There seems to be a million single-use kitchen gadgets to solve all your problems. I’m a big fan of Alton Brown‘s theory on kitchen tools, the only single-use tool in the kitchen should be a fire extinguisher. Of the tools I use the most, a cutting board is near the top of the list. A quick note about cutting boards, they hold true to the old saying bigger is better. I see friends use these super small cutting boards, mostly because they are easy to store or are cheap and wonder how the hell they manage. Your cutting board should be at least as big as your biggest knife diagonal on it. I personally prefer end grain butcher block style boards, without the grooved channels as seen in the photo above, but everyone has a preference.
The biggest problem with nearly any consumer grade cutting board is that they are thin and don’t weigh a lot, because they are meant to be stored off the counter when not in use. Because of this they can slide around while you’re working on them, especially if there’s a little water or oil on your counter top, causing an unsafe working environment. A quick fix can be made with non-stick shelf liner, a more green alternative to wetting some paper towels and putting them down and throwing them away after your done. Best of all, it’s usually at the dollar store, or at nearly any discount store like Big Lots for a few bucks. It can be cut to any size you want, washed and if it tears, cheaply replaced. Several other sites also suggest placing kitchen towels under a cutting board, my experience is that the towel is always too big, has to be folded so many times that it makes the cutting surface unstable.
The photo used above also showcases my favorite knives, Global. Hands down, one of the best investments you can make in a kitchen is a quality chef knife. There’s little need for a 27 piece knife set, one good chef knife will do 90% of the work you need to do in the kitchen.
