Historically, a butcher block is a heavy-responsibility piece of thick wood, on which a butcher would chop and cleave large items of meat. The wood had to be extremely robust and capable to endure vigorous and typical use with out getting to be badly destroyed. It also required to be effortless to sustain and shouldn’t harbor microorganisms. In modern day houses, the expression butcher block is most frequently used to refer to a particular type of countertop: 1 that is manufactured from thick wooden. They do need typical upkeep, but they can also be sanded and dealt with so they are effortless to repair. They are also relatively low-cost to buy, when compared to several other supplies.
Beneath are six selections of wooden for a butcher block countertop or reducing board:
1. Maple
Maple is arguably the most commonly utilized wood to make butcher block. Challenging maple has a higher Janka hardness rating, about one,450 lbf. This is substantial ample that it won’t be easily ruined with standard use, but not so large as to routinely harm knife blades. It is foods-risk-free because it has near pores that won’t encourage bacterial progress, and this also means that it is tough to stain the surface area. Nonetheless, it does have some disadvantages. The mild coloration means that if the surface does stain, it will be clearly noticeable, and Maple costs a lot more than other timbers like beech and is inclined to some shrinking.
- Hard enough to resistant most scratches and knocks
- Soft enough that it won’t dull knife blades
- Close pores prevent bacteria build-up
- Doesn’t stain easily
- Pricey
- When stains do occur, they are highly visible
- Prone to shrinkage
2. Beech
With a hardness rating of one,300 lbf, beech is marginally softer than Maple. This means that it is delicate on knives, but as a real butcher block it wouldn’t stand up to cleavers and typical, heavy use as nicely as some harder woods. It does have near pores, though maple is much more powerful at avoiding moisture and micro organism buildup, but beech is much less expensive. It is simpler to stain beech than maple, and this indicates that you will have to wipe up and obvious up swiftly simply because beech, which has a great heat glow, is mild ample that stains will display up prominently.
- Cheap to buy
- Gentle on knives
- Reasonable bacteria and moisture resistance
- Stains show up
- Prone to shrinking
- Can become damaged with heavy use
3. Walnut
While not quite spongy, walnut’s hardness rating of 1,000 lbf signifies that it is a good deal softer than any other wood on this record. That will safeguard knives, but it also can make it easy to dent and scratch. Knife marks will present up. It also has medium pores, which means that more arduous cleaning is necessary with walnut when in contrast to beech and maple, but walnut is significantly less probably to shrink above time and the darker shade of this wood indicates that stains are more easily concealed in the grain.
- Darker color hides stains better
- Soft wood won’t damage knives
- Less prone to shrinking
- Easily damaged because it is soft
- Medium pores mean regular and efficient cleaning is required
4. Teak
Teak has a hardness rating of 1,a hundred and fifty lbf, which is somewhat greater than walnut but nonetheless lower than maple and beech. Despite this, it does have a higher silica content, which implies that knives may still blunt with typical use. Teak shrinks considerably less than other options, but it does have big pores and these can attract dampness, microorganisms, and even extremely little items of meals waste, so you will have to clear frequently. Even so, it has a dark colour that does a good job of hiding any stains that do occur.
- Dark color hides stains
- Not prone to shrinking
- Warm color looks attractive
- Very expensive
- High silica content dulls blades despite being soft
5. Cherry
Cherry is turning into an ever more well-known butcher block materials decision because of its subtle purple coloration, which deepens as it ages. American cherry only has a hardness ranking of 950 lbf, so might be greatest for people kitchen consumers that really don't routinely cleave big items of meat. It has a tight pore structure so will not keep bacteria easily, and won’t stain effortlessly, and it tends to be less expensive than walnut. Cherry wooden is more challenging to arrive by than a great deal of the other choices, nevertheless.
- Nice red color that becomes increasingly prominent with age
- Tight pores help prevent bacteria
- Shouldn’t damage knife blades
- Soft so can be easily damaged through heavy knife use
- Difficult to get hold of
6. Bamboo
Bamboo is not really a wooden, but it is becoming an increasingly popular selection in butcher block and countertop building. It is environmentally pleasant, and it is dense, which indicates that it has limited pores that will not effortlessly maintain moisture or germs. It has a hardness ranking of about one,three hundred lbf which several take into account to be the sweet place due to the fact it won’t injury most knives and is hard to damage alone. It can be an expensive choice, but its durability and effortless routine maintenance make it a sound decision.
- Environmentally friendly
- Hard enough to withstand knife use
- Soft enough that it won’t be easily damaged
- Tight pores prevent bacteria and moisture buildup
- Quite expensive
- Quite light so stains will show up
Woods To Avoid
As well as woods that are regarded advantageous for a butcher block, there are people that ought to be avoided. Pine can impart a taste, which may possibly be pleasurable in some meals, but you will not want every food to taste of pine wooden. Ash and pink oak are open porous, which signifies that they can be hard to hold thoroughly clean and they will harbor humidity and micro organism. Oak, in general, is not only easily stained but can respond with steel to generate all-natural stains, also.
Can You Use Pine For Butcher Block
Pine is low-cost and simple to operate with, but it is also gentle adequate that it will be easily broken by cutting and knocking. Nevertheless, it is non-harmful, so it is regarded as safe for use as countertop, and if you are going for lower price and visible charm for a butcher block countertop and will nevertheless use chopping boards on top of the device, it could be a great substitute.
How Do You Make Butcher Block Waterproof?
Usually, it is secure to use mineral oil to treat a butcher block. It is used generously and authorized to soak in. You will need to have to do this a number of times in excess of the initial thirty day period and then regular monthly thereafter, but this will offer some degree of waterproofing, relying on the variety of wooden utilised.
Butcher block can refer to the standard chopping board or to a style of countertop. In possibly circumstance, if you are looking for an appropriate wooden, you require to first think about how you will use the butcher block.
If you will be cleaving meat and employing knives immediately on the butcher block, the wooden should be challenging adequate that it will face up to this use without having becoming badly ruined.
If it is to be utilized largely for attractive reasons, as a countertop, and you will nevertheless use a chopping board to do any chopping, you have a broader option of suitable woods.
Typically, even so, maple is the most common and popular decision. Bamboo, even though not strictly a wooden, is also a extremely great different due to the fact it is not only tough but it is a more sustainably sourced content.
Highlighted Graphic Credit history: MikhayLovskiy, Shutterstock
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