Cutting Boards

The surface you cut on matters as much for your knife as the knife itself. A fine Japanese blade is ground thin and hardened high, which is what makes it cut so cleanly, but it also means the edge is more easily dulled or chipped by a hard surface than a thick Western knife would be. The single most important rule is to keep that edge off glass, stone, ceramic and bamboo, all of which are harder than they look and will blunt a good knife quickly. A proper wooden or soft board does the opposite: it yields very slightly under the blade, cushioning the edge and letting your knife stay sharper for far longer. Our range is chosen with exactly that in mind, from traditional Japanese hinoki to end-grain and hardwood boards, all from KAI.

The best boards for Japanese knives share one quality: they are softer than the steel, so they give a little rather than resisting the edge. Traditional hinoki, the Japanese cypress that makes up much of our range, is prized for precisely this. Beyond that, the choice comes down to material, grain and size, and the right board depends on how you cook, how much space you have, and how much you value edge protection versus low maintenance.