Engraved Cutting Boards

Engraved cutting boards make for the perfect combination of personalization and function. Cutting boards are likely one of the most heavily used items in your kitchen, so quality is as important as looks and feel. Cutting boards come in all shapes and sizes and can be made from various materials depending on your preferences and needs. Personalized cutting boards are the perfect option for a practical, custom gift that adds a cozy touch to your kitchen.

What Makes a Quality Cutting Board?

The quality of your cutting board really comes down to two factors: the material from which it’s made and the care that goes into its construction. Many people consider wood cutting boards to be the benchmark standard because they are durable, easier on your knives, and add to the overall aesthetics of any room. Hardwoods, including walnut and bamboo, are most favored for high-quality cutting boards.

Most traditional cutting boards are made using the face grain of the wood, meaning that they are assembled with longer strips of grain. Conversely, heavy-duty butcher blocks are typically made with the end grain of the wood, making them ideal for cutting raw meat with minimal scratching. Quality cutting boards like ours are made from high-end materials with expert craftsmanship.

Another important reason that material from which your cutting board is made matters so much is that cutting boards play an enormous role in food sanitation. Common food-related bacteria like Salmonella, Listeria, and Escherichia coli die on wooden cutting surfaces whereas they are likely to thrive on plastic ones. Choosing a high-quality cutting board is often one line of defense when it comes to food safety in your home.

What Makes Brew City Engraving’s Cutting Boards Different?

Engraved cutting boards are functional art pieces that need to be beautiful and durable. It’s important to that each cutting board have these qualities – yet it’s hard to determine a boards quality by its image alone. So what makes Brew City Engraving’s cutting boards exceptional?

Deep Engravings

At Brew City Engraving, we use state of the art technology and engrave deeper than most of our competitors. This makes the engraving more prominent and shows off the intricate detail in our designs. Many of our competitors do shallow engravings to cut down on cost and time.
This affects the clarity of the design and results in a less aesthetic, lower quality product. 

Postproduction Cleaning & Sanding

All our boards are cleaned and sanded after the engraving has taken place. Many of our competitors leave soot and engraving
residue on the boards. This makes it appear as if the engraving is darker than it actually is. It’s a method used to hide cheap work. There are no tricks with Brew City Engraving. Our products speak for themselves.

High Quality Materials

Our boards are fashioned out high quality, sustainable bamboo and dark walnut. We use the highest quality wood available to ensure the best aesthetics and resilience. It’s important that the canvass is as premium as our design process. That value is delivered to our customersat an exceptional price.

Types of Personalized Cutting Boards

Walnut Cutting Boards

Walnut is undeniably one of the most popular woods used to produce high-quality personalized cutting boards. Walnut is dark-colored and unlike some of its other wood counterparts, tends to lighten with age instead of growing darker, making the grain more visible as time passes. Walnut is well regarded for its density, which though quite heavy, is ideal for a cutting surface because it can withstand wear over many years and is not susceptible to bending, breaking, or warping. Other popular woods are cherry, softer than walnut, and maple, which is a bit harder. Hard woods, like maple and walnut, are better at resisting bacteria. (1) Walnut is the perfect all-around middle ground that is also an ideal density for engraving and personalization.

Bamboo Cutting Boards

Bamboo is another wood often used to make high-quality cutting boards. Bamboo is a relatively new favorite among cutting board connoisseurs, primarily because scaling the ability to process bamboo from a round timber to a flat timber in any substantial quantity is a recent development. Like other hardwoods, such as walnut, bamboo has a density that is ideal for keeping water out and preventing bacterial growth. In fact, bamboo is so dense that it resists retaining water altogether, making it less likely to warp or break than other, softer woods. Bamboo is also the most resistant to knife scarring, creating even fewer opportunities for food particles to get stuck and for bacteria to grow. Unlike its softer wood alternatives, bamboo requires virtually zero maintenance, meaning that it will last for years with minimal effort. Like walnut, bamboo is also perfect for engraving and personalization.

Marble Cutting Boards

Though marble is more commonly used to make charcuterie boards, cutting boards are also made of marble. Marble is widely considered one of the most hygienic materials to use as a cutting surface because it is not porous, and the fact that it is non-porous also makes marble extremely easy to clean. Unlike wood cutting boards, marble cutting boards require zero maintenance and are sturdy enough to last for many years. The one noteworthy downside to using marble cutting boards is that it can be rough on your knives over time, dulling the blades rather quickly because marble is so hard. Though marble may be more aesthetically pleasing for some, it will require more consistent sharpening of your knives and is likely to outlive your knives as well. All of that said, marble makes an excellent surface for engraving and personalization because of its density.

Uses for Personalized Cutting Boards

Preparing Family Meals

Perhaps the most common and most obvious use for cutting boards in your kitchen at home. Wooden slabs have served as a cutting surface for food preparation since the prehistoric ages. Although their use hasn’t evolved much, the variety of materials used for cutting boards has expanded, each with its own benefits, uses, and care. (2) 

By the late 1800s, cutting boards became modern kitchen staples after butchers adopted the idea from blacksmiths. Since then, they have become one of the most basic essentials in every kitchen. It’s recommended that you use two different cutting boards: one for raw meat and another for raw produce. Having delegated cutting boards helps minimize any potential contamination. Additionally, you may opt for a butcher’s block for meat, which are generally made from end-grains and are denser, making them harder on your knives.

