WONAMU. ❋ The Kitchen Journal540 articles

Journal

Practical knowledge for the natural kitchen.

A WONAMU. bamboo cutting board lying flat on a sunlit kitchen island beside sprigs of pine, with wrapped presents at the far edge of the counter
Gifts

Bamboo or Acacia: Which Cutting Board Makes the Better Gift?

Bamboo or acacia cutting board as a gift? Neither is better. Bamboo is lighter and renews fast; acacia is heavier with warmer grain. Match it to the cook.

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A long wooden table after dinner, with low candles burning, shared serving dishes, crumpled linen napkins and half-full glasses left where people sat
Hosting

The Gift of a Shared Meal

A meal cooked for someone and eaten together is a gift that cannot be wrapped, returned or regifted. Why it matters, and how to give one well.

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A woven gift basket of cheese, a whole salami and jars beside a WONAMU. acacia cutting board on a slate counter, with a sprig of pine
Gifts

Charcuterie Gift Basket: What to Put In It

What to put in a charcuterie gift basket: cheeses and cured meat that travel, jars that keep, the right small tools, and a board to serve it all on.

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A WONAMU. acacia cutting board lying flat on a pale concrete counter beside a maple rolling pin, a few pale maple offcuts and red sugar maple leaves
Materials & Buying

Acacia vs. Maple Cutting Boards: How They Compare

Acacia vs. maple cutting boards: two hardwoods compared on hardness, color, grain, history and care, so you can choose the one that suits your kitchen.

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A WONAMU. bamboo cutting board on a bright white counter beside tomatoes, an onion, garlic and a ribbon-tied bundle of spaghetti, set out as a gift for a new cook
Gifts

Christmas Gifts for a Beginner Cook

Christmas gifts for a beginner cook: the few good tools that make the first hundred meals easier, what teaches, and the gadgets to leave on the shelf.

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A WONAMU. acacia cutting board seen from above on a pale linen-covered breakfast table, beside a bowl of whole almonds kept well away from it, a small plain glass cruet of clear mineral oil and a folded cotton cloth
Care & Cleaning

Can You Use Almond Oil on a Cutting Board?

Better not. Almond oil never cures, so it can turn stale in the wood, and almond is a tree nut allergen. Why, and what to use on a board instead.

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A WONAMU. acacia cutting board with folded cured meats on a dark wood bar, a pine garland along the back edge and wrapped presents beyond
Gifts

Christmas Gifts for a Charcuterie Lover

Christmas gifts for a charcuterie lover: slicing tools, cheese cutters, small serving pieces and the board the whole spread lands on.

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A WONAMU. bamboo cutting board seen from above on a pale terrazzo counter in bright daylight, beside a polished stainless steel saucepan, a bowl of coarse salt, half a lemon and a small brush
Care & Cleaning

Can You Use Bar Keepers Friend on a Wooden Cutting Board?

No. Its maker lists wood among the surfaces never to use Bar Keepers Friend on. Why the abrasive and oxalic acid are wrong for a board, and what to use.

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A WONAMU. acacia cutting board with wedges of aged cheese beside a dark slate serving slab, pears and walnuts in cool winter light
Gifts

Christmas Gifts for a Cheese Lover

Christmas gifts for a cheese lover: the right tool for each style, smarter ways to store a good wedge, what to serve beside it, and the board to cut it on.

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A WONAMU. acacia cutting board seen from above on a grey soapstone counter in low golden light, with a glass bottle of clear mineral oil and a cotton cloth beside it, and a cast-iron skillet with a small dish of tallow set to one side
Care & Cleaning

Can You Use Beef Tallow on a Cutting Board?

No. Tallow seasons cast iron because heat sets it, but on a cutting board it stays a soft food fat that turns stale and smells beefy. What to use instead.

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A WONAMU. acacia cutting board on a wooden counter beside a plain canvas market tote spilling winter squash, carrots with their tops and pears, with wrapped presents and a pine sprig behind
Gifts

Christmas Gifts for Someone Who Loves Farmers Markets

Christmas gifts for a farmers market lover: what helps them carry, wash, cut and keep the week's produce, plus gifts that support the farm itself.

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A clean WONAMU. acacia cutting board seen from above on a white marble counter, beside a bowl of blackberries and raspberries, half a lemon, a dish of coarse salt and a glass of red wine
Care & Cleaning

How to Remove Berry and Red Wine Stains From a Wooden Board

Berry and red wine stains lift from a wooden board with a fast rinse, coarse salt and lemon, or a baking soda paste. What to try first, and what to skip.

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A WONAMU. acacia cutting board on a snowy deck rail beside a covered grill, with tongs, a thermometer and a wrapped present
Gifts

Christmas Gifts for a Griller

Christmas gifts for a griller who cooks outside all year: fire tools, a fast thermometer, a safer grate cleaner, winter gear and a board to rest on.

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Seen from above, a worn end-grain maple butcher block on legs stands beside a long edge-grain wooden kitchen counter, with a cleaver, a steel bench scraper and a roll of white butcher paper
Materials & Buying

The Butcher Block Counter: From Meat Market to Home Kitchen

How the butcher block went from the meat market to the American home kitchen: the maple block, the fitted kitchen, the laminate look and the counter today.

