Looking for a cutting board or two

[glitchy]

I probably have a dozen cheap cutting boards. All types, shapes, sizes. No real wood ones yet, but a decent bamboo one. However, the problem I have is whenever I make prime rib, brisket, or really any large hunk of juicy meat, all the cutting boards I have don't have a large enough juice groove and they overflow and leak all over the counter. If they somehow don't happen to overflow, they are so full they you either have to waste a bunch of paper towels to soak it up or end up spilling it all over getting it to the sink.

So, I'm looking for something first to eliminate that problem. I've found a couple ideas, but not sure I want to drop $200 on a wood board (would be easier to stomach if this one was end grain instead of edge) or if I really want another thinner bamboo board:

https://www.amazon.com/John-Boos-PM18180225-P-Reversible-Cutting/dp/B002L8BKJY?ref_=ast_sto_dp&th=1

https://www.amazon.com/Napoleon-70012-Commercial-Cutting-Stainless/dp/B00B7MTYT8

Anyone have either of these and absolutely love it? Or another good option I haven't located yet?

The second board I might be looking for is a decent plastic board for dealing with raw meat. I have a couple of these that work fine, but they've warped after running through the dishwasher. Anyone know a board that will handle the dishwasher alright and not dull knives. Or should I be avoiding the dishwasher altogether with these? The problem is after they warp a little, they spin all over the counter trying to use them.

[rickgregory]

I have 2 from Catskill Craftsman and they're excellent. End grain, very reasonable.

https://www.catskillcraftsmen.com/st...ND_BLOCKS.html is their direct link. They sell on Amazon too: https://www.amazon.com/stores/CATSKI...D?ref_=ast_bln

for plastic, the Hi Soft are lauded but... $$$. https://www.amazon.com/Yoshihiro-Hi-.../dp/B00N9CASRG

Personally, I just replace the cheap ones from the restaurant supply store. You can also hand wash with soapy hot water and, if you are concerned about contamination, keep a spray bottle of diluted bleach around.

[rickgregory]

glitchy - that's why I linked the one above. Sold out right now though. I just got a 16x12 one. End grain, groove, 1.25" thick... $34. https://www.catskillcraftsmen.com/st...281364%29.html

If you're willing to forgo the end grain, here's a 19x15 with groove for $75 https://www.catskillcraftsmen.com/st...281366%29.html

They're really hard to beat on price.

[glitchy]

Thanks for the info. The Catskill look nice and I’m still debating, but leaning towards a Boos since they do use maple or walnut over birch. Hi-soft looks cool, but I’ll buy 20 cheap plastic boards first as if a $150 plastic board warped I’d be ticked. I usually wash by hand, but wife sticks anything she can in dishwasher. I got her not to put pans and good knives in there, so gotta take what I can get.

[rickgregory]

Dude, you're using beat up plastic They do use some maple but it's a lot of birch. I don't think there's a difference in performance. For $34 I'd encourage you to try one out and see if you like wood at all. There's also a LOT of decently made wood cutting boards out there. I landed on Catskill because I wanted a large board for working with dough and got a 22x17x2 endgrain board for $85.

PS: NO DISHWASHER. For any wood board. If that's a deal-killer just replace the plastic.

[CaptainMike]

I have an 18" x 24" Catskill my sister gave me that does the job nicely, check out their site.

Also, many hardwood lumber suppliers offer pre-glued slabs (basically wood countertops) that you could easily adapt with minimal tools. Or if you have more than minimal tools and talent, or know someone who does, a simple butcher block is about as easy of a woodworking project as it gets.

https://www.catskillcraftsmen.com/store/p115/Pro_Series_-_Reversible_with_Groove_%281321%2C_1322%2C_1323%29.html

[rickgregory]

COPYCAT!

[RonB]

Boos has a great reputation.

[Skip]

I have a few of these Epicurean Cutting Boards and like them a lot. I've never put them in the dishwasher but I believe you could if you wanted. Note that these are not the beautiful cutting boards like Spinaker and others on this site have made.

https://www.epicureancs.com/product-category/cutting-boards/

[Spinaker]

Yeah i have to drive 4 hours to make them, so it takes time to make them. Sorry. Steve B

[Steve B]

Spinaker No worries my friend 👊

[skipsdaughter]

I was coming to say this. I use my epicurian for almost all of my prep -- I like how it works and haven't noticed issues with my knives because of the cutting board.

[Donw]

Mine are from Brooklyn Butcher Blocks. They were highly recommended on Serious Eats and on some of the professional chef boards so I made the plunge and am really satisfied by the quality and build. https://www.brooklynbutcherblocks.co...ions/end-grain

[glitchy]

Those look great, but too pricey for me.

[bardsleyque]

The Boos looks nice, but is 18" large enough for a full packer?

