John Boos Block RA03 Maple Wood Edge Grain Reversible Cutting Board, 24 Inches x 18 Inches x 2.25 Inches

I bought this in February (it is now mid September) and was wary due to some of the reviews, but decided to give it a go. I wanted a substantial cutting board that looked beautiful for every day use and could stay on the counter. The size has been perfect for everything from watermelon to the meats my husband smokes to just chopping some quick veggies. It arrived in one piece and was well packaged. I was worried about warping or splitting/cracking, especially as we live in a dry climate (Denver). I oiled it daily for two weeks, alternating sides. Initially I liked a few times a day, as it soaked in the oil quickly. Soon it was more saturated and took a full 24 hours to soak in what I put on. (I have used walrus brand oil and walnut oil). After two weeks, I waxed it (also walrus brand) and began using it. For the first several months, every time I used it I would wipe it down with a damp cloth and then oil. If I wasn’t using it, I still oiled once a week. To clean, I just wipe with a damp cloth. I never submerge (it’s too heavy for that anyway!) I don’t put raw meat on it because that feels iffy to me, but anything else goes! Cooked meat juice will temporarily stain, but because it’s so well oiled, a scrub with wet cloth followed by more oil removes any staining. It has worn beautifully. I try to flip once a month as well as rotate sides so it gets even wear. You can see knife cuts but I like things that show they are well used. The oil helps smooth the cuts. At this point, I oil a few times a month for maintenance. I’ll flip it 24 hours after an oil and waxing when I feel like it’s time to rotate. It’s gorgeous and so convenient to have out. My in laws loved it so well, that I bought one for them. We will have this forever!

Listen, this is the Rolls Royce of butcher blocks. What you see with 0 or 1 star reviews for this butcher block are the same type of people who leave 0 star reviews on Le Creuset pans and Shun/ Miyabi Knives. These are high end kitchen items that you need to know how to use and take care of. This is an excellent Block that will last a lifetime and provide a nice cushion for your knives to extend their lives as well. I got a 24x18x2.5 which is literally massive and weighs approx 30lbs but provides for a ton of room for meats and veggies. It is also so large that you dont have to worry about putting towels down before using- this bad boy is not moving lol. Unless you are strong and can handle maneuvering this I recommend you get a smaller size board. Now... if you are buying this block and worried about it coming apart or cracking like other people who have reviewed it follow the below instructions and I can all but guarantee that it will last forever. The Boos Block comes extremely dry. I am not sure entirely why that is but it just seems to be the way that they come. For the first week you really shouldn't even use it, just condition it for future use. Also, you NEED to buy the combo bottle of Boos Mystery Oil and Board Cream, if you don't do not complain when the board cracks. Now first and foremost, wash the board off with warm soapy water and let it dry fully by wiping it down then resting it on its side with the grain vertical. Once it is dry, apply the ENTIRE, yes ENTIRE included package of Boos Mystery Oil to the whole outside of the board. The end grain sides (shortest sides of the block unless yours is square) are the most thirsty and you need to really saturate these sides with the oil, they can take a LOT- at least mine did. This is what people who have had theirs crack are missing. When I did mine, it got like 5 shades dark from absorbing all the oil. After rubbing all sides with a substantial amount of oil, stand it upright and let the oil fully soak in overnight. Next day, wipe off any excess oil that has not been absorbed. Repeat this process at least 4-5 days in a row, ideally 7 and now it is ready for the next step. After the board has fully absorbed the oil after 5-7 days, apply a layer of Board Cream and let that sit overnight to fully absorb, wipe off the excess. Now it is ready to use but you can repeat the last step again to be extra safe. Continue applying Mystery Oil at least once a week for the first month. After that every 2-4 weeks should suffice but just make sure the block is never drying out.

This block is amazing. I'm by no means a professional chef but the amount of joy and ease this block has brought to my kitchen is exponential. Before this I had a cheap set of three varied size cutting boards that were of sketchy design and slid around whenever I would try to use them. Not with this guy! It is QUALITY. Things I love about this board: - Very large surface area, so much room for activities! - Sits well on my counter, doesn't slide around when I'm trying to slice and dice. - The hand slot thingies on the side make it relatively easy to lift this otherwise gargantuan hunk of wood Things I don't love about this board: - It's heckin heavy! While this is technically one of the qualities that makes it far superior to other flimsy boards, my girlish figure isn't the best adapted for picking this up and moving it around. Luckily the only time I have ever encountered this issue was when initially lifting it from the packaging and placing it on my countertop. ps- This is an investment piece! If you decide to buy it make sure you are prepared to take care of it and this guy will last you for years to come. My board came with a sample of Mystery Oil to get started. pps- If you have a small kitchen or limited counter space I would recommend really looking at the dimensions of this product because it didn't quite sink in with me how big this thing is until it arrived in my kitchen, though admittedly its size is one of the things I love most about this board!