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A WONAMU. bamboo cutting board with sliced cucumber and herbs on a bright counter beside leafy greens, a bowl of citrus and a wrapped present
Gifts

Christmas Gifts for a Health-Conscious Cook

Christmas gifts for a health-conscious cook: tools that make vegetables easier to prep, plastic-free swaps, and the board they will use for every meal.

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A WONAMU. acacia cutting board seen from above on a travertine counter, with cubes of cold butter on it, a dish of butter, a glass jar of golden ghee and a glass bottle of clear mineral oil beside it
Care & Cleaning

Can You Use Butter or Ghee on a Cutting Board?

No. Butter and ghee are food fats, and spread thin on a wooden board they turn rancid. Why it happens, how to fix a buttered board, and what to use.

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A WONAMU. acacia cutting board on a dark counter beside a whetstone, a plain chef's knife and a small wrapped present
Gifts

Christmas Gifts for a Japanese Knife Owner

Christmas gifts for a Japanese knife owner: the stones, oil and storage that protect a hard, thin edge, and the cutting board it meets every day.

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A WONAMU. acacia cutting board lying flat on a dark slate counter beside a black cast-iron kettle on a wooden trivet, a small glass bowl of soapy water and a linen towel
Care & Cleaning

Can You Steam Clean a Wooden Cutting Board?

Steam is heat plus moisture, the two things a wooden cutting board handles worst. Why to skip the steam cleaner, and how to get a board clean instead.

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A WONAMU. bamboo cutting board on a bare, light Scandinavian counter with a single evergreen sprig and one plainly wrapped present
Gifts

Christmas Gifts for a Minimalist

Christmas gifts for a minimalist who cooks: replace one worn thing, give something that gets used up, or choose one object that earns counter space.

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A clean WONAMU. acacia cutting board seen from above on a dark walnut dining table at dusk, beside two lit taper candles in brass holders, a plastic scraper and a few flakes of lifted wax on a paper towel
Care & Cleaning

How to Get Candle Wax Off a Wooden Cutting Board

Harden candle wax with ice, lift it with a plastic scraper, blot the film with gentle heat, then wash and oil the board. The full method for wood.

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A WONAMU. acacia cutting board on the counter of an empty new kitchen in moving-day light, beside a potted plant
Gifts

Christmas Gifts for a New Homeowner

Christmas gifts for a new homeowner: kitchen things a renter could never install, the safety basics every house needs, and pieces built to last.

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A clean WONAMU. acacia cutting board lying flat on a linen-covered sideboard beside a stack of small ceramic bowls, a cheese knife, folded parchment sheets and a dish of board cream
Care & Cleaning

How to Care for a Cutting Board You Only Use for Serving

A serving-only board needs less care than a prep board, but not none. How to wash it, when to oil it and how to store it for the next party.

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A WONAMU. bamboo cutting board with sliced pizza toppings on a floured counter beside dough balls, a wooden pizza peel and a wrapped present
Gifts

Christmas Gifts for a Pizza Lover

Christmas gifts for a pizza lover who makes pies at home: the oven gear, dough tools and cutting surface that make pizza night better every week.

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A WONAMU. bamboo cutting board seen from above on a pale terrazzo counter, beside a glass dish of yellow carnauba flakes, a dish of beeswax pellets, a jar of clear oil, a dish of soft board cream and a palm frond
Care & Cleaning

Can You Use Carnauba Wax on a Cutting Board?

Yes, in a board cream over mineral oil. Carnauba is a hard palm wax approved for food, too brittle to use alone. How to use it, and which kind to buy.

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A WONAMU. bamboo cutting board on a narrow galley counter beside a frosted winter window, with a small wrapped present on the sill
Gifts

Christmas Gifts for Someone With a Small Kitchen

Christmas gifts for someone with a small kitchen: tools that hang, nest or do two jobs, what to skip, and why a right-sized board beats a bigger one.

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A freshly washed WONAMU. acacia cutting board on a dark green tiled counter in evening lamplight, beside a white platter of carved turkey, a wooden dish brush and a carving fork
Care & Cleaning

How to Clean Grease Off a Cutting Board After Carving

How to clean grease off a cutting board after carving a turkey or roast: scrape and blot the fat, wash in hot soapy water, then dry the board on edge.

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A WONAMU. bamboo cutting board on a pale minimalist counter beside a bamboo sushi mat, chopsticks and a wrapped present
Gifts

Christmas Gifts for a Sushi Lover

Christmas gifts for a sushi lover who wants to make it at home: rice tools, a rolling mat, the right knife, real wasabi and a board to cut on.

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A WONAMU. bamboo cutting board seen from above on a stainless-steel counter, beside a greased cake pan, a plain glass oil mister, a dish of clear mineral oil and a cotton cloth
Care & Cleaning

Can You Use Cooking Spray on a Cutting Board?

No. Cooking spray is a cooking oil with an emulsifier and a propellant, made for hot pans. Why it does not suit a board, and what to oil it with instead.

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A WONAMU. acacia cutting board with limes, cilantro and onion on a colorful family table, warm tortillas and small wrapped presents around it
Gifts

Christmas Gifts for a Taco Night Family

Christmas gifts for a family that does taco night every week: a tortilla press and comal, a molcajete, kid-safe jobs and a board for all the chopping.

