Wood Species To Use In The Kitchen, The Good And The Bad.

Though all wood is amazing, some species are better than others for kitchen use. There are a few things to consider here:

• Safety and toxicity of the wood itself. As a general rule you don’t want wood with a dark color or a strong scent. Learn more HERE.

• Hardness. As you may guess, softwoods like pine, cedar and spruce are not ideal for cutting boards. You want something that is hard enough to hold up to daily use, but not so hard that it’s going dull your knives too quickly. Learn more HERE.

• Availability and price. In North America the common, commercially available hardwoods are – Oak, Ash, Maple, Cherry, Walnut, Alder, Hickory, Poplar. Learn more Here.

When all of these factors are considered, the three species that make the best cutting boards in this part of the world are: Cherry and Sugar Maple.

Cherry - The softest of the three wood species that we offer with a hardness of 950, cherry is often preferred by cooks using very sharp, fine knives such as Japanese blades. The softer wood is gentler on the knife edge, and while the cutting board will show more marks and wear, the trade off is less sharpening and a longer lived knife. Cherry wood starts off with a pink color and over time darkens to a brown patina.

Sugar Maple - Also known as hard or rock maple, has a creamy, tight grain and a hardness of 1450, right on the upper edge of hardness for cutting boards. This is from the same trees that are used to make maple syrup. When the trees have exhausted their syrup making days, they are cut for lumber. When you pick up a maple cutting board, you can feel the weight of this dense wood.