The 5 Greatest Advantages of Wood Cutting Boards
When comparing wood cutting boards to popular plastic cutting boards, one of the first things that you will likely notice is that wood cutting boards tend to be more expensive. For that reason, you may be more hesitant to invest in one. In this post we will explore the 5 greatest advantages of wood cutting boards and why they are a great purchase.
Reason # 1 – Wood cutting boards made from natural and sustainable materials
At it’s core, wood is an all natural and a sustainable resource. The most common woods that are used in the making of wood cutting boards in the United States are native to the country and are fairly common. Wood is a renewable resource too! It may take some time to grow, but during that growth process trees have many environmental benefits. Those benefits are things like air filtration, erosion control, protection for various animals, among many others.
Many of the finishes used on wood cutting boards are also all natural and eco friendly. Many of these finishes are made out of various plant extracts procured using responsible methods (such as tung oil, hempseed oil, jojoba oil, walnut oil, etc.). The same can be said for the wax component of cutting board finishes, which also occur naturally (like beeswax) or are derived from plants (like candelilla wax or carnauba wax).
When purchasing a wood cutting board you can feel comfortable knowing that the products used are all natural and safe.
Reason # 2 – Supporting Local Artisans and Businesses
While there are many large companies that produce lots of wood cutting boards, there are many local woodworking artisans who specialize in creating wood cutting boards. Online services like Etsy or Facebook Marketplace are brimming with small business makers that create each cutting board by hand. These small business artisans take a lot of pride in each piece that they produce. And, as a consumer it feels great to support small businesses!
9:10 Wood Shop is a small business and like many other small businesses, we also try to support other local businesses. We buy 100% of our hardwood lumber from a small mill in our community. Nearly all of the (domestic) wood that we buy is sourced from our region, most less than 100 miles from our home. This also supports our local lumber industry. This support chain is typical throughout the small business community.
Reason # 3 – Wood has natural antimicrobial properties
In the 1990s, there was an unfounded statement made by the FDA in which they claimed that plastic cutting boards were more hygienic than wood cutting boards. They theorized that since plastic cutting boards could be cleaned in the dishwasher, they would be more sanitary than their wood counterparts. They later amended that statement saying that they had no research to back these claims up. U.C. Davis then conducted an experiment testing those claims. They compared upwards of 10 species of wood and about 4 types of plastics and rubber.
The results U.C. Davis found were actually pretty interesting. They found that the bacteria on the wood didn’t multiply. In fact, the bacteria died. On the plastic cutting boards the bacteria number increased until they were disinfected.
We’ve all seen those cut marks left in plastic cutting boards from lots of use in the kitchen. Wood is pretty neat in that wood has self healing properties, especially in end grain cutting boards. After a knife blade slices down the wood fibers, the wood naturally closes back in to itself. This results in fewer scars that leave a board rough with lots of nooks and crannies perfect for the breeding of bacteria like E.Coli, Listeria, and Salmonella.
Many wooden cutting boards are “seasoned” with various organic products. Many of these products also have antimicrobial properties, like beeswax, hempseed oil, coconut oil and grapeseed oil. These topical protectants not only provide a barrier for microbes, but even play a role in cutting board hygiene.
This is pretty fascinating stuff and we may even conduct our own research experiment on this topic in the future!
Reason # 4 – Wood cutting boards can extend the life of your knives
Typically, knives are made of steel. Cutting on surfaces that are similarly hard causes a knife to dull faster. Harder, more abrasive surfaces include materials like ceramic, marble, or glass. Wood, since it is a softer material than steel, when used as a cutting surface will prolong the sharpness and overall life of knife blades being a softer, yet durable material.
End grain cutting boards are even more forgiving for knife blades. Since the blade cuts with the wood fibers, rather than against, the blade encounters even less resistance and less wear and tear. More on end grain and edge grain cutting boards in a future post!
Reason # 5 – Wood cutting boards come in many beautiful designs
When it comes to options, wood cutting boards come in all shapes, sizes, colors, designs, patterns etc. From small bread boards, to “everyday” boards, to giant BBQ cutting boards, there are few size limitations for wood cutting boards. There are boards that are simple that you can use daily and there are beautifully intricate boards that you may just proudly display.
Nowadays, with the presence of laser machines and CNC machines, the personalization options are seemingly endless. Laser machines can burn the superficial layers of the wood and leave a darker design or image. CNC machines and routers can carve out designs for wood or epoxy inlays.
While there are many advantages to wood cutting boards, there is a disadvantage that can be intimidating for those unfamiliar with them. Properly caring for a wood cutting board can seem confusing and labor intensive. But, not to fear! We have a really great article that explains how to properly care for a wood cutting board here https://910woodshopblog.com/cutting-board-care-methods-2/.
To see the line of cutting boards that 9:10 Wood Shop has to offer, check out our online store at https://www.etsy.com/shop/NineTenWoodShop?ref=seller-platform-mcnav§ion_id=35341049.
Thanks for reading and let us know what you think in the comments!
-9:10 Wood Shop