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A WONAMU. bamboo cutting board lying flat on a cold black glass cooktop in midday light, with sliced cucumber on the board and a cast-iron pan resting on the counter beside the range
Knife Skills & Technique

Can You Use a Cutting Board as a Stove Cover?

Can you use a cutting board as a stove cover? Only on a cold, switched-off cooktop, kept stable and lifted off before any burner goes on. Here is how.

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A WONAMU. bamboo cutting board with a grilled cheese cut in triangles on a kitchen counter after school, a backpack and a wrapped present nearby
Gifts

Christmas Gifts for a Teen Learning to Cook

Christmas gifts for a teen learning to cook: real tools with safety built in, pans for after-school cooking, gifts that grow the skill, and a proper board.

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A WONAMU. bamboo cutting board seen from above on a pale concrete counter holding a roast chicken, beside a cast iron skillet of roasted vegetables resting on a round cork trivet
Care & Cleaning

Can You Use a Cutting Board as a Trivet?

A cutting board can take warm food, but not a pan straight off the burner or out of the oven. Why heat marks wood, and what to set hot pans on instead.

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A WONAMU. bamboo cutting board on a produce-covered counter with winter squash, kale and chard, wrapped presents and a pine sprig nearby
Gifts

Christmas Gifts for a Vegetarian Cook

Christmas gifts for a vegetarian cook: tools for the nightly knife work, pantry gifts that build flavor without meat, and why the board matters most.

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A WONAMU. acacia cutting board lying flat on the carpeted floor of a car's cargo area, seen from above, beside a canvas tote, a wool blanket and a folded cotton cloth
Care & Cleaning

Can a Cutting Board Survive a Cold Garage or a Hot Car?

A wooden cutting board handles cold and heat better than it handles fast drying and damp. How to store one in a garage or carry it in a hot car safely.

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A WONAMU. acacia cutting board with cheese and grapes on a dark oak table beside stemware and unlabeled bottles, wrapped presents in low cellar light
Gifts

Christmas Gifts for a Wine Lover That Are Not Wine

Christmas gifts for a wine lover that are not wine: tools to open, pour and store, things to learn from, and a board for what goes with the glass.

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A WONAMU. bamboo cutting board on a weathered teak patio table seen from above, holding a sliced grilled steak, with tongs, a dish of flaky salt and the edge of a black kettle grill in the corner
Care & Cleaning

Can a Wooden Cutting Board Live Outside by the Grill?

A wooden cutting board can work by the grill for a cookout, but it should not live outside. What sun, rain and raw meat do to it, and a routine that works.

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A WONAMU. acacia cutting board on a dark bar-cart tray at night with two glasses, a halved pomegranate, a pine sprig and wrapped presents in candlelight
Gifts

Christmas Gifts for Your Boyfriend Who Cooks

Christmas gifts for a boyfriend who cooks to impress: tools for the date-night dinner he plans all week, from a carbon-steel pan to a board for the table.

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Overhead view of a WONAMU. acacia cutting board on a dark soapstone counter in late afternoon light, with a glass bowl of clear oil on one side and a dish of pale wax cream on the other
Care & Cleaning

Cutting Board Wax vs. Oil: Which Goes On First?

Oil goes on first, wax second. Why the order matters, how long to wait between the two, and how to do both on an acacia or other wooden cutting board.

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A WONAMU. bamboo cutting board on a dorm desk beside a desk lamp, a mini fridge, a chef's knife with a blade guard and a small wrapped present
Gifts

Christmas Gifts for a College Student Who Cooks

Christmas gifts for a college student who cooks: what dorms allow, tools that travel to a shared kitchen, and gifts that fit a desk and a mini fridge.

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A WONAMU. acacia cutting board lying flat on a white quartz counter with a folded damp linen towel tucked beneath one edge, a halved butternut squash and a chef's knife
Materials & Buying

Cutting Board Weight: Why Heavier Is Not Always Better

A heavy cutting board stays put, but weight has costs at the sink, on the drying rack and at the table. How to pick the right weight for the way you cook.

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A WONAMU. bamboo cutting board on a sunny brunch counter with sliced blood oranges, a glass citrus press, a croissant and a small wrapped present
Gifts

Christmas Gifts for Your Girlfriend Who Cooks

Christmas gifts for a girlfriend who cooks on weekends: brunch and baking picks she will use every Saturday, plus why a light bamboo board fits her table.

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Overhead view of a WONAMU. bamboo cutting board on a green tiled counter at night, beside a small glass jug of clear oil and a cotton rag laid flat to dry on a metal tray
Care & Cleaning

Can You Use Danish Oil on a Cutting Board?

Better not. Danish oil is an oil and varnish blend whose recipe varies by maker. Why it suits furniture more than a cutting board, and what to use instead.

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A WONAMU. bamboo cutting board on a flour-dusted baking table beside a wooden rolling pin, tin cookie cutters, chopped pecans and a small wrapped present
Gifts

Christmas Gifts for Grandma Who Loves to Bake

Christmas gifts for grandma who loves to bake: upgrades for her December baking, small luxuries for the details, and gifts for baking with grandkids.

