Customer Reviews

Epicurean Kitchen Series 8-by-6-Inch Bar Board, Natural

5 star:		(52)
4 star:		(12)
3 star:		(9)
2 star:		(7)
1 star:		(14)

 

 

Quite simply, this is the best cutting board I've ever owned. It's lightweight but very sturdy, it doesn't dull my knives, it's resistant to bacteria, and it's DISHWASHER friendly - the board fits into the bottom rack of my dishwasher without a problem. Try doing that with an old wooden board! The Epicurean is also really good looking, even after months and months of hard use, and has a pleasant feel as well, not rough and scored like wood or plastic can get. I don't think I could ask for more from a board (unless it could wash itself, but that's just wishful thinking...).

At first I thought this cutting board was a bit pricey. I've paid less for wood, plastic, and bamboo boards that were larger. That being said, this is the only board I've owned that has been worth the money I spent on it. It has held up remarkably well to hard use/abuse in my kitchen. I use it multiple times daily, and while it's starting to show a little wear (I've had it for around 6 months), it's far from needing to be replaced. It has far fewer gouges/scratches than a bamboo or wood board easily 1/10th its age, which means it's far less of a bio-hazard. You can also put it in the dishwasher, which is a plus (though I use it so often that I rarely wash it in the dishwasher). I also like the slate color... that way it won't be stained by curries and other such items that eventually left my white plastic cutting board looking like someone did something unpleasant on it.

I also have black bits coming off of my board onto my food. I have had the board a couple years and put it in the dishwasher. I have since started hand washing it. I know that cutting boards need to be replaced over time, but I feel this product fell apart too easily.

I purchased the black epicurean cutting board 4 months ago. Originally we were very pleased with it. Easy to clean, no odors however over the last few weeks we have found that the black coating is peeeling and you can find traces of it in the food. Example, black specks in the chopped garlic. I believe this a serious concern. I do not recommend this board to anyone.

I bought this board at my Whole Foods store for many of the advertised reasons. It is easy to clean, nice to cut on, nice for presentation, etc. My problem with this board (I've had it for 6 months now) is that it transfers a strange chemical flavor to hot foods. It has ruined an entire pizza, loaves of bread and toast I was buttering. I've followed the break-in procedure (hot washing). I just think it stinks, literally. I will only use this to catch crumbs on my counter -I won't put foods on it anymore.

This size is perfect for out daily use. I like a wood board, but most of them are heavy. This one is light and not a plastic. It developed marks easily though. The price is quite high, but we want just one good cutting board, not many cheap one that too heavy or plastic.

My wife and I bought one of these boards a couple years ago. It still works great although it has acquired some stains on it from letting things sit on it (our bad). Another poster recommended bleach powder -- will try. At first, I was annoyed that there wasn't an anti-skid bottom to the board but then realized that it was nice to have two sides (to balance the knife marks which are minimal). I use a piece of anti-slip shelf liner (the rubbery mesh stuff) to hold it in place when I'm cutting up veggies. I agree with Alton: do not use a glass cutting board. They really dull your knives. You need a board to give a little to the blade; this board fits the bill with little maintenance.

My experience was as follows: A considerable amount of poly resin came off the cutting board and likely into the food. Whenever I scraped this cutting board with my knife, there was a considerable amount of poly resin that comes off the cutting board and likely in contact with the food. I have found this to be the case with every poly or poly blended cutting board I have tested. Whether or not the scrapings are food safe, I don't know. Irrespective of the safety of the scrapings, I do not want the scrapings in my food! I can't believe NSF gave this product their blessing! I am sticking with unfinished 100% wood or bamboo cutting boards for all of my non-meat prep items.

From the Epicurean website:

"Why does my new Epicurean® cutting surface smell when it gets wet?
Our cutting surfaces can have a "newly manufactured" odor when they are used for the first time. We recommend washing your Epicurean® cutting surfaces in the dishwasher or with hot soapy water. The odor will dissipate after approximately 3-4 washings."

I bought 3 of these boards (the natural color). I put them in the dishwasher & went upstairs for awhile. Then I started to smell a very strong chemical odor. Went back downstairs to find that the odor was much worse down there. I mean honestly it was really bad, I was worried that we had a big spill of cleaning chemicals under the sink. Went downstairs to find that the odor was much worse down there & was coming from the dishwasher. And yes, it was definately comming from the cutting boards, all I had to do was smell them to find out.

Some websites are saying that the resin in the boards is phenolic resin (which contains formaldehyde). I don't know if this is true or not - i'm not sure where this information came from. I just know that it's stinky & i'm throwing all $90 worth of this stuff in the trash.

i had bought one of these cutting boards about six months before and i just fell in love with it, and my mother being an awesome cook hated her cutting boards that always have some sort of food transfer whether it be onion smell or garlic or whatever, but this cutting board doesnt have that kind of property, nothing ever gets transferred like that. I would highly recommend this board to absolutely everyone, good cooking to everyone