jeffshoaf Posted July 17, 2021 Report Share Posted July 17, 2021 (edited) While i like the idea of a big butchers block style cutting board, I don't really have room for one built into a cart, a place to leave a board out, or the desire to move a heavy board in and out of a storage spot. I discovered Epicurean boards a few years back and they've worked well for me. They're made of a paper-based composite and are light, hold up well to use, are easy on knives, and (maybe) best of all, dishwasher safe. While not as decorative as a nice end-grain butchers block, they're pretty attractive and available in several colors. I highly recommend them even though they seem a little expensive for such a light weight board. I've needed a new carving board with a groove to catch juices but was hoping to find one on sale but haven't had any luck. I was about to give up and pay full price for one, but while looking at the options available on the Epicurean site, i noticed a link to their outlet store. While still not inexpensive, the offerings there are at a pretty good discount. The site indicates that the items in the outlet have cosmetic blemishes that don't affect the item's performance. Anyway, i ordered a good sized grooved board last week and it was delivered yesterday. I'm happy to report that i can't find any blemishes on it at all! If you're in need of a cutting board, carving board, serving tray, pizza/bread/pastry peel, I encourage you to check them out: https://epicureanfactoryoutlet.com/ Edited July 17, 2021 by jeffshoaf 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
C6Bill Posted July 18, 2021 Report Share Posted July 18, 2021 Good to know, thank you Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Syzygies Posted July 18, 2021 Report Share Posted July 18, 2021 (edited) I had some of those Epicurean boards, so I could wash the board in the sink after a quick task, without involving my butcher block counter. However, once I learned how to really sharpen my VG10 Japanese chef's knives, I'd notice all these little black specks in minced garlic. I was shredding the board. I switched to some equally thin bamboo boards for this purpose. I know they're hard on knife edges, but at least I don't end up eating the board. I have a nice end grain cutting board, for when I want to mince a few ingredients, again without involving my butcher block counter. It's my favorite board ever, worth the trouble to haul it out: Olivewood End Grain Carving Board However, for "cooking dinner" I use my entire counter as a cutting and staging surface. Two of our counters are made of rock maple butcher block. One is my wife's baking station. The other is my cooking station, by the stove. It overhangs, so one can attach an Atlas pasta maker, or a Venetian bigolaro, or a meat grinder. I added grooves so I can slide in a steam table pan to catch vegetable scraps for compost. Later, I wash and rinse the surface with a bench knife, scraping off the overhang into this same pan. I learned this from my French cooking teacher. Cooking is limited by what one can get done. If one can spread out, one can get more done. Recently I listened to both of Bill Buford's food books while driving or hiking, and he drove home the same message. Motion planning, efficiency is a huge part of being a professional cook. At home, I'm a better cook with this much room. Edited July 18, 2021 by Syzygies 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Syzygies Posted July 18, 2021 Report Share Posted July 18, 2021 Quote Over time, you may find that tiny particles from your cutting surface are appearing on food being prepared and sometimes can come off on something you use to wipe the product. This can occur due to the nature of the product and is more noticeable with our slate surface color. Your Epicurean® cutting surface is certified by the NSF (National Sanitary Foundation) to be non-toxic. I recommend you try using a fine grit (220 grit) sandpaper to smooth and resurface your board. This will decrease the likelihood of particles appearing in your food and give you a fresh, smooth surface for food preparation. We also sell a product called board butter, it isn’t necessary to use this on our products, but it will help keep the boards moisturized and looking new especially if you're using very sharp knives. https://www.epicureancs.com/product/board-butter/ Any surface you cut on, whether it be plastic, wood, or our material, will get particles in your food, but we want to ensure you our product is non-toxic and this is not harmful to you. The sanding should eliminate what you are experiencing. I hope this helps and that you are able to continue to use our products. Please let me know if there is anything else I can do to help you. I did write Epicurean four years ago about this; above is their response. I'd dispute the assertion that all boards are equally likely to do this, but their answer could nevertheless be helpful. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
5698k Posted July 18, 2021 Report Share Posted July 18, 2021 I’m “in” to hi end knives you might say..and the short story is that the preferred boards tend to be end grain, hinoki, and hi soft, which is a synthetic. There are many reasons to go with various types of boards, but with sharp, often expensive knives, what’s best for the blade is typically the priority. Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
braindoc Posted July 19, 2021 Report Share Posted July 19, 2021 Hasegawa! https://mtckitchen.com/search.php?search_query=Hasegawa§ion=content 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Syzygies Posted July 19, 2021 Report Share Posted July 19, 2021 (edited) On 7/18/2021 at 5:06 PM, braindoc said: Hasegawa! https://mtckitchen.com/search.php?search_query=Hasegawa§ion=content Yes! @5698k sent me down a rabbit hole at Korin only to see that Asahi Rubber Cutting Boards were out of stock. This board is a perfect size for spot use. My last international trip before the pandemic was a two week solo ramen crawl in Japan. My single best meal was “Shiru-Nashi Tantanmen” at King-Ken in Hiroshima, but otherwise I loved various evening Izakaya meals. I'd sit at the bar and watch chefs work. I love the knife work and the focus. Edit: Arrived! I'm using this all the time. I love the romance of wood, but this surface feels like a knife upgrade. Edited August 11, 2021 by Syzygies Arrived! 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
5698k Posted July 19, 2021 Report Share Posted July 19, 2021 Asahi are great boards, but I personally use hi soft..no particular reason…Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnnymnemonic Posted August 10, 2021 Report Share Posted August 10, 2021 (edited) I can confirm that epicurean cutting boards are decent. A friend gave us one for a wedding gift. It is the only cutting board that my wife and I have had our entire 13 years of marriage that we have not yet replaced. I think we are harder on the plastic ones and are quicker to throw them out, but the epicurean we have has held up for over a decade. The size of this one is not good for trimming / slicing large chunks of meat. We use this one for veggies. But I'd consider getting another (bigger) one based on how well this one has performed over the years. My wife isn't into nice knives so we haven't shredded the board. If I get into knives, I'll keep in mind that these are not really the best boards for my finer cutlery. Edited August 10, 2021 by johnnymnemonic 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