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Small even dice of cucumber, red onion, bell pepper and celery with chopped parsley in separate piles on a WONAMU. acacia cutting board, beside a bowl of rinsed chickpeas and white beans
Knife Skills & Technique

Dense Bean Salad: The Cutting List

A dense bean salad is mostly beans, with everything else cut small and even. The cutting list: what to dice, how small, and the order that keeps it crisp.

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A WONAMU. acacia cutting board on an old pine table beside a carving fork, a pine sprig and a small present wrapped in kraft paper, with a flannel shirt over a chair
Gifts

Christmas Gifts for Grandpa

Christmas gifts for grandpa who says he needs nothing: gifts for the way he cooks, tools easier on the hands, and a board he will use every day.

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A WONAMU. acacia cutting board lying flat on a sunlit counter with a row of round water drops beading on its surface, a plain glass cruet of clear oil and a folded cotton cloth beside it
Care & Cleaning

Does Acacia Need Oil More Often Than Bamboo?

Does acacia need oil more often than bamboo? Not as a rule. Both take the same routine, and the water drop test tells you when each board is due.

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A WONAMU. acacia cutting board on a stone patio table in pale winter light with grill gloves, rosemary, a mug of cider and wrapped presents
Gifts

Christmas Gifts for Your Husband Who Cooks

Christmas gifts for a husband who cooks the big Sunday meal: gear for the grill in winter, the double batch for the freezer, and a board to carve on.

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A WONAMU. acacia cutting board lying flat on a dim oak pantry shelf beside an unlabeled glass bottle of clear oil, a small glass jar of pale board cream and a block of raw beeswax
Care & Cleaning

Does Cutting Board Oil Expire? Oil and Wax Shelf Life

Food-grade mineral oil does not go rancid, and beeswax keeps for years. What the date on the bottle means, what does spoil, and how to store board oil.

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A WONAMU. bamboo cutting board on a low wooden work table beside a step stool, with two small aprons hanging from a peg rail, strawberries in a bowl and wrapped presents nearby
Gifts

Christmas Gifts for Kids Who Like to Cook

Christmas gifts for kids who like to cook: tools sized to their stage, gifts that teach safe habits, and a real board that gives them a place to work.

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A WONAMU. acacia cutting board with sliced pears and a wedge of blue cheese on a white tiled counter in soft morning light, beside a folded linen towel
Materials & Buying

Exotic Wood Cutting Boards: Allergies and Irritation

Some exotic woods, like cocobolo, teak and padauk, are reported sensitizers. What that means for a cutting board and how to choose one with confidence.

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A WONAMU. bamboo cutting board with chopped vegetables on a Sunday prep counter, surrounded by empty glass containers, a sprig of pine and wrapped presents
Gifts

Christmas Gifts for Someone Who Meal Preps

Christmas gifts for someone who meal preps: the containers, cookware and prep surface that make a Sunday batch session faster and the week after it easier.

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A WONAMU. bamboo cutting board lying flat on a dark soapstone kitchen island, seen from above, beside a cork sanding block, folded sandpaper, a damp white cloth and a small clothes iron
Care & Cleaning

How to Fix a Deep Gouge in a Wooden Cutting Board

Fix a deep gouge in a wooden cutting board: clean it, steam out any dent, sand the whole face evenly and oil it well. Why filler is the wrong fix.

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A WONAMU. acacia cutting board on a formal dining sideboard among polished silver, pine garland and candlesticks, with wrapped presents at the edge
Gifts

Christmas Gifts for Your Mother-in-Law

Christmas gifts for a mother-in-law who keeps the family traditions: pieces for her holiday table, ways to save her recipes, and a board she will serve on.

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A WONAMU. acacia cutting board lying flat on a dark soapstone counter, half of its surface freshly oiled, beside a steel tablespoon measure of clear oil on a white saucer and a cotton cloth
Care & Cleaning

How Much Oil Does a Cutting Board Need Each Time?

A routine coat on a 12 by 9 inch cutting board takes about a tablespoon of mineral oil or less. How to judge the amount, and when a board needs more.

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A WONAMU. bamboo cutting board with sliced apple and cheese on a calm kitchen counter, a mug of tea and a wrapped present nearby, a bottle drying rack in the background
Gifts

Christmas Gifts for New Parents

Christmas gifts for new parents that help them eat well: freezer-ready meals, one-handed kitchen tools, gifts of time, and a board that stays out all day.

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A butter board on a WONAMU. acacia cutting board: soft butter spread in swoops, topped with flaky salt, honey, chives, lemon zest and thin radish slices, with toasted bread beside it
Hosting

How to Build a Butter Board

A butter board is soft butter spread on a wooden board and topped like a cheese board. How to cut the toppings, spread it, serve it and clean up.

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A WONAMU. acacia cutting board on a candlelit table set for two, with sprigs of pine
Gifts

Christmas Gifts for Newlyweds

Christmas gifts for newlyweds in their first year: what the registry missed, pieces that start a tradition, and what they need to host both families.

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A WONAMU. bamboo cutting board on a dark slate counter seen from above, with thinly sliced radishes and cucumber, a chef's knife, a natural-bristle brush and a folded cotton cloth
Care & Cleaning

Is It Safe to Keep Using a Scratched Cutting Board?