[glitchy]

That’s part of the dilemma, picking the perfect size too. Most packers I do are 11-15, so post cook would usually fit. I usually separate and cuts the point on another board or slice up part of flat and move that to a tray. I think the 24x18 jumps to $250.

[JakeT]

I have a Boob block 24x18x2 that I love. For cutting anything raw or when carving, I use thin HDPE mats as a cover of sorts. Works great.

Extra Large Black Cutting Board Mats 4 Pack, NSF Certified HDPE for Restaurants, 24x18 Inch https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07VNJFRZY...R77MMB5Z?psc=1

[glitchy]

Interesting idea with the ‘covers’ especially for raw. I’m not sure about a Boob block, sounds like I could dig the hole deeper with the wife getting something called that.

[JakeT]

glitchy good point...not sure a boob block would work well in the least. A boos block however...those work great!

[Steve B]

I have two Boo’s boards. A smaller one for everyday use and a large one for bigger cooks. Have had them for over a year now and so far I really like them.
They are heavy, but what would you expect from a 2” thick block of wood.
For prep work I have a few,IDK, plastic? cutting boards. They serve their purpose.

Oh and glitchy you have a dishwasher? What’s her name? 😂

[glitchy]

I call her Martha, but her tag here is Panhead John. She needs to visit this thread anyway to see how posts of significant numbers can come and go like any other post.

[MBMorgan]

... and then there's the KISS solution (using stuff already on hand). Just set your cutting board on a couple of wet paper towels (to control slipping) in a large-enough sheet pan. You may need to set something under the board to elevate it a bit so that you're not hitting the edges of the sheet pan with your knife.

[glitchy]

I actually throw a silicone mat under a couple that spin when I remember. A couple of the plastic ones are getting pretty marred up and ready to be replaced is why I’m looking for better ones that are more affordable than Hi-soft. I don’t like when they start shredding the dish sponge. I don’t have a nice wood board yet, I bought a cheap Bamboo to see how I’d like having to oil it and such. So, really just now ready to invest in some that will last, versus the cheap stuff I’ve bought so far.

[glitchy]

Absolutely, great suggestions though, if what I had wasn’t just crap, for lack of a better word, to start with.

[Troutman]

Boos for show, plastic for dough.

That's my advice, take it or leave it, it's free.

[rickgregory]

If you're using plastic, try the $34 Catskill one I linked above. Wood has a MUCH better feel. Good wood is also easier on your knives. But NOT BAMBOO which is too hard. I mean, this assumes you have and care about decent knives. If not... well... let's talk

[glitchy]

My most expensive cutting board so far is $20. I do have a bamboo board, but most are plastic, Gorilla, Dexus, and Pampered Chef flexible sheets along with a couple others that were either $5 at Target or came with something else. I am still thinking about that Catskill or one of the Boos Maple edge grain Au Jus boards. I didn't realize that Bamboo was hard on knives, that might explain why a couple blades really seemed to fall off fast recently. Guess I'll have a Bamboo serving platter now.

[rickgregory]

I mean, a lot of this is about feel and if you have good knives, preserving their edge. Cutting on endgrain wood feels a lot better than plastic to me. But you're talking to a guy who's spend a few hundred dollars on Japanese knives and water stones.

I honestly don't think there's much wrong, for a home cook, in using plastic. Yeah, a bit rougher on the edge of a knife, but they're not bad. Chefs cut so much that the difference matters - most of us don't.

[gilbertpilz]

I saw this on an episode of "Shark Tank": https://firehousechefky.com/

I have no idea if it actually works or not. I see a couple of things that could potentially go wrong (e.g. juice flowing between a gap between the board and the cup) if they weren't careful about avoiding them. In any case, it is an interesting idea that, if it works, seems like it would solve the "juices overflowing the inadequate groove" problem you mentioned.

[glitchy]

That was one of the things I saw that made me think I need to quit messing with juice running everywhere. Reviews of it in the wild seemed pretty mixed.

[Loren]

I bought a Hi-Soft, the 18x24ish size from MTC trading.

https://mtckitchen.com/tenryo-hi-soft-cutting-board/

I like it, it's easy to remove cuts from, and it was cheaper then an end grain board with less maintenance - I've also got a 4" thick butcher table...so I get my fill of regularly oiling a cutting "board".

[glitchy]

Definitely something to keep in mind down the road, looking for a nice board with juice control first, so probably can’t do both that and one of these for prep work right now. I might try to find a really small one though soon to try for a while before committing to a big one.

[Loren]

That is one area the Hi Soft boards are lacking - though if you get a big enough board.... 😎

They (MTC) has some smaller black boards that are much more reasonably priced for basic meal prep stuff.

[Polarbear777]

The boos one is good but mine came very dry and seems to need way more oil than others. Don’t know why. I got a larger size and it handles a packer and all the juice pretty well.

[glitchy]

Do you know what model and size you have?

[Polarbear777]

18x18 one with the drip pan.