BOARD.. thank you I am following you ..🙏

[mivvy]

this is such a great guide, love the way you spoke on the topic of wood comparison. i've basically been cooking my entire life and i'm finally looking to treat myself to a nice high quality cutting board along with a new knife. i'm so happy i found this video! this was beyond informative, thank you so much 😊

[Mulppy]

I live 30 minutes from wolfville. Love the little store they have there but the boards are actually made in cape Breton. I believe they just sell them in wolfville to get them into more hands.

[Sarah-gqjl]

What type of wood board should I get... that I can use daily for fruits, plz

[cctc]

What size is your larchwood? Look like a good decent size. Cheers

[BuildToGrow]

What happens to the wood that gets removed by my knife? I can’t help but think it gets into my food. Is that what happens? If it does, is that a problem? What about the wood wax? Does that all get into the food?

[Insel_im_Meer]

This Larchwood chopping board truly looks splendid! However, I do have a question concerning the hardness of various woods: was I mistaken in believing cherry wood to be a soft timber?

[karlarezaie]

What is your opinion on the stainless steel cutting board?

[dov_god]

How do you feel about titanium or metal cutting boards.

[tailien]

I hate having to decide which wood for my knifes, some cooks I know has uses kautschuk for more then 10+ years and others maple, I cant decide what to get at this point since most homecooks in my own county uses wooden planks straight from IKEA💀

[erniecf]

Would love to see your process of maintenance

[bertiemurillo]

Is Henckels cutting board good from Costco??

[blazeranger]

Quick question: with all this talk of making river tables (wood and resin) I've started to see people making cutting boards that combine wood and resin, too. Any thoughts on those types of cutting boards? Inquiring minds want to know. Okay, maybe it's just me.