Beautiful, functional
Beautiful, functional, and no nonsense. After spending 4 hours browsing cutting boards on Amazon I finally chose this and one other (scroll down for info.) I wanted a non-gimmicky hygienic functional board for cutting on. Specifically, I hate things like gutters, handles, little rubber feet, and anything else that could collect and harbor germs. This board is all that, and beautiful too! It's a good (smallish) size, it's reversible, and it's wooden. I have read somewhere that wood is actually better than plastic for your knives and sanitation, and bamboo is considered a good choice for many reasons. I do also like the thick maple cutting boards, but they are relatively expensive and heavy if those are issues to consider.The label is glued to one edge of the board, and I found that if you pull very very slowly and gently, all the adhesive will come off with the label. I mention this because I have read reviews of people who couldn't get the glue off, which would suck.I have read on some reviews that their bamboo boards were somewhat rough upon arrival, so I wasn't surprised that this one was. I just sanded it lightly with some fine-grit (240-ish) sandpaper before oiling. I use Spectrum Naturals Organic Refined Sunflower Oil, High Heat, 16 oz for the oil, which I bought locally. I don't like the idea of using mineral oil in my food prep, and I have found that this oil doesn't get sticky or rancid like some other vegetable oils. I applied the oil once a day for 3 days, and let it soak in between applications. I think if you wanted a solvent to get it to soak in faster, you could mix in some lemon oil, but it works fine without it if you have the time. I also use this same oil on my wooden knife handles and my wooden pepper grinder, etc. You can reapply the oil any time the wood starts to look a little dry.This review and advice also applies to the other board I bought: Ikea Aptitlig Cutting Chopping Board Bamboo 11 X 17.75" (Full Size). I bought two cutting boards so I could have one for meat and one for veg, but I really have four, since they are both usable on both sides. The Ikea board is longer, which is preferable to me, but I'm happy with them both.