End Grain vs Long grain

What’s the difference between end grain and long grain cutting boards?

Let’s start by identification: end grain cutting boards look like a checkerboard in the wood. With end grain, you are looking at the trees growth rings. Long grain cutting boards come in many varieties but generally they come in long strips or look like a “shrunken” dining room table. Cutting boards can contain either one or multiple types of wood.

Almost every professional chef on TV is using an end grain cutting board, but why?

More on end grain boards

• Self healing fibers hide knife marks

• They keep your knife sharper for longer

• End grain is much harder than long grain

• End grain is more resistant from staining

• Tend to be more expensive due to more time invested in each one

Envision a bunch of straws standing upright thats essentially an end grain board. When your knife makes contact, the knife goes between them. Over time those straws will pull back together again and most cut marks will disappear. With long grain, your knife would be cutting across the straws rather than in-between them. End grain boards are often more expensive than long grain because they are more labor intensive and use more wood. For some people the added cost is not worth the added benefits. In my own home I have multiple boards for different purposes. I tell all my customers to pick what works best for THEM! All wood has naturally occurring antibacterial properties that continue long after the wood is harvested. In any case, end grain and long grain cutting boards are far superior to any man made material like glass or plastic when fighting against bacteria.

For more information, check out this study by the University of Wisconsin.

We only use woods specifically designed to have the best fighting chance against bacteria!!