Personalized cutting boards are perfect for use in your home kitchen. Because there are so many materials available for engraving, there is an option that will match perfectly with every individual home decor style. Personalized cutting boards are food safe, though it is recommended that you use the cutting board with the engraved side facing down because all of the open crevices and grooves created by the engraving are susceptible to food particles and bacteria becoming stuck inside.

Charcuterie Boards

Though they have been around seemingly forever, in recent years charcuterie boards have become a crowd favorite at parties and gatherings of every variety. Platters of cured meats, cheeses, jams, pâtés, crackers, and bread ensure an appetizer for everyone and invite social interaction through communal snacking. 

Not only are charcuterie platters delicious, but they are also an edible art form, as they take quite a bit of care and effort to arrange. While it’s true that charcuterie boards are marketed and sold all on their own, an engraved cutting board can also serve as a charcuterie board with a personalized touch.

Marble is common material for charcuterie boards, so if you are considering purchasing an engraved cutting board to serve dual purposes, a personalized marble cutting board might be your best bet.

Home Decor

Though cutting boards are generally designed to be functional, they can also provide a nice addition to your home decor. Personalized cutting boards can make any house feel like a home. There are countless ways to display your engraved cutting board. They can be hung on the wall individually or you can choose to showcase multiple cutting boards with a rod and hook system. The hooks made them easy to access if you
choose to use them, but they can also serve exclusively as decor.

Personalized cutting boards can also do double duty as a tray to display floral arrangements, cookbooks, or other kitchen decor. Just like hanging it on your wall, it’s still super easy to access but can serve dual purposes and add a touch of cozy to your kitchen counter.

If you live in a smaller space or want to create a lovely backdrop for displaying other kitchen decor, store your cutting boards by leaning them on the kitchen counter against your backsplash. Your personalized cutting board will be on full display, and if you want to take it a step further, add a few smaller cutting boards and cluster them together.

Personalized Cutting Boards Are a Gift That Keeps on Giving

Wedding & Anniversary Gifts

There are few occasions more significant in someone’s life than their wedding. A personalized cutting board is the perfect way to commemorate the occasion and a cutting board is a practical gift guaranteed to get lots of use. It’s so special for couples to see their names together and a cutting board reflective of their union is a present to be treasured for years to come.  If your favorite couple has long been married, an engraved cutting board also makes a great gift for celebrating anniversaries. 

Housewarming Gifts

Housewarming gifts can be tricky purchases because it’s often difficult to predict what your friends and family already have and what they may need for their new home. Personalized cutting boards are undoubtedly the solution to this age-old problem. While your friend may have a cutting board, they probably don’t have one that’s engraved to mark the occasion of moving into their brand-new pad. Engraved cutting boards are useful, easy to store, and make the perfect addition to kitchen and home decor. A personalized cutting board is a thoughtful way to celebrate your loved ones as they move into the next chapter of their lives.

Holiday Gifts

The holiday season can be stressful to begin with and that stress is only increased when you have a long list of gifts to purchase. Shopping for some people on your list may be challenging, and that’s where personalized cutting boards come to the rescue. Engraved cutting boards come with a loving, personal touch and you never have to worry about purchasing the wrong size or the wrong color. High-quality
cutting boards last for many years and custom engraving shows your loved ones that they are not only on your shopping list, but on your heart. Additionally, personalized cutting boards can be shipped anywhere, eliminating a step for delivering gifts to friends and family that live out of town.

Caring for Your Engraved Cutting Board

Just like any other high-quality item, your personalized wood cutting board requires maintenance to keep it clean, sanitary, and prolong its lifespan. When your cutting board gets dirty from daily food preparation, the best way to clean it is with the trusty combination of soap and water. Use just a little bit of dish soap on a washcloth to rub any food away. Then, run your wood cutting board under water.
Using running water flushes away any food particles and bacteria that may get stuck in your board. The last step is the most important: dry your wood cutting board thoroughly. Leave it leaning upright against your backsplash or other surface to dry. The idea is to avoid any water getting trapped in the board’s nooks and crannies, which prevents mold or bacteria from growing.

If your engraved wood cutting board appears particularly dry, it may be time to oil your board. Before applying any oil or cutting board cream, make sure you first wash and dry your board. Only when your board is completely dry should you apply board oil, board cream, or board conditioner directly to the wooden surface. Apply liberally, using a towel to spread it all over the board until it is very thoroughly coated. Allow the product to soak into the board for as long as possible, ideally overnight.

There may be times when your board needs to be deep cleaned or disinfected. Scratches and knicks left behind from knives with regular use are a breeding ground for bacteria if left unaddressed. For best results disinfecting, use either a small amount of white vinegar or chlorine bleach diluted in water, then use a washcloth soaked in the solution to wipe down your board. Be sure to wipe down both sides, especially
the side that is engraved, as these small cuts and grooves are susceptible to trapping food particles and bacteria.

No matter which material you choose, engraved cutting boards are a high-quality purchase that make the perfect gift that is designed to last. With proper care, your personalized cutting board will be one you use, display, and treasure for many years to come.

Jen Murphy, The 10 Best Cutting
Boards To Have In Your Kitchen, According To Chefs https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbes-personal-shopper/2021/07/27/best-cutting-boards/?sh=ad429f85e586Emily Cooper, Cutting Boards:
The Fundamental Tools for Food Prep
https://foodandnutrition.org/from-the-magazine/cutting-boards-the-fundamental-tools-for-food-prep/