A board with ordinary knife marks is safe if you clean it well. Deep grooves change that. How to tell the difference, and when to sand or replace a board.

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A WONAMU. bamboo cutting board on a small apartment kitchen counter under a string of fairy lights
Gifts

Christmas Gifts for Your Son or Daughter Moving Out

Christmas gifts for a son or daughter moving out: what only a parent can give, the kitchen basics they will not think to buy, and a board for every meal.

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A WONAMU. bamboo cutting board on a terracotta tile counter in late afternoon light with a crusty loaf being sliced on it, beside a plain unmarked ash baseball bat and a hammer with a pale wooden handle
Materials & Buying

Is Ash Good for a Cutting Board?

Is ash good for a cutting board? It is hard and tough, but coarse like oak, with large pores. Where an ash board works and where a finer wood is better.

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A WONAMU. bamboo cutting board on a quiet kitchen counter at dawn beside a cup of coffee, a ceramic bowl of clementines and a small wrapped present
Gifts

Christmas Gifts for Your Wife Who Cooks

Christmas gifts for a wife who cooks every weeknight: tools that make dinner easier, a few things only for her, and the gift of a night off the stove.

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A WONAMU. bamboo cutting board lying beside a farmhouse sink after washing, with water beading on its surface, a dish rack and a folded cotton towel
Care & Cleaning

Is Bamboo Waterproof? What Water Really Does to It

No. Bamboo is water-resistant, not waterproof. What a splash, a wash, a wet night and a soak each do to a bamboo cutting board, and how to keep it moving.

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A WONAMU. acacia cutting board on a dark wood credenza beside a small potted evergreen, a wedge of cheese and a wrapped present with a ribbon
Gifts

Christmas Gifts for Your Boss

Christmas gifts for your boss: why etiquette favors a group gift, how to organize one, and gifts that stay professional without feeling impersonal.

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A WONAMU. bamboo cutting board on a white tiled counter in bright midday light, with diced carrots and sliced leeks on it, beside a ceramic crock of plain pale wooden spoons
Materials & Buying

Is Beech Good for a Cutting Board?

Is beech good for a cutting board? Yes. It is hard, fine-textured and close-grained. Its one weakness is movement, so drying matters more than usual.

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A WONAMU. bamboo cutting board on an office break-room counter beside a coffee maker, a bowl of clementines and a small present tied with ribbon
Gifts

Coworker Christmas Gifts That Are Not Another Mug

Coworker Christmas gifts that are not another mug: gifts for the lunch they bring, treats the team can share, and something for the colleague who cooks.

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A WONAMU. acacia cutting board on a pale grey linen-covered table in low winter sun, with sliced pears and a wedge of cheese on it, beside three short white-barked birch logs
Materials & Buying

Is Birch Good for a Cutting Board?

Is birch good for a cutting board? Yellow and sweet birch are: fine-textured, close-grained and near maple in hardness. Paper birch is softer.

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A WONAMU. bamboo cutting board on linen beside unlabelled glass jars of grains, folded beeswax wraps and a present wrapped in cloth
Gifts

Eco-Friendly Christmas Gifts for the Kitchen

Eco-friendly Christmas gifts for the kitchen: swaps that retire single-use plastic, tools that last for decades, and gifts that cut food waste at home.

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A WONAMU. acacia cutting board holding a sliced lemon and fresh dill on a pale concrete counter, beside a plain cedar grilling plank with a side of raw salmon
Materials & Buying

Is Cedar Safe for a Cutting Board?

Cedar is a fine grilling plank but a poor cutting board: very soft, strongly scented, and a known irritant in some species. What to cut on instead.

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A WONAMU. bamboo cutting board on a farmhouse table beside a face-down recipe card, a wooden spoon, flour and a sprig of pine
Gifts

Gifting a Family Recipe With a Cutting Board

How to give a family recipe as a Christmas gift: choosing the dish, writing it out properly, protecting the original card and pairing it with a board.

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A WONAMU. bamboo cutting board lying flat in a band of sunlight on a white counter, with dark sweet cherries halved and pitted on it, a glass bowl of whole cherries and a small pile of pits
Materials & Buying

Is Cherry Good for a Cutting Board?

Is cherry good for a cutting board? Yes, with one trade-off: it is softer than maple. Its texture, deepening color and the cyanide question, explained.

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A WONAMU. acacia cutting board with cheese, pears and grapes on a coffee table among stacked books, lit candles and small wrapped presents
Gifts

Gifts for a Book Club or Supper Club

Gifts for a book club or supper club: what to give the host who carries the group, gifts the whole club can share, and small presents for each member.

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A WONAMU. acacia cutting board on a dark slate patio table at dusk with sliced smoked pork on it, beside a metal bowl of hickory smoking chunks
Materials & Buying

Is Hickory Good for a Cutting Board?

Is hickory good for a cutting board? It can be: very hard, tough and its pores are often plugged. The trade-offs are weight, workability and decay.

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A WONAMU. acacia cutting board lying flat on a walnut dining table beside a frosted window at dusk, with a wrapped present and a lit candle nearby
Gifts

How to Choose a Cutting Board as a Gift

How to choose a cutting board as a gift: the material, size, weight and features that matter, and how to read the person before you buy.

