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Which one should you buy?

Buy the biggest, heaviest edge-grain hardwood board your counter and sink can handle. It'll sit still, give you room to work and last for years.

I chop on wood for nearly everything that isn't raw meat. Wood has a little give, so your knife edge stays sharper for longer than it would on glass or stone. And a big, heavy board doesn't slide around, which means you can chop an onion without half of it rolling onto the floor.

A good board is one of those quiet things that makes cooking nicer every single day. It's also one of the few bits of kitchen kit that gets better looking with age, provided you treat it kindly.

Edge grain, end grain and why wood matters

Wooden boards are made from strips of wood glued together. How the strips face decides how the board behaves.

• Edge grain boards have the long sides of the strips facing up. They're stable, take less oil, and are lower maintenance. That's what the Teakhaus is.

• End grain boards look like a checkerboard, with the ends of the wood fibres facing up. The fibres part around the knife, so they're very gentle on edges, but they drink oil and are more likely to crack if you neglect them.

The wood itself matters too. Hard maple, walnut, cherry and teak are all good. Teak is naturally oily, so it resists water well and needs less looking after. The trade-off is that teak contains a little silica, which can wear your knife edge slightly faster than maple. It's still far kinder than glass or stone, but it's worth knowing.

Teakhaus Extra Large at a glance

What to look for in a wooden cutting board

• Go bigger than you think. A cramped board makes chopping harder and messier. Just check it fits your sink for washing.

• A good hardwood. Teak, maple, walnut or cherry.

• Weight. Heavy boards sit still. A damp towel underneath helps any board.

• Tight, even glue joints. Gaps and loose seams are where trouble starts.

• Edge grain for easy care, end grain if you love your knives and don't mind oiling more often.

The Teakhaus is big, heavy, well made and easy to look after. Just be honest with yourself about the weight: 15 pounds is a lot to lift into a sink every day.

Who it suits, and who should skip it

Good for you if

• You chop a lot and have a deep counter

• You want one board that stays put and looks good enough to serve on

• You want a board that needs little fuss

Skip it if

• Your kitchen or sink is small: get the Large size

• You have sore wrists or need to move it often: 15 lb is heavy

• You want a board for raw meat: use a plastic board you can put in the dishwasher

How to get the best from it

Keep it still

Even a heavy board can wobble on an uneven counter. A damp tea towel or a damp paper towel underneath solves it.

Use both sides

It's reversible. Keep one side for strong flavours like garlic and onions, and the other for fruit and bread.

Carving and serving

It's big enough for a roast chicken or a joint of beef to rest and carve. Cooked meat is fine on wood; it's raw meat I keep on plastic.

Looking after it

• Wash it by hand in hot soapy water, rinse, wipe it dry and stand it on its edge to finish drying.

• Never soak it and never put it in the dishwasher. Heat and water wreck the glue joints and crack the wood.

• Oil it when it looks thirsty. If it looks pale and dry, or water soaks in instead of beading on top, rub in a food-grade mineral oil, leave it overnight and wipe off the excess. Every few weeks is a good rule of thumb, but let the board tell you.

• Don't drown it in oil. Too much can weaken the glue over time.

• To sanitise or shift mildew, flood it with 1 tablespoon of unscented bleach in a gallon of water, leave a few minutes, rinse and dry. Faint marks can be sanded with fine 220-grit paper, then oiled.

The one rule

Keep it out of the dishwasher. Ten minutes in there can undo years of good care.

Questions people ask

Wood or plastic: which cutting board is more hygienic?

Both are fine if you clean them properly. I use wood for everyday chopping and a separate plastic board for raw meat, because plastic can go in the dishwasher.

How often should I oil a wooden cutting board?

When it looks dry or water stops beading on the surface. For most people that's every few weeks.

Is teak bad for knives?

Not bad, but teak contains a little silica that can wear edges slightly faster than maple. It's still much gentler than glass or stone. If you're very fussy about your knives, look at hard maple.

Can a wooden cutting board go in the dishwasher?

No. The heat and water will warp and crack it, and loosen the glue.

Edge grain or end grain?

Edge grain is easier to look after. End grain is kinder to your knives but needs more oil and more care.

Cook with it

Keep it happy with Chef's Mineral Oil, then learn to chop like a pro with my Knife Skills lesson.

Updated October 2026. Prices change often, so check before you buy.