Customer Reviews

Farberware 3-Piece Wood Cutting Board Set

5 star:		(35)
4 star:		(29)
3 star:		(21)
2 star:		(10)
1 star:		(14)

 

 

What happens when you take razor sharp, tempered, high-carbon steel knives to wood? Well duh, the knives cut into the woood. I'm so tired of hearing complaints about wooden cutting boards showing knife marks. I read one review where the writer complained that they would probably have to replace the board after a few years. This is natural. If you don't want to see cut marks or replace your cutting board ever, get a slab of marble. It's bad for your knives, but these people seem not to care about that.

This Farberware 3-piece cutting board set is great. For the price, it's fantastic. These are the only cutting boards your average home cook should need. They are reversable (though only one side has grooves) and offer three various, useful sizes. The large is about the size of two sheets of paper side by side; big enough yet still managable in the sink to wash. The medium is about the size of one sheet of paper. The small is about the size of your avarage hardcover book. All are about as thick as the handles of your knives.

They are hard wood providing a nice cutting surface. The wood is well oiled to help protect it from water damage. After a while, your bound to have many cut marks, but so what? Take a look at the price again. You buy cutting boards so they take the damage, not your knives (or your counter).

The boards I received were all smooth and straight (not warped). None have any signs of cracking and seem well made. They are easily worth two or three times the price amazon.com sells them for.

I think it must be clear from the cost (and other reviews) that these are not what one would call "quality" cutting boards. Some of the flaws right out of the box were:
1. The largest had splinters (actually shavings half attached to the surface which would create an irregular surface once I'd pull it off.) The smaller ones have some irregularities too.
2. Also, they're coated with some sort of a material so that they don't absorb oil when trying to oil them initially. Dunno if that's good or bad, though.

I was not under any illusions when I bought them, but I'm giving them four stars because they serve the purpose I had in mind for them. I actually use them under flexi-plastic cutting sheets. Why use both together? Well, the flexi sheets let me transport the cut food to the stove (or wherever) easily, are cheap enough to replace periodically, and are dishwasher safe. The wood cutting board provides a surface underneath the flexi-sheet that is not as hard as my counter, thus protecting my knives' edge. And as I don't use the wood surface directly, I don't have to expose it to moisture etc. Sometimes stuff does trickle down to it, but that's different from cutting ON it, and can be taken care of by wiping it off. Hopefully, this will prevent the board from splitting apart, and the way I use them, small cracks won't bother me too much.

As an aside, I find the smallest board too small to cut anything on, so I usually use it as a trivet.

If this seems like a ridiculous deal for three hardwood cutting boards, well it is. Only problem is two of the boards have split since I bought the set six months ago. I don't know if the wood is not cured correctly or what, but I have certainly not abused these cutting boards, nor have I subjected them to extreme temps or soaked them in water.
If I had it to do over again, I would get one good cutting board that would last, as these will have to be replace as they continue to split.

[added 4/3/07]
Just wanted to update with a note that for $10 I bought a huge heavy-duty wooden cutting board at a certain Swedish superstore. Buy the mineral oil that comes with it and treat it once a year- haven't had any issues with it.

I purchased this set last month and was semi-pleased. You totally get what you pay for and what I got were two decent cutting boards and one that was cracked (thank you super glue!). Significant knife marks appeared after the first light use; so I expect to toss them out in about a year or two. They might be better suited for presentation of crackers and cheese or something.

I read through all the reviews for this item before purchasing it. Since the positives outweigh the negatives I went for it. I have only used the big wood board three times and each time I washed it and dried it before placing it on a drying rack. Yesterday, I went to use the board and saw that it had warped and there was a huge crack running though the middle. It has been less than 3 weeks since I purchased this item and it is going straight back to Amazon. Go for the poly boards, skip the wood

I also own the Farberware 3-piece poly set. The poly set is as good or better than poly sets I've owned for 4x the price. The poly set they sell is an awesome value.

