The Boardsmith Slicing Board Assessment

I discovered my first wood reducing board at a thrift retailer whereas looking for my post-college condo. It had a round burn mark on one facet the place somebody set down a still-hot piece of cookware, however I cherished all of it the identical. 

I saved it for a number of years till it cracked, regardless of my vigilant maintenance. An undisclosed period of time later (don’t ask me how outdated I’m!), I began working at Critical Eats and commenced to put money into a lot of our favourite merchandise. This included our longtime really useful wood reducing board from The Boardsmith. It’s a far cry from my thrifted board, in one of the simplest ways potential. After experiencing its high quality, I’m hesitant to purchase one other model’s boards ever once more. 

Why It’s Nice

They’re Meticulously Crafted and Sturdy, However Received’t Harm Knives

The Boardsmith is a family-run enterprise in North Carolina that places the utmost care into its reducing boards. It’s evident from the second you unpack a Boardsmith board: It’s coated in board butter and wrapped in paper to make sure it makes it to you unparched and excellent. Previous to transport, the boards are “given a soak in our pharmacy-grade mineral oil tank for 30+ minutes,” the firm says.

The top-grain floor is extremely clean, and the boards are handcrafted out of hardwoods. And in the event you’re questioning why a Boardsmith seems to be cohesive and fewer like a checkerboard, it’s as a result of The Boardsmith makes use of a “distinctive ‘Carolina slab’ sample of huge sections of hardwood to reduce the variety of glue joints and to stagger the glue strains.” This lessens the probability of cracks from weak seams. 

These boards aren’t simply kind, although. They’ll maintain up for years of hardcore chopping. “I have been utilizing The Boardsmith for years now, each at work and residential. It’s by far the perfect, most well-made, sturdy wood reducing board I’ve ever come throughout,” says editorial director Daniel Gritzer. “Even after years of wear and tear and tear—and actually, at instances flat-out abuse and neglect—there’s not a crack or fissure or signal of something even suggesting probably the most minor of failures. These boards are true beasts and completely well worth the price ticket.”

Commerce editor Grace Kelly, who not too long ago examined The Boardsmith in opposition to 13 different wood reducing boards, echoes this. “I’ve had my Boardsmith for practically 4 years, and I take advantage of it each day,” Grace says. “It is stood the check of time—the floor is almost prefer it was after I first plunked it on my countertop: buttery clean and with out blemish. Not solely is it in pristine situation, nevertheless it retains my knives that means, too, making certain they keep sharp for longer. This held true after I examined wood reducing boards, too—it blew my thoughts how another boards left knives boring after a number of swipes.”

They’re Obtainable in Quite a few Sizes

We’ve lengthy really useful The Boardsmith’s Carolina dimension (16 by 22 inches), which I personal and love. It’s big and also you’ll by no means run out of prep area. It’s additionally what we advocate in the event you’re on the lookout for a carving board. That mentioned, I additionally personal the Butcher dimension (12 by 18 inches) and discover myself reaching for it extra typically. It’s nonetheless a lot giant, however a lot simpler to clean in my sink. For one thing even smaller, we additionally advocate the charcuterie board.

Moreover dimension, The Boardsmith permits you to additional customise your board by including finger grooves, a juice effectively, and/or toes. These boards aren’t precisely mild, so I do recognize the finger grooves for choosing it up. If you happen to’re going to do any carving, a juice effectively is a should. And whereas toes imply the board received’t be reversible, they’re non-slip and assist the board simply dry out after washing. I extremely advocate including them.

FAQs

Is The Boardsmith price it? 

Our reply is a powerful sure. Our testing and long-term use present that The Boardsmith’s high quality and craftsmanship are unparalleled. Whereas the boards are costly, they’ll final ceaselessly with correct upkeep. 

What’s the greatest thickness for a wood reducing board?

The Boardsmith boards are two inches thick. This thickness provides to their longevity, serving to to stop warping and cracking over time.

Why We’re the Specialists

• Riddley Gemperlein-Schirm is the affiliate commerce editorial director at Critical Eats. She’s been with the location since 2021 and beforehand labored for America’s Check Kitchen and Food52. 
• Riddley’s been testing gear professionally for greater than six years. 
• She’s owned her Boardsmith reducing board for a number of years.