The Boardsmith Reducing Board Evaluation

I discovered my first wood slicing board at a thrift retailer whereas searching for my post-college house. It had a round burn mark on one aspect the place somebody set down a still-hot piece of cookware, however I liked all of it the identical. 

I saved it for just a few years till it cracked, regardless of my vigilant repairs. An undisclosed period of time later (don’t ask me how outdated I’m!), I began working at Critical Eats and commenced to put money into lots of our favourite merchandise. This included our longtime really helpful wood slicing board from The Boardsmith. It’s a far cry from my thrifted board, in the easiest way attainable. 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 Gained’t Injury Knives

The Boardsmith is a family-run enterprise in North Carolina that places the utmost care into its slicing 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 delivery, the boards are “given a soak in our pharmacy-grade mineral oil tank for 30+ minutes,” the firm says.

The tip-grain floor is extremely easy, and the boards are handcrafted out of hardwoods. And when you’re questioning why a Boardsmith appears 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 attenuate the variety of glue joints and to stagger the glue traces.” 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 most effective, most well-made, sturdy wood slicing board I’ve ever come throughout,” says editorial director Daniel Gritzer. “Even after years of wear and tear and tear—and actually, at occasions 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 lately examined The Boardsmith towards 13 different wood slicing boards, echoes this. “I’ve had my Boardsmith for practically 4 years, and I take advantage of it every day,” Grace says. “It is stood the take a look at of time—the floor is almost prefer it was after I first plunked it on my countertop: buttery easy and with out blemish. Not solely is it in pristine situation, but it surely retains my knives that method, too, guaranteeing they keep sharp for longer. This held true after I examined wood slicing boards, too—it blew my thoughts how another boards left knives uninteresting after just a few swipes.”

They’re Obtainable in Quite a few Sizes

We’ve lengthy really helpful The Boardsmith’s Carolina dimension (16 by 22 inches), which I personal and love. It’s enormous and also you’ll by no means run out of prep house. It’s additionally what we advocate when you’re searching for a carving board. That stated, I additionally personal the Butcher dimension (12 by 18 inches) and discover myself reaching for it extra usually. It’s nonetheless loads massive, however a lot simpler to clean in my sink. For one thing even smaller, we additionally advocate the charcuterie board.

Moreover dimension, The Boardsmith means that you can additional customise your board by including finger grooves, a juice nicely, and/or ft. These boards aren’t precisely gentle, so I do respect the finger grooves for choosing it up. In case you’re going to do any carving, a juice nicely is a should. And whereas ft 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 value it? 

Our reply is a convincing 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 endlessly with correct upkeep. 

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

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

Why We’re the Consultants

• Riddley Gemperlein-Schirm is the affiliate commerce editorial director at Critical Eats. She’s been with the positioning 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 slicing board for just a few years.