# Cutting board dilemma, need some advice :)



## ptolemy (May 6, 2012)

Little background:
My kitchen is same size as a kitchen in a studio apartment in NYC. I have about 2x2ft working area. If I move microwave somewhere else, I may gain about 1x1 but it's in corner area, so not really going to be used for prep but more like storage.

I have a nice sani-tuff board that's 16x20 but 2 issues with it: it's heavy!!! and I can't clean it in kitchen sink because it's small and moving to the bathtub after use is ridiculous. I will have to cut it in 1/2 to fit.

My other cutting board is a 12 x 12 decent one. I don't know what it's made off but it's nice and soft (not bamboo). The reason I like it and it's my daily board is because it fits nicely in my space and being 1/2" thick I can wash it easily and then put it just above sink to store.

My other 2 boards (usually used for small mincing/etc) are bamboo and like 4x6 and maybe 6x8. They are small and very handy but are terrible for knives. 

I am trying to get 1-2 nicer knives this year as funds allow, but then why have nice knives and crappy boards....

So here is my dilemma:

1. I need 2 smaller boards (beside sani-tuff that I will cut), what is the best choice that will be gentle/good on knives? Ideally, I would like them to be light as I have to move them often. 
2. I have another nice bamboo board but it's end grain bamboo (made glued together 1"x1/2inch pieces perpendicularly). Can it be saved or bamboo = total lost cause for cutting boards? 
3. What's the best way to cut sati-tuff (manual saw)

Any other ideas/advice?

Thanks!


----------



## kalaeb (May 6, 2012)

Call David and have him make you a custom maple board, I believe his minimum thickness is 2 inches, which is still heavy, but probably lighter than the Sanituff.

Sanituff can be cut with a circular saw, jig saw, really any saw and the edges can be rounded. Sanituff boards are not bad, and can be trimmed to fit. I would toss the microwave, get rid of the "other" cutting boards, re-organize and try to get some more prep space.

I have never seen a kitchen that small, any chance you can take a pic, I am really curious.


----------



## SpikeC (May 6, 2012)

Get a bigger kitchen.


----------



## tk59 (May 7, 2012)

I have a 12"x12"x1.5" endgrain maple BoardSMITH. I like it for small kitchens/counters where I might have to move it out of the way. Otherwise, just get a cheap edgegrain board. They aren't bad. I also still have an old bamboo board. I can tell my edge doesn't last anywhere near as long on it but I do use it occasionally.


----------



## ptolemy (May 7, 2012)

Ok here are pics... The issue with microwave...lots of things sit on it/etc, so moving it won't really give me more work space since sink is interfering. 
Here is the kitchen... I have about a 1ft x 3 ft (deep) spot right of the stove but that's for my air pot + spices/grinders/etc....

2nd pic is of that (end-grain I suppose) bamboo board... it's nice with rubber feet/etc... But, i don't know if I can keep it and use with nicer knives...

Left kettle in for size


----------



## tk59 (May 7, 2012)

Get a folding table and use it as an island. Back in grad school, I was handed down a "game table." It's aobut 3'x3'. I still use it sometimes when I do a lot of prep and I have a lot of counterspace these days. Also, your bamboo board is edge grain.


----------



## GlassEye (May 7, 2012)

tk59 said:


> Get a folding table and use it as an island. Also, your bamboo board is edge grain.


+1

Or you could maybe put a board over the sink or stove, but you couldn't use that while the board is covering it. Is there any open space to put in a table for an island?


----------



## ptolemy (May 7, 2012)

tk59 said:


> Get a folding table and use it as an island. Back in grad school, I was handed down a "game table." It's aobut 3'x3'. I still use it sometimes when I do a lot of prep and I have a lot of counterspace these days. Also, your bamboo board is edge grain.



I have a table I can use for prep, but I want to see if removing microwave will do anything. From what I see, likely not...

That bamboo being edge grain, does it help with it being softer perhaps and therefore gentler on the knives? Or is it still useless?


----------



## ptolemy (May 7, 2012)

GlassEye said:


> +1
> 
> Or you could maybe put a board over the sink or stove, but you couldn't use that while the board is covering it. Is there any open space to put in a table for an island?