I was using a larger poly board from another manufacturer for meats. Wood is easier to sterilize IMHO so, I decided to buy a[n inexpensive] wood board set that I could easily microwave. I have top of the line wood boards by John Boos. I use my Boos boards to roll dough and cut bread, so I did not want to use them with meats or expose them to the microwave.

I had hoped the Farberware wood set would match their poly set in quality. It does not even come close. People who claim these boards are "average" quality have a low definition of average. These boards are very thin and seem to be coated like a [inexpensive] cheese board you get with a holiday cheese log.

I tried to apply mineral oil but the boards are loath to absorb it. Fortunately, the board is somewhat pourous and I'm hoping over time to improve the boards via mineral oil applications.

The boards are actually very attractive at first. I gave this set three stars because I can still use the large board for meats. It will fall apart eventually with this type of usage but, for the cost of this set, I can accept a short lifespan. The other two boards I'll use to ferry veggies around when I make stir fry and for tiny cutting jobs by my range. Also, by not cutting with them they'll keep their appearance for some time.

I have lots of boards and I basically bought this just to try knowing I could write off the boards if none worked for me. I already have almost a dozen poly and wood boards in various sizes. If you are a serious cook, you probably have your reasons for checking out [inexpensive] boards and don't need my advice on how to use bottom of the line wood boards.

Bon Appetit

Update: Years later these boards have somehow managed to survive in my kitchen. I've found it handy to stash the smaller boards near knife blocks so they are handy for unexpected prep tasks. I still use the large bird for roast chickens, etc. Since the boards are thin, they are easily "stashed" around the kitchen. I even sterilize the boards in the microwave when meats are involved (don't start a fire...), but I never place the boards in the dishwasher. I can't believe none of the boards have split. I still treat them with wood oil and still find the remnants of the "holiday cheese log board" coating annoying. These are good boards for reserve duty but I would not want to rely on them daily or if I relied on a dishwasher for cleaning and sterlization. If you let them soak, I bet they'd split. I tried raising the rating to four stars but I can't seem to edit the rating.

I got these in mid-August 2006. Yesterday - December 18, 2006 - the large board split in half. It warped very quickly despite my attempts to dry it and properly store it. It was *always* hand washed too.

Don't buy these.

If you want a top of the line cutting board set, you shouldn't buy this. And I can't understand why people are expecting top of the line for the price they're paying! Simply put, this is a good set for when you're just starting to build your kitchen.

That said, I have had these boards for about a year and have never had any problems with them. The smallest board just now started to warp a little, but I blame that on myself for not drying it off properly.

These are a very nice solid wood set of cutting boards. One side is used for meat (thus the groove to catch liquids) and one side is for cutting vegetables. These are so easy on your knives- much better than the marble slabs that are currently in fashion. I know a few people have complained that they warp... WELL, wooden cutting boards are not meant to be put in the dishwasher and exposed to a one hour washing or soaked in your sink with your other dishes. You have to know how to take care of these, and that would be by using one side for meat/one for veggies and washing immediately after each and every use. I would also recommend wiping down with a bleach based kitchen cleaner once in a while to help kill germs and keem them sanitary. I love the fact that you get 3 boards and the big one is big enough to handle any home food slicing job. I do wish they had a handle or hole for easy hanging, and that is my only complaint.

Yes -- don't expect a lot but if you buy a couple sets, you can hardly have a problem with what you get. I will agree with previous reviews that the boards are a great buy for the price. However, I've had these for 5 months and they all need to be replaced. I use them everyday and they are in pretty bad shape. My biggest concern with them is not necessarily the splitting that they all have but more of the growth of mold. I don't understand this since they aren't left in soaking water -- ever. I use them and immediately wash them and put them in a drainer. They also aren't the smoothest boards but then again, look at the price. You cannot expect a set of boards for under $15 to be excellent quality. They do the job as needed and the three different sizes are wonderful. Thankfully they are inexpensive enough to buy a couple sets. I just would've hoped they would last longer.