Winco 18" x 30" Heavy-Duty Wood Cutting Board

A really nice, thick, heavy duty cutting board. Identical (except for size) of my other Winco cutting board. Made of rubberwood, which are the trees they use to extract latex (rubber) from...when they stop producing. A moderately hardwood below most maples and oak and about equal to cherry in hardness. In other words...tough enough to cut on...but it won't dull your knives as quickly. Also...it's very affordable. Our smaller one is used several times a day, every day, by a family of four that doesn't go out to restaurants that much. I got it about 7 or 8 years ago and it's still in great shape...and will be for many more years. It's the cornerstone of all our meal prep. You don't have to be a gourmet chef working with expensive ingredients to enjoy the pleasure of having and using such a solid, purposeful piece of equipment like this. I say...buy it. Now...if you're new to this and unsure or unfamiliar with having a wood cutting board that you plan on using for many years...then read on. Once you get your board...open it up and check for any defects - warpage, cracks, splits, big dents or cuts. Don't worry about it being perfect...small imperfections are easily sanded out. If you're good with it, you can just wipe it down and use it as is. Or...to really make it yours...get your hands all over it by lightly sanding the whole thing with 220 grit or finer sandpaper, soften the corners to your liking, brush it clean, then oil and wax it. More about that down below. First off...don't get this thing (or any wood cutting board) really wet. It'll soften the wood and possibly cause it to warp, but definitely cause it to split at the glue joints. Don't scrub it down with a soaked sponge or anything like that. Just a wipe with a damp sponge or rag is all it takes to keep it clean. Try to keep it as dry as you can...but if something spills or it does get soaked...relax. Simply wipe it dry as soon as you can. No chemicals of any kind should be used to clean it. It'll soak into the wood and then get into your food. If you're a germophobe...what are doing in the kitchen? If you're trying to conquer your affliction...wipe it down with a cloth dampened with some strong whisky...and then take a shot. Secondly...always cut ACROSS the grain of the wood. Cutting ALONG the grain can ruin a wood cutting board in a few knife strokes. Always keep your food turned so that you're not cutting along the grain. You might forget...and get away with it...but don't let that make you believe you can keep doing it. Thirdly...wood is naturally anti-bacterial and they CAN be used for processing raw meats...but I have an extra thick plastic (the flexible type) cutting sheet that I put on on top of it if I have raw meat, poultry or fish to process. In any kitchen, the board used for raw meat...should be...separate from the one you cut and chop everything else on. You don't want the bacteria from meat getting into your other foods...and meat is usually processed, prepped and started first. But even in the case of using a liner on top of it...a nice solid base makes the task easier, safer...and more pleasurable. Also...since we have a smooth surface on the counter next to the stove...I use an anti-slip mat under it. Partly to keep it from sliding around, but also to raise it off the counter and keep it from sitting in any water or juices that might get under it. That's use. Eezy peezy...keep it dry, cut across the grain and don't let raw meat soak into it. Now...maintenance. This is how you make your super-jumbo-deluxe food prep station last for many years. Wood needs to maintain some percentage of moisture or it simply becomes hard and brittle and it'll warp and crack. You can buy the more expensive pre-made cutting board conditioners...but they're usually mostly just mineral oil with a small amount of other stuff mixed in. There's really no need use high dollar stuff with extravagant sounding formulas or anything. You can even use just straight mineral oil if you want. I bought some MCT oil (coconut oil that won't spoil for a really long time) when I was doing a KETO diet and mixed a small amount of it on the stove with some beeswax. Every month or so...I wipe it down good, let it dry and simply wipe some oil/beeswax into it. Every 2 or 3 months...I cut a lemon or lime in half, sprinkle salt all over the board, and use the lemon half as a scrubby. I wash it off, dry it immediately, then let it dry completely (overnight usually)...then apply a heavy coat of oil on all sides...and let it soak in. I have some plastic pointy triangle shaped doo-hickeys to keep the bottom side off the counter while it's soaking in...simply to save the time of doing one side at a time...as it could take an hour or more. If it soaks in quickly...give it another coat. I then finish it off with a thorough wipe down of the oil and beeswax mix...and we're good to go again. This oil and beeswax treatment is what keeps it from absorbing too much moisture and also keeps it from drying out too much...which will also cause splitting and warping. Maybe it sounds like a lot...but it's not. It might be a bit heavy for some people...but altogether it's only about 15-20 minutes of actual hands on every 2 or 3 months. Clean with lemon and salt, dry, oil...and wax. The rest is waiting for it to dry or the oil to soak in. If I'm not rushed to do anything else...it's a satisfying process to see it gain it's color and brightness back after a good cleaning and waxing. If you want it to last...this is what you would have to do for any wood cutting board...even one that costs 10 times what this one goes for. The luxury of having a nice, thick and heavy wood cutting board to prep meals on...is worth every bit of time and money spent. Heck...I've even taken an orbital sander to it to get out an annoying stain...or where I thought using a cleaver the size and weight of an axe would be the ticket in breaking down some stuff with a bunch of bones in my way and ended up taking a pretty decent sliver out of it. I've sanded down the entire thing on both sides a few times just to keep it nice and smooth...but you'd never know it. Unless you use a micrometer...I don't think you'd measure any real difference from when it was new. I don't think I went any heavier than a few passes with about 100 grit and then back up to 220 for a couple-few minutes. I don't obsess over getting out every deep cut either. Another quick tip for the handy type...get the big one and if it's just a bit too big...you simply cut it down and sand the corners smooth. It's much easier than getting the smaller one and trying to stretch it out. While this may not be a custom white oak board with the family name inlaid with black walnut or anything...it's a damn fine workhorse, that...with a bit of maintenance...will hold up for many years. I hardly ever do reviews...but I like using this thing so much...I wrote all this just for you to read and help you make a decision. If you read this whole thing...you're already invested. Just get it.

