A kitchen board that lasts a decade

A wooden board fails for one of two reasons: it split because it dried out unevenly, or it warped because one face stayed wet while the other did not. Both are habits rather than accidents, and both are avoidable.

Grain direction

Edge grain boards show long lines running down the face and are made from strips glued side by side. End grain boards show a checkerboard, because the blocks stand on end and the knife goes between the fibres rather than across them. End grain is kinder to an edge and hides cut marks better. It is also thirstier and needs oiling more often.

Washing

Never put a board in a dishwasher and never leave it standing in a sink. Wash both faces, even when only one was used, so the two sides take up the same amount of water and dry at the same rate. Wipe it down and stand it on edge where air reaches both faces.

For smells, a cut lemon rubbed over the surface and rinsed off deals with onion and garlic. Coarse salt scrubbed in with the lemon half handles the rest. Neither needs to sit on the timber for long.

Oiling

Use a food-safe mineral oil, not a cooking oil. Olive and sunflower oils are not drying oils and will eventually go rancid in the timber, which is a smell that does not come out. Flood the surface, let it stand for twenty minutes, wipe off the surplus, and repeat whenever the board starts to look pale and dry.

A board oiled once a month for the first half year and then every couple of months afterwards will go a decade without complaint. If it does crack, a light sanding and a fresh oiling will often stop the crack from travelling further.