Those who love to cook are familiar and specific about cutting boards. They know what they want for the kitchen. Even if you are new to cooking and cutting, you will need one cutting board for proper procedures in making your food.
It also saves your time and organizes the kitchen.
Is hickory wood good for cutting boards?
Yes, hickory wood is a good option for making cutting boards. There are even better options of woods, but hickory wood is perfect for long-term and heavy-duty use. If you want a cutting board with a rustic look and longevity, this is the one for you. Cleaning and curing make it more effective.
People prefer to choose durable equipment and utensils for kitchens. Because you use this place of the house daily for an important task, cooking.
Cooking involves a lot of activities. And cutting is one of them. A strong and durable cutting board can go a long way and help you in your daily chores.
Cutting boards of hickory woods are good for use. They are beautiful in terms of looks. These boards can make your work easy and fast. It saves a lot of your time and keeps your knife sharp.
Hickory woods produces very rigid cutting boards that can withstand a lot of pressure. You can use it frequently as much as you want. But clean it after every use.
Use water and soap to clean these boards. Do not soak them in soap water to clean them. It will reduce the durability of your board.
You can wipe it with mineral oils from time to time to keep it functional and effective. Mineral oils help hickory woods to cure better. It will retain the qualities of the wood and make it durable.
These boards are easy to make. You can make a hickory wood cutting board with basic skills at home with ease.
Some reason why you can/cannot use hickory wood for cutting boards
Cutting boards are essential for your kitchen. You use it the most in your kitchen regularly. So, they have to be durable, strong, and hygienic.
Hickory woods have their pros and cons. They make good cutting boards. Some reasons to use or not to use it for cutting boards are:
Why you can use hickory wood:
Ideal for Heavy-Duty:
These woods are very strong. They are similar to the strength of iron in the realm of woods. Hickory woods are firm and ideal for heavy-duty use. Cutting boards need this quality to last longer.
Durable:
The hardness and grain quality of hickory woods are higher. They are durable.
They have the quality of lasting forever. People pass down these cutting boards to their next generations as well.
Better Aesthetics:
Apart from the qualities of firmness and durability, these boards are beautiful in their looks as well. Hickory cutting boards add aesthetic value to your kitchen and give it a rustic vibe.
More Hardness:
There is a standard for measuring the hardness of woods. It is the Janka scale that calculates and decides which woods are stronger. Hickory holds the rating of 1820. It makes North America’s second hardest hardwood.
Why you cannot use hickory wood:
Open Grain:
Open grains have larger pores. This feature makes them less compatible for making cutting boards. Closed-grain woods are better for this purpose.
Expensive:
Apart from their merits, these woods are pretty expensive to buy. You cannot use it for cutting boards if you have a tight budget.
So that we can see the number of pros of hickory woods are simply double than their cons. There is no doubt, it might be an effective tool for your day to day work in the kitchen.
Is hickory an open grain?
There are different types of woods. Woods contain pores and grains. The ones with larger pores are known as open grain woods. You can see these pores. They are distinct and visible.
The closed grain woods have smaller pores. Hickory is not of the open grain kind.
Hickory is an open grain wood. It has straight and large grains. The texture of this wood is coarse. You have to smooth it out to use it for furnishing or making cutting boards.
The grains of hickory provide the wood with firmness and make it a lot stronger. This wood is in use for many purposes.
How to cut hickory wood for the cutting board?
Hickory woods are very durable. These woods provide support for a long time.
You can make cutting boards using this wood. The price of these woods is in a higher range.
To make a hickory wood cutting board, you have to cut the wood into wood strips at first. Then the strips are glued, joined, and screwed together to give the shape of a cutting board.
To cut the wood, you have to decide on the measurements of the wood strips first. You can cut them into one and a half-inch pieces of boards or strips.
Use a measuring tool or scale to measure wood boards. Then mark the sizes you are going to cut.
Place your wood and set it on an electrical saw machine. Cut the wood with the saw at the marked places by turning it on.
The number of wood strips you need will depend on the size of the cutting board you are planning to make.
How do you make a hickory cutting board?
Hickory is a premium quality wood. You can make cutting boards using this wood. The steps on how to make a hickory cutting board are:
Cutting:
First, you have to cut the wood into strips. Cut equal pieces of hickory wood boards with a saw. Check the measurements before cutting them. And make them equal.
Fastening:
Then, you have to glue the board pieces together. Use glue and screw for this purpose. Glue three wooden boards at a time and then screw them together.
Clamping:
Line up the boards taking three pieces at one time. Then wheeze these boards together with a wood clamp. It will cause the excess glues to come out and stick the board pieces together.
Wiping:
Wipe off the excess glues on the board joint after clamping. Otherwise, it will cause problems in the making of the cutting board.
Drilling:
Drill pilot holes for screws in your board beforehand. And apply glue in the remaining gaps. Then wipe it off using a wet cloth.
Sanding:
After that, you have to sand the glued cutting board. It is a crucial step. You have to be careful while sanding the cutting board. Maintain safety measures and handle the board with stable hands.
Grooving:
Then, make the liquid groove around your board surface according to your preference. You can use a router to do this.
You have to sand the board again after this step. It is to smooth out the board after grooving.
Seasoning:
Use regular plain mineral oil for the last step of curing your hickory wood cutting board. Rub the oil on the board and absorb it. Then, you can start using your cutting board.
What woods are safe for cutting boards?
Cutting boards are an essential piece of accessories in any kitchen setup. They are at the same time used as a cutting station, food preparing station, and sometimes even used as a serving station.
It is crucial to have a cutting board that is very durable and also safe to use. It brings us to a wide selection of wood for cutting boards. Some of them are listed below:
Maple Wood Cutting Board:
Maple wood cutting boards are very popular among professional chefs. It is because of their hardness. But they are not hard enough to dull a knife.
This wood is also more scratch-resistant than other commonly used woods. Both soft and hard maple wood is famous for making cutting boards. But hard ones are the industry standard among the manufacturers.
Walnut Wood Cutting Board:
These wood boards are usually softer than most hardwood cutting boards. As a result, you won’t have to worry about your knife getting dull.
However, these boards will get scratches faster, as they are comparatively softer. These woods are also very safe. They are not toxic at all.
Teak Cutting Board:
Teak cutting boards are hard in texture. It makes them better as they are scratch-resistant. However, they are known to dull knives due to their silica content. They are also more expensive than other wood boards.
But these boards are safe as they are food grade.
Cherry Wood Cutting Board:
Cherry woods fill all the categories for a better cutting board. It is heavy and dense to provide stability and firmness. These boards do not dull your knife. They are free of toxins as well and safe to use.
Final Thoughts
Cutting boards have to be strong and soft enough to cut and keep a knife sharp. Hickory wood boards serve these purposes. They are ideal for use in the kitchen regularly. They are easy to make and handle. And you can find various varieties of these cutting boards in the market.