Butcher Blocks & Countertop Cutting Blocks
The benefits of an end-grain butcher block from Columbia Gorge Woodcraft
· Quality Craftsmanship-These days, it’s not often that you purchase an item that you expect will serve you for your entire lifetime. With just a minimum of regular care, this end-grain Oak butcher block, by Columbia Gorge Woodcraft, will not only provide you an exceptional surface for all for your cooking tasks, but may very well provide that same joy to your great-grandchildren, many years after you’ve gone to that big gourmet kitchen in the sky. Columbia Gorge Woodcraft creates heirloom furniture, designed and built to last generations. My butcher blocks are made by my hand using a generous amount of the finest locally sourced woods and the best food grade adhesives, with care and craftsmanship
· Local, Sustainable Materials- Commonly known as Oregon White Oak, this abundant, sustainable hardwood is native to the Pacific Northwest. It’s sourced locally and milled right here in the Columbia Gorge. The beauty of its grain and color variations, along with its relative hardness make it an excellent wood for tools that both look amazing and can endure everyday use for decades and even centuries.
· End-Grain Hardwood Cutting Surface- There are several things that contribute to the joy of cooking. Two extremely important ones are; 1) well made, properly sharpened knifes, and 2) a stable and comfortable surface on which to use them. If you enjoy cooking as much as I do, you have probably made an investment in your favorite cutting implements. If they are properly sharpened, they will cut and scar whatever surface you choose to use underneath the fruits, vegetables and proteins you are cutting. Over time (for some surfaces, a very short time), small particles will come loose and attach to your freshly chopped fruits, vegetables and proteins. This is because materials like plastics and the edge-grain of wood have tiny fibers that lay horizontally. If you cut that horizontal fiber at two ends, it’s no longer attached to the surface. Hopefully, the cutting surface you are currently using is made of some sort of “food grade” material, and although mildly unappetizing, it’s not harmful. It does however shorten the life of the cutting surface and dulls your expensive blades much more rapidly. But now consider end-grain hardwood as a cutting surface. Because the wood fibers are standing vertically (in the same plane as your blade), you aren’t severing the fibers- you’re actually cutting alongside them. In addition, when you add moisture (like mineral oil), the fibers tend to come back together effectively healing the scar left by the blade. This means you should get many, many years of daily use before any need to refinish (re-sand) the top surface of your butcher block. And, of course the block can be refinished many, many times through it’s life. The last advantage I’ll mention here is my favorite. As you reach the bottom of your cutting stroke, the feeling under your blade is second to none. Some cutting surfaces, edge-grain hardwood for instance, can give you that “nails on a chalkboard” feeling at the bottom of the cut as the blade “chatters” across the horizontal fibers. With end-grain, because of the vertical orientation of the fibers you get very little resistance resulting a smooth and effortless stroke. It really is a joy to cut on.
· Durable Surface, Ready to Work- You’ll find your Columbia Gorge Woodcraft butcher block to be a tough and resilient work surface, ready to take on just about anything you can throw at it. Properly cared for, It’s resistant to staining, hot pots and cold drinks. Yes, you can put hot pots on natural wood. With that being said, I don’t normally put a 500° cast iron on mine, but knock yourself out. It’s built to be a tool used for daily hard work over years and years, and as such it will show wear. It’s suppose to. You can call it patina if you’d like, but it will still do its job just as well 50 years on as it does it today. And, if you want it to look new again, give it a sanding and a few coats of mineral oil and it will look just like it came out of my shop. It’s a workhorse that you’ll love to cook on.
· Easy to Clean and Care For- There is a rumor floating around that natural wood cutting surfaces are not as hygienic, or are harder to clean in general as artificial surfaces. If by harder to clean you mean, can’t throw it in the dishwasher, I guess that part would be true. But the same can be said about your knives (or should be). Wood surfaces are actually proven to be more hygienic then their plastic counterparts over time. Go ahead and Google it. Obviously, the block needs to be cleaned by hand. But it will be just as clean and hygienic as any other surface you’d place food on in your kitchen. In fact, dish soap and water, a squirt bottle with a touch of bleach and water, or 50/50 vinegar and water (my preferred) all make excellent cleaning solutions. Just be sure to rinse any soap/bleach residue off completely with clean rag and water so it won’t impart any foul tastes to your food. There is only one extra step in maintaining the block properly and that is to rub in mineral oil from time to time to maintain the proper moisture. I also use a readily available butcher-block conditioner product made with mineral oil and bees wax. I apply a small bit every time I give it a good clean. The wax provides a topcoat that seals the wood. This is the same method I would use on any naturel wood surface for cooking.
· Locally made in the Pacific Northwest- Columbia Gorge Woodcraft is a small business located in Carson WA, the heart of the Columbia River Gorge. At most, I produce 4 to 5 of these butcher blocks in a month. Meaning each one gets a great deal of my personal attention. My goal is for you to enjoy using it every day. Although, I do try to keep my work as affordable as possible, I recognize that these blocks are not an inexpensive item. Quality costs money. The value is in the joy you will get from using it in the kitchen every day, for many, many days to come. It will become your favorite kitchen tool, and one of those things where you think, “I’m so glad I bought that”. From my family to yours, thank you for supporting Columbia Gorge Woodcraft.