This is a good board and just an incredible value for the cost. I have an 18 x 24" Boos Maple board and several 12 x 18" hard rock Maple boards that I made myself from old desks and this one's right up there. It's harder than any of my maple boards but doesn't dull either my good Japanese or German Knives. It stands up to all kinds of blades very well, cleavers, chef's knifes, large pizza cutting blades, paring knives, etc. However, I don't use nor do I let anyone use serrated blades on my boards -- I learned that lesson a long time ago. The grain in this Winco Board is very tight and the glue seams are, well, seamless. It does have food-safe finish on it, but you can sand that off easily to seal after with block or mineral oil. Just be sure to sand all sides equally (the edges too) to avoid splitting. Yes, it appears to be a rubberwood -- we use it all the time and haven't notice any allergy issues, but no one in the house is allergic. The size makes it very versatile -- I can roll out dough for a large pizza, make handmade pasta, break down a chicken, duck or large roast, there's plenty of room. I highly recommend this over a bamboo board if you're on the fence -- it's a much better value. I don't think I've every had a bamboo board that went more than a year or two without splitting and shedding fibers -- I've had my hard rock Maple boards for over 15 years and they're in great shape, I expect at least another 15 years out of them. And that's with heavy daily use in a busy home kitchen. I'd say the same is true with this Winco Board. Side note, it would make a wonderful small rolling countertop in just about any environment: art studio, coffee table, printer stand, small laptop table, etc.

I make a large sourdough bread every couple of weeks in my old, too-small, residential kitchen, and I needed a better work surface for laminating and shaping doughs. I finally decided to try this one as a dedicated bread board, and I'm very happy that I did. It is very well and solidly made, and is also quite heavy and large to lug around. It fits the spot on the island that it needs to fit when I use it, and then it stores out of the way, leaned upright against a wall in another location. I place an old silicone mat underneath it when I'm using it, and it is 100% dead-solid stationary and unmoving during all dough manipulations. I would not want anything heavier, and btw, I'm a 225 lb. man. It solved my dough-handling problem about perfectly.

An Amazing board...! This thing is a sturdy as it gets, and it looks great!

This is a fantastic glass top stove cover, really well cut and heavy, knives will not mar this with average use. What would be nice however and why I gave 4 stars, because this is heavy if it has finger cutouts on the long sides as well as the short it would be perfect. I added simple handles to the long sides to make handling a bit easier. Otherwise awesome for the price.

I wish I could give this a 4.75 rating since mine came w some chips in it. None-the-less, its pretty close to perfect. Used as a small dry bar top...the piece is cut to a very nice size and honestly, this beats spending over $200 for butcher block. I rubbed mine down w some conditioner for protection.

Very large and thick and heavy for the price! It had 2 minor blemishes, probably got hit by something during shipping but no big deal. Very happy with purchase. Can be used on both sides.

I love mine and use it every time I make pasta with my Marcato pasta machine. It's great. It's big enough so that I can easily make pasta on what amounts to a good sturdy counter that I can clamp the machine to. It's heavy, probably around 15 pounds, so that's a consideration. Easy cleanup. Excellent quality. I have a place where I can conveniently store mine standing on end.