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A WONAMU. acacia cutting board lying flat on a pale blue tile counter with ribbons of sliced mango and a halved lime, beside a golden mango wood bowl holding whole mangoes
Materials & Buying

Is Mango Wood Food Safe?

Is mango wood food safe? A sound, solid piece with a food-grade oil finish is fine for serving. What to know about pores, spalting and the mango allergy.

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A WONAMU. bamboo cutting board on a craft table among twine, pine cones and wrapped presents, with a lemon and fresh herbs set beside it
Gifts

How to Make a Kitchen Gift Feel Personal

A kitchen gift feels personal when it fits how someone cooks. How to choose, pair and present a practical gift so it reads as thoughtful, not generic.

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A WONAMU. bamboo cutting board with a few halved pecans and a small paring knife on a dark walnut table in late-afternoon light, beside a bowl of pecans in the shell
Materials & Buying

Is Pecan Wood Good for a Cutting Board?

Pecan is hard, strong and food-neutral, so it can make a sound cutting board. What its hardness, open pores and low rot resistance mean for daily care.

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A WONAMU. acacia cutting board on a wooden bench inside a front door, with a doormat, a pair of boots and snow on the step outside
Gifts

How to Send an Amazon Gift With a Gift Note

How to send an Amazon gift with a gift note: marking the order as a gift, writing a message that stands on its own, and choosing a gift that arrives ready.

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A WONAMU. bamboo cutting board with a sliced rye loaf on a slate counter, beside a plain knotty pine plank holding a basket of onions
Materials & Buying

Is Pine Good for a Cutting Board? The Honest Answer

No. Pine is a soft, resinous softwood that scars deeply under a knife. Why it falls short as a prep surface, and which woods to cut on instead.

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A WONAMU. acacia cutting board lying flat on a living-room coffee table beside a lit Christmas tree, with wrapped presents and a mug of cocoa
Gifts

Is a Cutting Board a Good Christmas Gift?

Is a cutting board a good Christmas gift? For almost anyone who cooks, yes. Why it works, when it does not, and how to make it feel personal.

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A WONAMU. bamboo cutting board seen from above on a pale counter beside three pale blonde wooden utensils, a halved lime and a small dish of oil
Materials & Buying

Is Rubberwood Food Safe? What to Know Before You Cut

Yes. Rubberwood is a true hardwood sold for cutting boards. What to know about its latex past, its softer surface, its processing and its care.

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A WONAMU. acacia cutting board lying flat on a hallway console beside a pine wreath, a bundle of wooden spoons tied with ribbon and a jar of honey
Gifts

Kitchen Gifts That Arrive Ready to Give

Kitchen gifts that arrive ready to give need no wrapping, assembly or explanation. What qualifies, what never does, and how to wrap the rest without paper.

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Overhead view of a WONAMU. acacia cutting board on white marble in bright midday light, beside a glass dish of amber shellac flakes and a bowl of glossy clementines
Care & Cleaning

Is Shellac Food Safe on a Cutting Board?

Shellac is food safe once dry, but it is a poor cutting board finish: knives cut it, heat softens it and alcohol dissolves it. What to use instead.

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A WONAMU. bamboo cutting board on a mudroom bench beside wool mittens, a knit scarf and a sprig of pine
Gifts

Kitchen Gifts That Ship Well to Family Far Away

Kitchen gifts that ship well: flat, sturdy and shelf-stable ideas for family far away, what not to mail, and how to pack a box that arrives intact.

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A crustless Japanese fruit sando cut in half to show whole strawberries, kiwi and orange set in whipped cream, on a WONAMU. acacia cutting board with the prepared fruit beside it
Knife Skills & Technique

How to Make a Japanese Fruit Sando

A Japanese fruit sando is milk bread, whipped cream and whole fruit, cut to show the fruit inside. How to prep the fruit, place it, chill it and slice it.

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A WONAMU. acacia cutting board on a busy weekday kitchen counter among breakfast things, with a small Christmas tree in the corner
Gifts

Practical Christmas Gifts People Actually Use

Practical Christmas gifts people use every week: kitchen things that wear out, get lost or never get upgraded, chosen for the morning and the weeknight.

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A WONAMU. acacia cutting board seen from above on a terracotta tile counter, beside a small glass dropper bottle of golden jojoba oil, a dish of jojoba seeds, a glass bottle of clear mineral oil and a cotton cloth
Care & Cleaning

Can You Use Jojoba Oil on a Cutting Board?

Jojoba resists rancidity, but it is a liquid wax sold for skin care, not a food oil. Why mineral oil is still the better choice for a cutting board.

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A WONAMU. acacia cutting board on a dark wood sideboard beside a lit candle, clementines and a sprig of holly, left as a thank-you for a Christmas host
Gifts

Thank-You Gifts for Someone Who Hosted You for Christmas

Thank-you gifts for someone who hosted you for Christmas: replace what the holiday used up, give back their time, and send a board they will set out again.

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A katsu sando sliced in half to show the golden panko crust, pork cutlet and shredded cabbage, on a WONAMU. bamboo cutting board with the trimmed crusts and a serrated knife beside it
Knife Skills & Technique

How to Make a Katsu Sando and Slice It Clean

A katsu sando is a crisp pork cutlet in soft milk bread. How to prep the cutlet and cabbage, press the sandwich, and slice it into clean, neat halves.

