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Every cook has seen a cutting board that looks like a chopstick and has a little thirst for it. They are beautiful, of course, but they are also functional. Using small sticks will make your block more difficult to nick (which it requires not only decoration but bacteria), and simple your beloved knife. But because the frame wood must be made from many trees, it is often expensive. And so they’re perfect gifts for the chef in your life—a functional delight that they might not have been able to make themselves, but that they’ll appreciate every day when they use it.
A Boardsmith walnut end-grain is the board I’ve been using and saving money for the past year. Walnut trees, like most maples and fruit trees, fall into the sweet spot of dryness that is difficult to hide but easy on knives. It has a nice dark color, this one, walnut. His lowness makes it possible to cycle. And it makes me feel better every time I cook—like chopping up celery and the expensive stuff that used to hold me back. The chef in your life will feel the same way. Note that maple is a very expensive wood, as well Boardsmith is cost $50 less than peanuts. –Matthew Korfage
Other great cutting tools: If you don’t have room for a big ol’ butcher-block board, Steelport has a great solution. The Steelport SteelCore ($280) it’s a rare commodity: a real brainstorming board. It’s a very heavy but very thin board made of corn nuts on one side of veggies and daily preparation, a board that combines raw meat on the edge, and metal bars inside to resist heft and warp-all in a small enough package that’s easy to hide. I have never come across a more useful board, and it still looks great.
On the budget side, this Boos variable edge block it’s nice too (if it’s not as big as the cut wood), and it’s only $87.
