I am planning on getting a new higher end cutting board and want some advice.
my understanding is the best boards are “endgrain only” and pretty thick, I also realise I need to oil this thing once in awhile.
suggestions? tips?
True, but there are perfectly respectable boards which are not end-grain. At any rate your board manufacturer or shop should have detailed advice. I think food-grade mineral oil is what you’ll want to treat the board initially and for maintenance. It’s not hard; dump some on the board, let soak in, wipe excess away. Your board may “drink” a lot initially, but this is fine. Incidentally, mineral oil can also be used to treat wooden knife handles or other tools.
To help eliminate odors that the board may absorb, wipe it down with white vinegar after each use. It gets rid of smells, cleans the surface, and won’t add any chemicals to foods you prepare on it later.
Agreed. The end grains are best for chopping with cleavers, because they are resistant to splitting. If you like woodworking, they are fairly easy to make, just a lot of gluing. If you are carving, then face grain is fine.
Mineral oil is the key; don’t use oils that may be toxic (for obvious reasons). As to how often to oil, the rule of thumb I have always heard: “Once a day for a week, once a week for a month, once a month for year, and once a year for life.”
Do as I say, not as I do…
Be careful using wooden utensils, cutting boards, etc. for meats. Wood is notorious for trapping bacteria. I use my wood boards for vegetables and herbs, and use a plastic (don’t know what the material is called) for meats because they can go into the dishwasher.
I have a plastic cutting board for meats, wash it and hit it with a couple squirts of bleach water after every use.
thanks for the pointers so far 
I have a Sani-Tuff rubber cutting board that I can highly recommend. They’re a solid slab of rubber. The advantages of a rubber cutting board are that it won’t crack or splinter, it doesn’t absorb liquids or odors, it doesn’t damage the knife edge, doesn’t harbour bacteria like some boards do, it’s reversible and I can resurface it by a little sanding.
Huh - didn’t I hear that wooden cutting boards were naturally antibacterial (to an extent, anyway), so that you could use them pretty much without fear as long as you also applied general cleaning principles as well? I thought I read somewhere that certain woods will a) seal themselves, so cuts on the surface weren’t as big an issue as originally thought and b) contained traces of certain chemicals that, while harmless to humans, were incompatible with bacteria. Anyone know?
Be sure to stay away from glass - apparently it’s too hard and can damage your knives (that as well as being prone to shattering, too). You need something that’ll give a little and accept your blade.
Yeah, I remember seeing something on TV that demonstrated that when two cutting boards (one plastic, one wood) were left unwashed overnight, the bacteria count on the plastic one was significantly higher than on the wooden one.
'Kay - exercised some Google Fu, and reports are mixed. Some say wood are antibacterial, some say that bacteria can be pushed inside the surface to lay dormant and contaminate other foods. Here’s a site with a good summary, and links:
Reluctant Gourmet - Wood or Plastic?
Bottom line - keep 'em clean, regardless of which you use, and Bob’s your uncle.
And two more questions (hee, just bought my own high end butcher block not too long ago):
Where does one get food grade mineral oil? Grocery store? Big box home improvement store? Specialty cooking store? I have to go to the grocery today, if I can pick it up there I’d love it.
How’s about these bamboo ones? Anyone have one? They’re georgeous, but really hard. I’m wondering if they’re too hard (like glass). Anyone know?
I wasn’t getting into which was more or less conducive to bacteria, just that there would be bacteria, especially with meats. Instead, I was addressing which cutting board could be thrown into the dishwasher without harm. I have no problem putting the plastic one in, but I will only hand rinse the wood one; I’m sure that the dishwasher would quickly destroy it no matter how well it was oiled.
I have a bamboo board. It is harder than wood, but not at all glass-like; there are small scratches and scores from the knife at this point. I like it a lot.
A drug store is your best bet (It’s sold as a laxative).