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A WONAMU. bamboo cutting board on a white marble counter beside a crusty loaf, a wedge of cheese and a honing steel, with wrapped presents in the background
Gifts

What to Pair With a Cutting Board Gift

What to pair with a cutting board gift: something to cut, something to keep the knife true, something for care, and a reason to use it the same night.

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A painted wooden spoon rack holding pewter spoons, a tall hanging pine salt box and a slope-lidded wooden knife box laid out on wide old floorboards, seen from above
Materials & Buying

Knife Boxes and Spoon Racks in the Colonial Kitchen

Before drawers and cabinets, early American cooks hung spoons in wall racks and kept knives in wooden boxes. How colonial households organized the kitchen.

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A WONAMU. bamboo cutting board on a wooden writing desk beside a fountain pen and a small stack of blank cards lying face-down
Gifts

What to Write in a Card With a Kitchen Gift

What to write in a card with a kitchen gift: a three-line formula, sample lines for mom, dad, partners, hosts and neighbors, and what to leave out.

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Seen from above, a half-turned wooden bowl mounted on an old wood lathe, with curls of fresh shavings on the workshop floor and two finished bowls on the bench
Materials & Buying

Lathe-Turned Bowls: The Woodturners of the American Kitchen

Colonial turners made bowls on spring-pole lathes, and 20th-century artists made the turned bowl an art form. The history of the lathe-turned kitchen bowl.

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A WONAMU. acacia cutting board on an office party table among red, green and cream wrapped gifts, crumpled tissue and a plate of cookies
Gifts

White Elephant Kitchen Gifts Worth Stealing

White elephant kitchen gifts people want: what gets stolen in the swap, what sits out the game, and why a good wooden board keeps changing hands.

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Overhead view of a WONAMU. bamboo cutting board on a pale terrazzo counter in early morning sun, beside fresh lemons on a leafy branch, a small clear bottle of oil and a folded cloth
Care & Cleaning

Can You Use Lemon Oil Furniture Polish on a Cutting Board?

No. Lemon oil furniture polish is made for furniture and carries a swallowing warning. What is in it, what to do if you used it, and what to use instead.

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A well-used wooden spoon and a folded linen towel on a wooden table beside a small stack of wrapped presents tied with twine
Gifts

Why Kitchen Gifts Beat Gift Cards

Economists have made a strong case for gift cards. Why a kitchen gift still wins for the people who cook, and how to choose one they will use.

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A WONAMU. bamboo cutting board lying flat on a white tile counter beside a halved lemon, a small dish of coarse salt, a cork sanding block and a folded cotton cloth
Care & Cleaning

Can You Use a Magic Eraser on a Cutting Board?

A Magic Eraser works like very fine sandpaper and leaves foam residue behind. When it is worth using on a cutting board, and gentler fixes to try first.

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An old carbon-steel kitchen knife with a worn wooden handle on a plain pine table, a single copper coin resting beside the blade
Gifts

Why People Give a Coin With a Gifted Knife

A traditional superstition says a gift knife can cut a friendship, and a coin handed back turns it into a sale. How the custom works and why it lasts.

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A WONAMU. bamboo cutting board lying flat on a pale kitchen counter beside three wooden spatulas in cream, chocolate brown and reddish brown woods and a bowl of red apples
Materials & Buying

Maple, Walnut or Cherry: Classic American Board Woods

Maple, walnut or cherry for a cutting board? How the three classic American hardwoods compare on hardness, pores, color and care, and where bamboo fits.

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A WONAMU. acacia cutting board with a sliced wedge of cheese and a chef's knife, beside a white marble slab and a dark slate serving board on a weathered oak table in late afternoon light
Knife Skills & Technique

Marble and Slate Cutting Boards: What They Do to Your Knife

Marble and slate cutting boards look beautiful but have no give, so a knife edge dulls and chips on them. Serve on stone and cut on wood instead.

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A clean WONAMU. bamboo cutting board seen from above on a pale blue kitchen table, beside cotton rounds, a small clear glass bottle, a dish of baking soda and two capped plain marker pens
Care & Cleaning

How to Get Marker and Ink Off a Cutting Board

Washable marker comes off a cutting board with soap and water; permanent marker needs rubbing alcohol, a thorough wash and fresh oil. The full method.

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A still life of early American wooden kitchenware seen from above: a worn burl bowl, a wooden scoop, a butter paddle, a small round box and a tin candle mold on an old pine table
Materials & Buying

Mary Earle Gould and the Collectors Who Saved Woodenware

Mary Earle Gould spent 40 years collecting early American woodenware and writing about it. Who she was, her 1942 book, and the collectors beside her.

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A WONAMU. acacia cutting board seen from above on a dark slate counter in warm evening light, beside a white ceramic basin of soapy water, a natural-bristle brush and a folded cotton towel
Care & Cleaning

Can You Use Murphy Oil Soap on a Cutting Board?

Murphy Oil Soap is a scented wood cleaner for floors and furniture, not a board oil. Why plain dish soap is better, and what to do if you used it.

