A cutting board is one of the most essential accessories that we use in our kitchen for cutting purposes. It has been a popular kitchen tool since the 80s in the Western hemisphere of the world.
In modern times, the cutting boards are the ones that have replaced the traditional long curved blades that were used for cutting purposes.
Although long curved blades are still used in many parts of the world, cutting boards are gaining popularity due to their working advantages and ease of use.
We often look for cutting boards which are long-lasting and do not get damaged easily, even after being extensively used for daily kitchen work. Thus, a durable cutting board made with strong wood is a necessity nowadays.
Now, let us discuss whether or not acacia wood can be used for cutting boards and also get to know some fascinating facts about acacia wood.
Can acacia wood be used for cutting boards?
Acacia wood can be used for cutting boards. Unlike regular woods, acacia woods are strong, durable, and long-lasting. They are incredibly water-resistant and are absolutely perfect for knife usage. Therefore, acacia wood can be most definitely used for cutting boards.
Chopping boards should be made with hardwood as they are long-lasting. Therefore, there could be no better choice than acacia hardwoods, which are just perfect for making cutting boards.
There are several reasons why acacia wood is becoming quite popular day by day all around the globe. Firstly, if we look into our glorious history, we will find that acacia has been a popular choice for its topnotch beauty and strength for heavy work.
Many of you must be thinking about the reasons behind acacia wood’s popularity in becoming an ideal choice among the manufacturers in making chopping boards, whereas there are enormous options like maple, oak, walnut, and cherry which are widely available.
To satisfy your curiosity, you should know that, unlike traditional hardwoods, acacia woods are very cost-effective in terms of manufacturing by the producers.
Besides, their prices are comparatively lower than the cutting boards made of other hardwoods in the market. Acacia woods are equally as eligible and durable in the kitchen just like the traditional hardwoods, but at a much more reasonable price than the traditional ones.
Therefore, acacia woods are a great substitute for making chopping boards, thus replacing the high-priced woods like maple and oak.
Is acacia wood good for cutting boards?
Acacia is most definitely a good choice for cutting boards. For a variety of reasons, they are one of the best options for manufacturing cutting boards.
The cutting boards that are made up of stainless steel, plastic or other hardware are usually preferred by many as they make less noise while we chop anything on them.
But one of the major drawbacks of these surfaces is that they will severely damage the sharpness of your knife. As these are some of the most sturdy and hard surfaces, they will damage the edge of your knife, making it dull.
Moreover, acacia cutting boards will never fail to satisfy your high-quality requirements as they are equally qualified as the high-priced woods like maple, walnut, or oak.
You will be getting all the satisfaction of a long-lasting and durable cutting board just for less than the price of maple or walnut.
Is acacia hard enough for cutting board?
Acacia wood is most definitely hard enough for cutting boards. You would be quite surprised to know how interesting and mysterious acacia woods are.
Whenever we think about hardwoods, the first and foremost thoughts that come to our mind are maple, walnut, or oak. Besides, acacia woods are quite negligible for us as we follow the trend and popularity, in which maples and oaks are our topmost choices.
However, you would be very surprised to know that acacia wood is even harder than maple wood. Thus, the cutting boards that are manufactured using acacia wood are very hard and strong, even more than the cutting boards made using maple wood.
Acacia woods have a hardness rating of 1750 Ibf (pounds-force), whereas maples have a hard rating of 1450 Ibf on the Janka scale. For those who don’t know about the Janka scale, it is a scale to measure the wood’s resistance after rigorous wear and tears.
Therefore, judging from its Janka scale rating and its comparison with a hardwood like maple, we can see that acacia wood is quite strong, durable, and hard enough for cutting boards.
Is acacia wood safe for food?
Acacia woods are completely safe for food. Because of their amazing versatility, they can be used as cutting boards as well as serving dishes for different occasions.
Many people believe that because wood is prone to bacteria, it is unsanitary and unfit for use in any kitchen. But that is not true at all. In fact, acacia wood is even safer than plastic. Plastic is quite prone to bacteria strike compared to acacia wooden surfaces.
On the other hand, it is proven by research that 99.99% of bacteria do not stay more than 3 minutes on cutting boards that are made up of acacia wood. Thus, acacia wood is completely safe for food and other kitchen usage.
Pros and cons of using acacia for cutting board:
Acacia indeed is good for cutting boards, but they also have few pros and cons, some of those have been given below –
Pros:
Long-lasting and water-resistant:
They are quite water-resistant and do not get damaged easily, even after rigorous sharp strokes from the knives. Thus, it does not get affected easily when it comes in contact with water repeatedly.
Besides, they are very strong, tough, and hard in nature. Therefore, they are quite long-lasting.
Lovely grain patterns with a smooth finish:
Acacia is mostly a closed-grained hardwood. These woods have very lovely grain and textural patterns. Besides, they have an incredibly smooth finish.
Thus, you won’t be needing any extra treatment for your cutting board because of the amazing richness and texture of this wood.
Easily accessible and requires little maintenance:
Starting from the Asian continent, acacia wood is found in almost all parts of the entire world. They can last for over 40 years without any protection or special treatment. They are naturally well-structured in every aspect and thus require very low maintenance.
Cons:
Excessive Heat Sensitive:
Acacia wood is mostly heat sensitive. They can’t seem to resist excess heat and temperature. Thus, it is better to keep away from areas with high temperatures.
Difficult To Remove Scratches:
Acacia wood does not get much affected by rigorous scratches. However, once there is a permanent mark on the wooden surface, it would be very difficult for you to remove it.
It gets dark over time:
Acacia wood might start to get dark over time if you continue keeping it directly exposed to sunlight and air. It slowly starts losing its natural hue and gets darker. If you keep anything hot on top of it, it might also darken that particular surface of the wood.
How to care for acacia wood cutting board?
The following tips will help you to care for your acacia wood cutting board –
Clean the wood with soap and water:
As previously mentioned, acacia wood requires very low maintenance. As a result, it does not need any special technique or materials to get cleaned up. You can simply use soap and water once in a while to clean your acacia board and take care of it.
Oiling:
It is very important to keep your acacia board well moisturized in order to keep using it for a long time and to ensure its life span. It would not only cover the dents but also make it look shiny and brand new.
Use white vinegar:
White vinegar comes in handy in order to clean acacia wood properly and to keep it safe from bacterial contamination. After using white vinegar, rinse it with lukewarm water and allow it to dry.
Is bamboo or acacia better for cutting boards?
Acacia wood is better for cutting boards than bamboo. There are several reasons why acacia wood is better than bamboo in every possible way to be used for cutting boards.
Firstly, bamboo is typically grass. They are the world’s biggest and tallest grass. Their surface gets easily damaged after multiple strokes of the knife. Moreover, bamboo is not water resistant and has a lack of natural oils due to which it is softer compared to acacia wood.
As a result, when you groove on it with knives, the edges of the knives will get dull. On the other hand, acacia wood has natural oils. Furthermore, they are water resistant as well, which means they are ideal for being used as cutting boards.
They can well endure the rigorous cuts from knives, keeping their edges unaffected for a long time.
Final thoughts
Acacia wood is an excellent choice for cutting boards. Acacia wood, unlike other woods, is sturdy, resilient, and long-lasting. These hardwoods are excessively water-resistant, making them ideal for knife use. As a result, acacia wood is an excellent choice for cutting boards.