Boos Blocks: American-made Cutting Boards Since 1887

August 14, 2024

By now you’ve likely already heard of Boos blocks. Cutting boards from John Boos & Co. seem to show up in every Food Network show and in every food influencer’s kitchen. When I first heard of them, it was from customers requesting them because they’d seen them in action in these very videos, and I’ll admit, I was pretty skeptical. I’m allergic to hype. It always sets off alarm bells for me, and I never buy products just because someone on the internet recommends them. I like to do my own research, and as a result of that research, I am thrilled that we are finally carrying John Boos cutting boards at Knifewear.

If you’re a skeptic like me and heard similar alarm bells when you saw these boards in the kitchen of yet another Tiktok influencer, allow me to give you the skeptic’s guide to why John Boos cutting boards are my new favourite board.

The History of John Boos Co.

For me, a company with decades of history and a track record as the industry standard is a huge green flag. John Boos & Co. was founded in 1887 in Illinois, and remains one of the oldest suppliers of food service equipment and butcher blocks in the USA. In those days, they harvested and processed the sycamore wood for their blocks locally out of necessity, but these humble beginnings set them on a path of sustainability that continues to this day.

John Boos & Co. persevered through the Great Depression and two World Wars, expanding their production along the way and providing 80% of their kitchen work tables and countertops to the war effort during WWII. In 1965 they designed and built their first stainless steel kitchen table, and if you’ve spent much time in restaurants, you’ve likely worked on one of these babies. In the years since the company has grown astronomically without compromising on what makes them outstanding. They’re still handmade in the USA, and still the industry standard for wooden butcher blocks and stainless steel countertops.

How Boos blocks are made

Boos blocks are made in a factory, but not the kind of factory you’re thinking of. There are no robotics arms assembling boards or folks being overworked and underpaid. The Boos factory is the kind that hardly exists anymore in North America, where folks are passionate about their work, stick with it for 40, even 50 years, and are compensated fairly for their labour. You can see the immense passion and craftsmanship in each and every block, from the alternating grains that help prevent warping to the hand-stamped brand that comes on every board. You can just about see the handprints of the factory employees when you open your board.

Not only does the leadership at John Boos Co. care for their employees, they care equally about the environment. Sustainability is at the centre of what they do because they know that without a healthy environment and healthy forests, they have no future as a business. A long-standing member of the National Hardwood Lumber Association (NHLA), they practice sustainable forestry and sound forest management not because they have to but because they know it’s right. Not only do they source sustainably, they also use scrap wood leftover from production to heat their drying kilns and send their sawdust to be used as livestock bedding by local agricultural partners.

Boos Blocks in action

That’s all well and good, but it’s how they work in your kitchen that really counts. First off, if you’re not using a wooden board, here’s why you should:

Wooden cutting boards are better for your knives. Bamboo, granite, glass, and steel will kill your edge, but a reasonably soft wood like a maple Boos board will help it stay sharp much longer. Despite this, they possess self-healing properties and are fairly resistant to knife cuts.
Wooden boards are more sanitary. Studies have shown that wooden cutting boards possess natural antibacterial properties, and research done at the University of Illinois shows the Hard Rock Maple used by Boos to be the most effective wood at killing bacteria. They’re even listed with NSF, an internationally accredited third-party certification organization that tests and certifies products to verify they meet public health and safety standards.

To quote the folks at Boos directly: “Studies indicate that wood cutting boards possess natural antibacterial properties, inhibiting bacterial growth on the cutting board’s surface. The porous quality of wood contributes to an added antibacterial effect. The juices are wicked into the wood fibers and away from the cutting surface where the natural enzymes in the wood inhibit bacteria growth. Hard Rock Maple is a premium wood used in crafting Boos Block® cutting boards and is food-safe and non-toxic. Furthermore, the tight grain pattern of Hard Rock Maple contributes to its resistance to bacteria. The close-knit grain minimizes the chances of food particles, liquids, and bacteria getting trapped within the wood.”
Wooden cutting boards last a lifetime. With proper hand washing and regular moisturizing with board wax, a good board will last a lifetime, if not longer. If it gets too scratched from use, you can simply re-sand it to restore it!

Additionally, we’ve sourced Boos blocks that are a reasonable size and weight for the average home cook. Unlike some heavier end-grain butcher blocks, these Boos blocks can be easily taken to the sink to wash. As they have no rubber feet, you can use both sides! If you’re after an incredibly well-made board that is frankly a steal for the quality, look no further than Boos. We’re very proud to be carrying them, and I can’t wait to see how mine looks after a decade of use.