Not at all... to the left there is a fridge JUST fits and then windows and to the right oven, then 1ft for tools and another wall... 

if I was to put table behind me(oven) i'd have to move it anytime I have to walk, so it's not an option.


----------



## geezr (May 7, 2012)

The BoardSMITH board shown in pic is 12x12x1.5 Cherry with-out feet. 
Used daily, edge friendly, easy to wash and dry. always out, leans on the wall.


----------



## Eamon Burke (May 7, 2012)

When I got my Boardsmith, I measured my counter and got the biggest I could fit. You should do the same, even if it's only 8x8.


----------



## Seth (May 7, 2012)

The bamboo board looks like edge grain from here...


----------



## ecchef (May 7, 2012)

Can you get your tools in drawer & put up a shelf for the micro?


----------



## tk59 (May 7, 2012)

ptolemy said:


> ...That bamboo being edge grain, does it help with it being softer perhaps and therefore gentler on the knives? Or is it still useless?...


Well, useless is a harsh word. It looks like a great presentation board.  Seriously, there's nothing wrong with bamboo. You edged just won't last anywhere near as long. I'd say, if you're careful and you edges are more on the toothy side, you can get a fair amount of use out of an edge. I once put a very fine edge on a knife and Pesky killed it in about 10 seconds on a bamboo board. The edge was okay structurally but the teeth were just gone.


----------



## heirkb (May 7, 2012)

You have a double sink? In NYC? Maybe you could use one of the sinks for a cutting board. Get a custom one that'd fit or cut your SaniTuff to fit right in there; put something in the sink to keep the board elevated, and you're good to go. That'd be my ideal set up since you wouldn't have to move the board to wash it. Then you could move it if you really needed the sink space.


----------



## Deckhand (May 7, 2012)

I have a boardsmith maple magnum. Don't know how I survived before I got it and i use it daily. Glad I have the extra board space. I am lucky I have the the counter space for storage,but if there is somewhere to store it you would be fine. When I use it I always put it on my dining room table with some bowls by it anyway.


----------



## SpikeC (May 7, 2012)

How about a pull out board under the counter? Works like a drawer, only it's a cutting board.


----------



## Johnny.B.Good (May 7, 2012)

SpikeC said:


> How about a pull out board under the counter? Works like a drawer, only it's a cutting board.



Good idea Spike.

I've seen this in a friend's apartment and it works well (enough).


----------



## slowtyper (May 7, 2012)

I have a slightly larger kitchen in my apt (but only one sink....i'm jealous!), and an island woud be good if you have room for it. You could get something tat houses the microwave underneath the island plus storage. What I use is a "portable" apartment dishwasher. Its got a flat top level with my counters which is the most useful space I have.


----------



## slowtyper (May 7, 2012)

I do not like the pull out cutting board much. We had one in our house a long time ago, and it was hard to clean the board itself and food often would fall down into cracks that nobody would like to clean.


----------



## Johnny.B.Good (May 7, 2012)

slowtyper said:


> I do not like the pull out cutting board much. We had one in our house a long time ago, and it was hard to clean the board itself and food often would fall down into cracks that nobody would like to clean.



Not ideal, but when you have this little room to work with...


----------



## ptolemy (May 7, 2012)

That draw below sink is fake (it doesn't open)

Yes, it's dual sink with left holding all the places/forks/etc and since no other place for them, not much I can do about it either.

I am thinking of measuring sometime next week and then cut/etc then.


----------



## tk59 (May 7, 2012)

SpikeC said:


> How about a pull out board under the counter? Works like a drawer, only it's a cutting board.


Eh... We have one of those. It's probably as old as the house and clearly, it had molded over more than once, very, very yucky and I'm not even close to a germophobe.


----------



## Pensacola Tiger (May 7, 2012)

Since you have a double sink, why not get a board sized to fit over one sink? I'm sure David (The BoardSMITH) can make one that will fit and give you the maximum usable area. But try out the concept first with your bamboo board. Glue or screw some blocks of wood underneath so that it won't move around. I'd say it was worth trying.


----------