I can't say how it will perform over the long term, but my comments on the cutting board right out of the box are: 1.Overall I'm very pleased with the RA03 Boos Board. I'm using it on a 36 inch high countertop and it's to provide a prep area which is a little higher than normal -appx 39 inches high with a 12 X 18 plastic cutting board on top, and there is ample space for the stuff being cut up as well. I'm planning to mount 4 ikea capita adjustable legs on a second 18 X 24 board which will give a second prep area 42 inches high with a 12 X 18 plastic cutting board on top. The 2 prep areas suit 2 different height cooks. Used this way the board is not put in the sink, it's only wiped down now and then. 2.It's flat and with no visible defects, it looks brand new, just as advertised. Purchased from Warehouse Deals for about sixty four with free shipping. 3.Amazon shipped it in only the Boos cardboard box which really isn't a good shipping box-if it is dropped the board could easily be dented so I suggest you inspect the board closely if yours is shipped this way, and look for potential damage on the box. 4.It looks dry, so will give it the usual generous coating of food grade mineral oil which is what I use on maple or beech butcher block surfaces, including an old edge grain maple butcher block cutting board board which is about 30 yrs old. 5.For the weight which is considerable, the "handle" grooves are OK, but not very good unless you have very strong fingers. If you are planning to wash this in a sink the version with handles might be safer. (Might also damage the sink though). If you are planning to use this board in the conventional way, things to consider are, will it fit in the sink? can all of the cooks safely lift it and wash it?, and is there a place where it can be put to dry? Also when not being used where would it be stored? Note: the Michigan Maple board arrived and the packaging is similar, just a cardboard box. It's 1.75" v. 2.25", the quality appears identical, with the Boos board having a very slight edge. If you can get the Boos board for twenty nine percent (the rough amount of additional maple used) more than the Michigan board I would say get that, even better if less. But you will be happy with the Michigan Maple board if you decide on that one. I purchased one for a gift a few years ago and it hasn't had any issues.

Boos maple cutting boards are the gold standard when it comes to high end quality made cutting boards. Ours is going on two years old and looks as beautiful as the day we got it. Most important part of Boos ownership is keeping the wood well oiled (several times yearly) and wiping it off after use.

I placed my order, and as usual, it arrived right on time. When I opened the box, I was first shocked to see how big it was. I guess I under estimated or under realized the dimensions. Anyhow, when I unwrapped it, I noticed something that another review had stated, and that was the fact that the finish was less than to be desired. It was rough, and felt unfinished, and was very pale in color. Well, I took my Boos Oil and Boos cream and proceeded to give it a treatment. I then put it away and waited anxiously for an opportunity to use it. That day came on Saturday, and I fell in love with it! Good Solid cutting board, plenty of room to work, and pile my chopped veggies to the top and sides of my working area. I then washed it with soapy water, after I figured out it would only fit in one side of my double sink, standing on end, and set it aside to dry before putting it away. That's when I noticed that it seemed to fit tighter in the space where I had stored it at before, which was standing on it's side, on top of my counter, and under the upper cabinets. The next time I used it, it was almost impossible to get out, and was impossible to put back into that space. It had grown approximately 1/4 inch in width, and now no longer fits under the cabinet. Well being the handyman that I am, I took it out to my shop, and put it on my table saw, and trimmed off about 1/2 inch. Then while sanding the newly cut edge, I decided to sand all sides smooth. I then brought it back in and re treated it with the Boos Oil. Today the board has a silky smooth surface, and is a dark maple color. It's almost as if it wouldn't absorb the Boos Oil in the condition it came form the factory in. Once I sanded it down, it absorbed like a sponge. You can see in the picture the color difference from the piece I cut off and the board now.

Nice heavy board, but it needs more sanding. I prefer a smoother cutting board.

I love this thing, it is nice very massive heavy and looks pretty strong. I did cure it first before I used it; as you know all wooden kitchen utensils and boards need conditioning. This is made out of rock maple edge grain, does not absorb moisture as fast it has a tight grain. I first wiped it with a damp cloth, then dried it with paper towels. once I was assured it was dry I applied Boos mystery oil (run hot tap water over bottle before applying to warm up the oil) one side first and I did let it sit for 3 hours, wiped off excess and flipped to apply oil on other side. Same thing let it rest for around 3 hours to let it soak up the oil. After I did this oil rubbing twice on each side. I moved on to apply Boos block board cream on both sides I did let it rest on top of paper towels on the counter flipping it once after 12 hours and let it rest for another 12 hours on other side. Once the 24 hour period passed I wiped it off excess with paper towel on both sides. Careful this thing is slippery and you don't want it landing on your foot or your small pet, this thing is heavy. I am glad I got for the right price $79.

