7 Reasons to Use Handmade Wood Cutting Boards

Handmade wood cutting boards are functional and beautiful, bringing craftsmanship and elegance to your home or business. These timeless kitchen essentials offer many benefits and make great gifts for home chefs, professional chefs, dinner party hosts, culinary enthusiasts, new homeowners, and more.

Wood cutting boards provide a sustainable and food-safe alternative to other materials due to their natural antimicrobial properties and easy care and maintenance. Keep reading to learn more.

Why Use Wood Cutting Boards?

Wood cutting boards have been used throughout history and remain the preferred choice of professional chefs and home cooks alike. But what makes them so great? There are several reasons wood cutting boards are the best choice over other types of cutting boards.

Natural antimicrobial properties provide a healthy food prep surface

First, wood has excellent antimicrobial properties, meaning it naturally resists bacteria, mold, and fungi growth. The pores in the wood grain absorb moisture and pull it from the surface down into its fibers. Therefore, wood deprives bacteria of the moist environment they need to survive and multiply. Furthermore, wood contains natural enzymes that can break down and neutralize bacteria and microorganisms.

Wooden cutting boards are a sanitary prep surface used by home cooks, butchers, and professional chefs alike.

As a result, wood cutting boards naturally help prevent the growth and spread of harmful bacteria that can cause foodborne illnesses. The natural antimicrobial properties of wood help keep your kitchen environment clean and your family safe. 

Wood cutting boards are safer and more hygienic for food preparation than other materials like plastic. Plastic boards don’t share these properties, so they can quickly become unsafe breeding grounds for bacteria. 

Gentle on Knife Blades

When picking a cutting board, it is important to consider your knives. Cutting boards that are too hard, such as glass cutting boards, can quickly dull your knife blades and make cooking difficult.

Wooden cutting boards are great for food prep because they won’t dull your knife blades.

Wood cutting boards are gentle on your knife blades, preserving their sharpness and longevity. The slight give of wood fibers prevents excessive wear, ensuring your knives maintain their edge for longer periods, ultimately saving you money on sharpening or replacing them.

Unparalleled durability and longevity

Wood cutting boards are known for their exceptional durability and longevity. Wood is a naturally strong building material. With proper care, wood cutting boards can withstand heavy use without showing signs of wear and tear.

One reason for this is wood’s amazing ability to self-heal. When a knife cuts into the wood surface, the wood fibers can close up and seal the cut over time. This self-repair mechanism helps prevent deep grooves and cut marks in the board.

Easy Care and Maintenance

While they might initially seem intimidating, wood cutting boards are remarkably easy to care for. Simply handwash with mild soap and warm water and dry thoroughly after each use. Avoid submerging them in water for extended periods, as that can waterlog and damage the wood. Also, avoid using harsh cleaning agents, which can damage the wood. Never put them in the dishwasher. 

After handwashing and drying, apply a food-safe finish, such as Walrus Oil Cutting Board Oil or Wax, as needed. Periodically applying an oil or wax helps nourish the wood, protect it from wear, and maintain its appearance.

Easy to Refinish

If your board does get worn over time, it is nothing to worry about! One of the best advantages of wood cutting boards is their ability to be refinished. Over time, scratches and stains may appear on the surface, but a simple sanding and reapplication of oil or wax can restore your cutting board's original beauty and functionality. The thicker the original cutting board, the more times it can be refinished.

This characteristic makes wood cutting boards a lasting investment.

Eco-Friendly Swap

By choosing wood cutting boards over other materials, like plastic, you are making an eco-friendly swap that helps reduce waste and minimize your carbon footprint. Wood is a renewable resource that can be sustainably harvested, making it a more environmentally responsible option compared to plastic or glass cutting boards.

Uses scrap wood and reduces waste

Wood cutting boards are typically constructed of many strips of wood instead of just one solid piece. This construction adds stability, strength, and visual interest to the board. It also means that cutting boards are a great way to use up smaller scrap pieces of wood from other projects that are perfectly fine but too small to be used otherwise.

By supporting artisans who repurpose discarded wood, such as Scrappy’s Workshop, you help contribute to a sustainable, circular economy and minimize the demand for virgin timber.

Key Takeaways: Why Wood Cutting Boards are the Best Choice for any Kitchen

Wood cutting boards are the best choice for any kitchen because of many factors, including their natural antimicrobial and hygienic properties, superior durability and strength, gentleness on knives, easy maintenance, and timeless beauty and elegance.

Invest in a handmade wood cutting board today, and it will be your reliable kitchen companion for years to come!

If you want to learn more, here is another helpful article about how to choose the best cutting board for you.