End Grain vs Edge Grain Cutting Boards

Rock a chef's knife through an onion on an end grain board and the edge slips down between the wood fibers instead of slicing across them, so the board takes the cut and closes back up a little. If you own a knife you care about, that's a real reason to want one. For most kitchens, though, I'd buy edge grain, and specifically the Teakhaus edge grain board: it takes a fraction of the oil, so you'll actually keep up with it.

What's the difference between end grain and edge grain?

It's the direction of the wood under your knife. An edge grain board is made of long planks glued side by side, so the grain runs along the cutting surface, like the boards of a floor. An end grain board is made of short blocks stood on end and glued into a checkerboard, so you're cutting into the ends of the fibers, the way you'd look at the rings on a tree stump.

You can usually spot end grain from across the room by that checkerboard pattern of little squares.

Is end grain really better for your knives?

Yes. On end grain the blade goes between the fibers rather than through them, which is easier on the edge, and the small cuts tend to close back up, which is why makers like Sonder call their boards "self-healing." On edge grain, every cut slices across the fibers, so the surface scores faster and the knife meets a bit more resistance.

How much that matters depends on the knife. I'd care a lot more under a thin Japanese gyuto than under a $30 stamped chef's knife you sharpen every few months. Even on the gentlest board an edge dulls eventually, and a knife sharpener brings it back.

For a good knifeSonder Los Angeles Alfred Cutting BoardEnd grain black walnut, made in the USA, on rubber feet with a juice groove and three wells.

Check price on Amazon$179.99 as of 8:54 AM ET

Why end grain needs more care

The flip side is water. Those upright fibers suck it up like straws, and America's Test Kitchen (ATK) had one end grain board drink water so fast it could barely be blotted dry. That's how they crack. Each block swells while it's wet and shrinks as it dries, pushing and pulling on the glue joints around it until they let go.

Oil keeps the water out, and end grain needs a lot of it. In ATK's tests, end grain boards took in 26.5 grams of oil per treatment on average, against 6.6 grams for edge grain. One end grain board drank 47.3 grams, and ATK figured it could have taken more. ATK's favorite board, the Teakhaus edge grain, needed just 3.3 grams, because teak is full of its own oils.

How often isn't that different: Sonder says every two to three weeks for its end grain walnut, Teakhaus about twice a month for its edge grain teak. The difference is how much each session takes, and how fast an end grain board gets into trouble when you forget. Wash either one by hand and towel it dry right away.

Neither one ever goes in the dishwasher. And to be fair to end grain, ATK also found that the well-made end grain boards from careful workshops came through in near-perfect shape, while a few cheap edge grain boards split too. So buy a well-made board and dry it after washing; that counts for more than which way the grain runs.

What the difference costs

Teakhaus makes the same teak board both ways in the same 20 by 15 by 1.5 inch size, which makes this easy to price: about $113 for the Teakhaus edge grain board, about $134 for the Teakhaus end grain block. That's roughly $20 more for end grain, plus the extra oil.

The gap widens as end grain gets thicker. The the Boos CCB is a 2.25-inch maple end grain block that weighs 21 pounds and costs about $296. At 21 pounds it stays put while you chop, but ATK found that past about 19 pounds people stopped carrying their board to the sink at all, so think about where you'll wash it.

Which wood is best for an end grain board?

Hard maple, walnut and teak all make good ones. Maple is the hardest of the three (1,439 on the Janka hardness scale, against 1,010 for black walnut and 989 for teak), so knife marks show last; walnut is dark enough to hide stains. Teak's natural oil means it asks less of you, and end grain needs all the help it can get. That's why, if you want end grain without the full oiling routine, I'd look at the Teakhaus end grain block before a walnut or maple one. Skip soft woods, which take the deepest knife marks.

For the board you'll chop on every night and don't want to think about, get the Teakhaus edge grain. For a good Japanese knife and a cook who'll oil a board every couple of weeks without being reminded, the Sonder end grain is the one to get. Already have a decent board? Keep it oiled and you don't need either.

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