Pondered buying this board for quite a long time but in the end I choose Boo's because of quality concerns and reputation. I am really happy with the board and the quality. Came well packaged with the board floating between foam corners and included a pouch of mystery oil which was great. There was certainly better priced boards available but they came with their own problems according to comments posted. I took the plunge and it paid off with a beautiful cutting board that will last me a lifetime. Three years later and still looking great. Kept using Boos mystery oil and wax faithfully and no problems at all.

Endlich mal ein schönes Schneidebrett auf dem man auch mal bequem eine komplette Gans oder z.B. auch ganze Kohlköpfe klingenfreundlich zerschneiden kann, ohne Angst haben zu müssen, dass da irgendwo was herunterfällt. Anfangs muss das Brett rundherum einige Tage lang (meiner Meinung nach am Besten mit Leinöl) eingeölt werden, bis es keinerlei trockene Stellen mehr aufweist. Zum Abschluss habe ich das Brett mit einer Mischung aus Kanaubawachs (1 Gewichtseinheit), Bienenwachs (2 Gewichtseinheiten) und Leinöl (30 Gewichtseinheiten) eingerieben und über einge Tage lang stehen lassen. Nach ca. 1 Woche habe ich das Brett zum ersten Mal benutzt. Zu beachten ist, dass dieses Brett leider auf keiner Seite eine Saftrille hat. Dank seiner Größe ist dies aber nicht so schlimm, da sich Gemüse- oder Fleischsaft gut auf dem riesigen Brett verteilt und kaum den Weg zum Rand des Brettes findet. Weiterhin ist es wichtig, das Brett beiderseitig zu benutzten und beim Abspülen darauf zu achten, beide Seiten feucht abzuspülen, da sich das Brett sonst verziehen kann. Es sollte Klar sein, dass dieses Brett nicht in die Spülmaschine darf und gelegentlich (einmal pro Monat) geölt werden muss, damit es weiterhin seine antibakteriellen Eigenschaften halten kann und weder Gerüche noch Verfärbungen aufnimmt. Es sollte auch nicht im Wasser oder Feuchten liegen bleiben, sondern sofort abgetrocknet werden und zum Trocknen hochkant gestellt werden (damit beide Seiten gleichmäßig trocknen können). Hält man sich an diese Angaben, so kann das Brett ein leben lang halten, zumindest nach Aussagen vieler Youtuber und des Herstellers. Hier wird oft darüber geschrieben, dass die Verleimung des Brettes nicht halten soll. Nach meinen Nachforschungen ist dieses Brett das in den USA am häufigsten genutzte Schneidebrett im Gastro-Bereich. Dies kann ich mir auch ganz gut vorstellen, bei der Robustheit, die es auf mich ausstrahlt. Sollte sich bei mir igendwas lösen, werde ich dies hier vermerken. Bis jetzt ist mein Eindruck von dem Brett durchweg Positiv. Ach ja, nicht zu vergessen und zu unterschätzen: Das Ding wiegt mal locker über 10 Kilogramm und ist über 60 cm lang. Das heißt bei mir, dass ich es in der Badewanne abspülen muss, da es nicht in meine Küchenspüle passt und sich dort auch keinesfalls mehr ordentlich händeln lassen würde. Auch muss man erstmal einen dauerhaften Platz für dieses Riesenbrett in der Küche finden. Dafür liegt es auf dem Tisch einfach bombenfest, auch ohne einen Lappen darunter getan zu haben und belohnt mit einem luxuriösen Schneidgefühl (sofern man entsprechend gute und scharfe Messer benutzt). Jeder der gerne Kocht und genug Platz hat, wird dieses Schneidebrett nicht wieder hergeben wollen, wenn er es erst einmal benutzt hat.

Una de las mejores tablas para el que le guste la cocina, la compre para mi esposa y le fascinó.

Very impressed by the quality of this cutting board. Going to oil it asap, and keep up on overall maintenance. EDIT: When the board came it was quite dry, I had to do a heavier oil job, that only lasted a week and the board shown signs of drying so I had to do another big oil job on the board, it's now not absorbing oil as quickly. Make sure you oil it a bunch when you get the board, and possibly several times with only a week or so apart. The board now is keeping great color and doesn't look dried out.

Board arrived on time and was much bigger than i imagined, but having used it heavily for a month, the size works great. It is rock solid, absolutely no wobbles and well made, a great centre piece on our island.