Similarly, walnut is another hardwood that's an excellent choice in the kitchen. Its dark color is one of its main appeals, and although it's softer than maple it will still hold up well over time. Walnut falls in the “just right” category of hardness that's perfect for both board and knife maintenance.
Yes, you can safely eat off of black walnut wood, as it is a popular choice for creating food-safe serving and cutting boards, including charcuterie boards. Black walnut wood is not only visually appealing but also durable and resistant to bacteria. This makes it an ideal material for serving and preparing food.
Wood that are too hard - Hardwoods like mahogany, teak, or rosewood (too hard) are not acceptable choices for cutting boards. 2. Soft woods - Avoid all softer woods such as pine or cedar. These woods tend to splinter easily, and they're too porous so they harbor bacteria more easily.
To protect your cutting board, you have to apply oil to seal the surface of the hardwood. Squeeze a liberal amount of butcher block wood oil or food-grade mineral oil onto a cloth rag. Apply the oil to all sides of the wood by rubbing thoroughly. Reapply until the wood stops absorbing the oil.
Opt for walnut oil for a dark, protective finish.
Walnut oil is a durable, long-lasting finish that will provide a water-resistant coating to your cutting board. The curing time, though, is quite long. You'll need to wait at least 4–5 days for the oil to dry.
Walnut: I call it a happy medium between Cherry and Maple--it's the "Goldilocks." Very nice on your knife, and it takes a stain well since it is so dark to begin with. Walnut is probably the single most popular wood for us.
Woods to Avoid for Cutting Boards
Generally, it is best to avoid wood species that are soft, highly porous, and those that have toxic properties, such as: Softwood: Balsa, cedar, douglas fir, redwood spruce, and juniper pine. Porous wood: Ash wood, oak, mahogany, black walnut, and butternut wood.
Glass and granite cutting boards are not recommended. Wood cutting boards should be made from hard, tight grained woods; rock maple, walnut, cherry, teak, bamboo, ash and birch. End grain checkerboard style wood boards are preferred.
Glass and marble, in case you don't know, are unacceptable cutting board materials. They ruin knives practically on contact, and have a deeply unpleasant feel; a knife on glass is the kitchen equivalent of fingernails on a blackboard.
This American-made, hand-finished walnut Cheese Board will serve as the most unique piece on your dinner or coffee table. Or even nightstand. Because while it's technically "for" cheese, it makes for a beautiful background for cookies and a glass of milk as well.
Species such as maple and walnut dry at an intermediate rate, ie a 1” walnut board air dried in the south in the summer time will dry in about 120 days, and species such as oak, mesquite, and hickory dry very slowly (ie 1” per year).
For starters, an authentic piece will generally have some color variation, even within the individual boards, simply because walnut is not usually stained. Additionally, it will have a straight grain, perhaps with some curls.
Following are the reasons why Walnut wood is expensive.
The tree takes around 50 years to mature, it is longer than most other trees. It is in high demand due to its desired characteristics such as durability, strength or aesthetic making it one of the best wood species around.
Pros: Walnut is a very strong and stable wood that can take intricate carving. The color can be beautiful. Cons: Some may not like the variation from dark to light that's sometimes found on a single wide board. Walnut is also one of the more costly woods.
Maple is a slightly higher quality wood with many benefits. Still, despite that, it is a less expensive end product though Walnut offers its own advantages. But in the end, it comes down to what you, the customer, wants. That's why we have options for you at BigWood Boards.
Wooden cutting boards have natural antibacterial properties, whereas the others mentioned don't. This makes them the preferred choice for being the most hygienic cutting board. Moreover, they are gentler on the edges of kitchen knives, especially end grain wood cutting boards.
Formaldehyde-free Bamboo Cutting Boards (Budget-friendly)
First, bamboo surfaces absorb less moisture than hardwood. It's less likely to warp and hold bacteria.
Avoid using your knife on surfaces made of glass, granite, marble, or ceramic.
This refers to the fact that manchineel is one of the most toxic trees in the world: the tree has milky-white sap which contains numerous toxins and can cause blistering.
At the other end of the spectrum, contact with the actual wood of some species can cause extreme reactions. Those woods are usually the more exotic tropical hardwoods, such as rosewood, padauk, and teak, but sassafras (a relatively common found wood) can cause breathing problems, nausea, or even cancer.
The yew tree (Taxus baccata) and a related species common to gardeners, Japanese yew (Taxus cuspidata) is known to be one of the most poisonous woody plants in the world, with all components of the tree, excepting the fleshy red part of the berry containing lethal amounts of taxine, a toxic alkaloid found in the yew.
Walnut board is also food-safe and safe for knives. Like other wooden cutting boards, it's not safe to toss in the dishwasher. Walnut wood does not resist bacteria, is less water-resistant than acacia, and may hold flavors/odors more easily (especially if the board isn't properly treated).
The harder the wood, the less prone to warping and splitting it is. “Maple, cherry, and beech are all good options for wooden cutting boards because they are dense, closed grains,” Cohen says. “And they have small pores which are good at blocking bacteria.”
The best wood for charcuterie board is one that is durable, food safe, easy to clean, and has the looks of refined elegance. Non-porous hardwoods like teak, acacia, and maple make the best charcuterie boards. Other materials like plastic, marble, and bamboo also make good charcuterie boards.