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Knives may be a cook’s best friend, but cutting boards are a knife’s best friend.
Anyone who takes their cooking seriously knows that a quality cutting board preserves knife blades.
But how do you choose the best cutting board for your kitchen?
You want to choose a board that is knife-friendly, durable, and easy to clean and maintain.
The Shun Hinoki cutting board checks all these boxes.
Let’s dig into the nitty-gritty of this Shun cutting board review, starting with the benefits.
Table of Contents
Pros of a Shun Hinoki Cutting Board
Preserves Knife Quality
Like the name says, the Shun Hinoki board is made from hinoki wood. Hinoki wood is a Japanese Cypress wood that is soft but sturdy. The edge-grain provides a work surface with enough give to keep your knives extremely sharp. The work surface is also durable enough to prevent deep marking which damages knives in the long run.
Thin and Lightweight
No doubt you have seen or used the “holy grail” end-grain butcher block in a kitchen. They do a wonderful job but are thick and very heavy. At 1” thick, the Shun Hinoki board is thin and very lightweight. This makes the Shun Hinoki board easy to use, clean, and store. It is still thick enough to resurface for longevity, and certainly preferable to the 3” thick butcher blocks you might be familiar with!
Easy to Care For
The Shun Hinoki board boasts a stain-resistant finish and construction which work together to prevent water damage or warping. The primary concern with a wood cutting board is staining due to moisture from various foods. The Shun Hinoki board is thin enough to simply wet lightly before use to prevent stains from penetrating the wood.
This board can also be washed and towel-dried, then allowed to air dry thoroughly. That’s right, no need to constantly oil down this wood cutting board. While it can’t go in the dishwasher like your plastic boards, your knives will thank you.
Sustainable Wood
The Shun brand takes care to use hinoki that is grown in accordance with Forest Stewardship Council practices.
The wood is harvested in a way that preserves forest health while maintaining the local economy and culture.
This is a huge benefit to anyone looking to lead an eco-friendly lifestyle.
Cons of a Shun Hinoki Cutting Board
Softer Wood
The hinoki wood which the board is made from a softer wood in order to help protect high-end knives.
Therefor, it’s important to use correct cutting techniques to minimize damage to the board over time.
Sensitive to Heat
Like any wood cutting board, the Shun Hinoki board is sensitive to heat.
You should take care to avoid extremely hot water or food coming in contact with the board.
Heat or hot water can cause marking, staining, or warping.
This is why you should never put the Shun Hinoki board in your dishwasher.
Conclusion
There you have it, the pros and cons of the Shun Hinoki cutting board.
For a chef serious about their knives, this board is a great investment.
I bough the largest Shun hinoki cutting board, and I took care of it as described on the product sticker, that is more or less the same as the treatment described her. It warped in 45 days!
When I contacted Shun they told me that I should:
1) Rotate the board while using it (?)
2) I have to OIL the board regularly (??)
3) And tough luck with the warping, “the wood products have only a 30 DAY warranty” (?!?!?!?)
So I would walk away from this product.