BUTCHER BLOCK VS FACE GRAIN CUTTING BOARDS 03/18/2010
First let us explain what face grain is. Face grain is the long view of the wood grain as seen in a hard wood floor or a table top. If you cut down a tree and saw the log in half from root to tree top you would be left with two halves of a log. The exposed part of the wood where the saw passed though is the face grain. If you looked down on the top of the stump of that same tree you would be looking at what is called the end grain. When you have a face grain cutting board the surface that you are cutting on is comprised of long wood fibres. If you can picture for a moment what happens when you run a knife over the surface of those long fibres. The knife can cut those fibres eventually scoring, gouging and potentially splintering the surface of the board. Some of this damage can not be fixed by refinishing as it would simply be more work than most of us are willing to put into a cutting board. The second most common problem with face grain cutting boards is warping. Wood naturally wants to bend and twist when exposed to moisture and we all know we need to wash our cutting boards so what do we do? Theres nothing worse than trying to cut on a board that is tipping back and forth as you work. Any professional chef will tell you they prefer end grain cutting boards because the end grain wood fibres absorb the impact of the knife blade by allowing it to go between the fibres. The fibres in end grain boards naturally move apart then back together as the knife crosses over them This in turn keeps knives sharper longer and if you have high quality knives you know how important this is. The end grain will also resist nicks, gouges and warping much much better than face grain. It would be very unusual for an end grain board to warp under normal use. Overall an end grain cutting board is a much stronger and more durable choice. These boards can stand up to a lot of use before they start to show it, but they can be refinished easily by lightly sanding then applying a food safe mineral oil. Truthfully if you purchase an end grain cutting board you should never need to buy another board unless you want to. Now something to note if you buy a face grain or end grain wood cutting board. You should apply a food safe mineral oil to the surface of your board every once in a while to help protect it unless otherwise stated by the manufacturer. NEVER USE olive oil, vegetable oil or other similar oils as they have a tendency to go rancid and will give your board a sour smell and make your food taste bad. We want to provide you with the best value for your hard earned dollars and that is why at Back Country Artz we deal exclusively with end grain cutting boards. If you have any questions you can e-mail us at: questions@backcountryartz.com. Add Comment | About UsOur name was inspired by where we live. Rural British Columbia. Canada is largely back country, we are on just over five acres and often have deer, moose and bears in our back yard. ArchivesAugust 2010 |
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