All real kitchens should have cutting boards of some sort; from your most basic plastic board through newer bamboo cutting boards or regular wooden boards all the way up to butcher block cutting boards. But the ultimate in cutting board technology, the thing reserved for serious chefs, are butcher block countertops.
These, as the name implies, are large slabs of butcher block built right into the surface of your countertop. They come in all types of different woods from Cherry to Walnut to Brazilian to Maple and other more exotic woods including Birch Brazilian cherry, heart pine hickory, Teak Brazilian walnut, Brazilian teak Brazilian, Brazilian mesquite Brazilian, and Koa Brazilian mesquite just to name a few.
The only problem with butcher block countertops is that they can be incredibly expensive ranging from several hundred dollars all the way up to several thousand dollars or more depending on the size and finish of the wood.
You can find them at your local hardware store or you can use more fashionable companies such as the Williamsburg butcher block co, Michigan Maple block co. and John Boos (just to name a few popular brands).
Besides countertops, you can also get an island top version as well and many people find this easier to use and easier to keep clean and maintain. Just like any cutting board you will need to maintain your top with mineral oil or some other sort of oil finish to maintain the surface of your butcher block and keep it clean of contamination and rancid germs from meat and poultry as well as other items.
On the other hand, some people prefer simple butcher block tables instead of a kitchen island top or butcher block island tops as they’re sometimes called. These come in all different sizes and can work especially well if you have a nontraditional sized kitchen with an odd space that you need to fill.
Installation of a thick butcher block counter top should really be left to a professional unless you have a lot of experience with carpentry on your own, which I find most people don’t have. Your local hardware store can probably point you in the right direction for installation as they will probably know who works in your area.
I’m not really sure why butcher blocks are so much better to cut and chop on but for my money hands down they work better than just about any other cutting board surface on the market today and if you can afford it, and they really are very expensive, I highly recommend them. Make your kitchen a butcher block kitchen today!
