Best Boards For Your Kitchen

A few months ago I had a problem. I had just purchased a new great chef's knife, the one described below. I was noticing, however, that it needed honing after only one month of use. I took it back to the store to exchange it thinking that there was a flaw in the blade. My favorite kitchen store expert Tim, a former metal expert at DuPont turned personal chef and knife expert, asked me a simple question: what type of cutting board are you using? I told him that I had built my own rock maple butcher's block for the countertop. He asked, "Are you using that for more than just butchering and breaking down meats?" "Yes" I replied, "I use it for all my cutting needs." He slapped me in the face (gently of course) and pointed me to a set of cutting board that I will never ever give up.

Epicurean, a company out of Minnesota, has created the best cutting boards on the market. They are eco-friendly, as they are created out of paper and 60% of the energy used to create them is renewable. The are dishwasher safe- as opposed to other wooden cutting boards, they are able to be run through the dishwasher without worrying about splitting. They are knife friendly- an Epicurean cutting board will score slightly, allowing for the blade to pass through the material and remain sharp. They are sanitary- unlike wood cutting boards that are porous and allow food bacteria under the surface of the board, Epicurean boards are nonporous thus earning the NSF (National Sanitary Foundation) approval. This means that you can break down chicken, wash the board with hot water and soap, dry it, and serve cheese and crackers on it. They are heat resistant- you can place hot pots and pans on them or use the smaller boards as trivets, for they will not burn or discolor. They resist smell or discoloration- again, as they are not porous, they do not absorb odor-causing bacteria or stain.

Overall, these boards are the best. Rest assured I was not offered free boards to say this, I blog for blogging's sake and for the betterment of the home cook. There are the standard set; a chef's set with juice groove on one side and flat surface on the other; a carving set for meats; a camping set made out of recycled material; a big block series for the Epicurean lover (my next purchase); and a trivet set among others. So go to your local kitchen store and check them out or go to the Epicurean website, EpicureanCS.com.

Best Value Product- Gripper series. It is the standard cutting board with rubber grippers on the corners for those of you who have stone countertops and cannot keep a cutting board still while chopping. 12x9 for $24.99, 15x11 for $29.99, and 18x13 for $36.99