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A WONAMU. acacia cutting board lying flat on a pale plaster table with a wedge of aged cheese partly sliced, a small olive wood spreader and a fresh olive branch with silvery leaves
Materials & Buying

Olive Wood Cutting Boards: What to Know Before You Buy One

Olive wood cutting boards are very hard, fine-textured and full of wild grain. What to know about stability, care and price before you buy one.

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A WONAMU. acacia cutting board seen from above on a black granite counter, beside a red-waxed cheese, a dish of grated white paraffin, a glass bottle of clear mineral oil and a linen cloth
Care & Cleaning

Can You Use Paraffin Wax on a Cutting Board?

Food-grade paraffin is safe over mineral oil, but it is brittle and beeswax spreads better. Which paraffin to avoid, and how to wax a board properly.

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A WONAMU. bamboo cutting board lying flat on a pale counter with cucumber and avocado cut for sushi rolls, beside a bamboo rolling mat, sheets of nori and a bowl of rice under a cloth
Materials & Buying

Rubber Cutting Boards: Why Sushi Chefs Use Them

Rubber boards from Japanese makers like Hasegawa and Asahi are built for fish work. What they are made of, why chefs use them and how to care for one.

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A WONAMU. bamboo cutting board seen from above on a white quartz counter, with a plain glass bottle of clear mineral oil and a cotton cloth beside it and a small open jar of petroleum jelly set apart at the far edge
Care & Cleaning

Can You Use Petroleum Jelly on a Cutting Board?

Plain petroleum jelly will not turn rancid, but it is too thick to soak into a board and leaves a greasy film. Why mineral oil and board cream work better.

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Unpainted Shaker-style oval wooden boxes in graduated sizes on a scrubbed pine table, one open with coarse salt inside, beside a thin flat maple band and a few copper tacks
Materials & Buying

Shaker Oval Boxes: The Kitchen Box Bent From Thin Maple

A Shaker oval box is a thin maple band bent around a form, with swallowtail fingers and copper tacks. How they were made and what they held in the kitchen.

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Overhead view of a WONAMU. bamboo cutting board on a pale concrete counter beside a sanding block, a folded sheet of sandpaper, a dry paintbrush and a small glass dish of clear oil
Care & Cleaning

Can You Use Polyurethane on a Cutting Board?

No. Polyurethane is a film finish, and a knife cuts through film. Why it fails on a cutting board, what to do if yours has it, and what to use instead.

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Paper-thin onion half-moons, pickle coins, sliced tomato and shredded lettuce prepped in neat piles on a WONAMU. bamboo cutting board beside a cold cast-iron griddle and soft burger buns
Knife Skills & Technique

Smash Burgers at Home: How to Prep the Onions and Toppings

Smash burgers cook in minutes, so the knife work comes first: paper-thin onions, thin pickles, shredded lettuce and tomato, all cut before the pan is hot.

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A WONAMU. bamboo cutting board seen from above on a white terrazzo counter in low morning light, beside a folded sheet of fine sandpaper, a small enamel basin of water, a damp linen cloth and a glass dish of oil
Care & Cleaning

Raised Grain: Why a Board Feels Fuzzy After Its First Wash

A new board that feels fuzzy after its first wash has raised grain: water swells the fibers left by sanding. Why it happens and how to stop it coming back.

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Three small unlabelled glass dishes of honey in pale gold, amber and dark mahogany on a weathered farm table, beside sweet onions, a wedge of farmhouse cheese and a handful of apples
Knife Skills & Technique

Taste of Place: Why Where Food Comes From Matters Again

Terroir is the idea that soil, climate and geography shape how food tastes. What taste of place means for a home cook, from honey to onions to oysters.

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A clean WONAMU. bamboo cutting board on a white counter in cool morning light, with a halved lemon, a dish of coarse salt, a small glass dish of oil and a folded cotton cloth beside it
Care & Cleaning

How to Reset Your Cutting Boards After Holiday Hosting

How to reset your cutting boards after holiday hosting: sort them, wash and sanitize, lift stains and odors, check for warping, then dry, oil and store.

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A WONAMU. bamboo cutting board seen from above on a warm oak workbench beside a row of small plain wood samples in pale to dark tones and a single steel ball bearing
Materials & Buying

The Janka Scale: What Hardness Ratings Mean for a Board

The Janka scale measures how hard a wood resists denting. What the numbers mean for a cutting board, where common woods and bamboo sit, and what they miss.

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A WONAMU. bamboo cutting board lying flat on a pale wooden counter beside a white enamel basin of soapy water, a wooden dish brush and a folded cotton cloth
Care & Cleaning

Can You Use Rubbing Alcohol on a Wooden Cutting Board?

Rubbing alcohol will not ruin a wooden cutting board, but it is the wrong sanitizer for one. Why it falls short, and the routine that works instead.

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A WONAMU. bamboo cutting board lying flat on a dark slate counter with thin, clean tomato slices fanned across it beside a chef's knife and a tomato on the vine
Materials & Buying

Titanium Cutting Boards: What the Claims Leave Out

Titanium cutting boards sell on hygiene and durability. What independent tests found about knife edges, noise and labels, and where bamboo differs.

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A WONAMU. bamboo cutting board lying flat on a butcher-block counter, a cast-iron skillet set apart on a trivet, with halved lemons, a dish of coarse salt and a cotton cloth nearby
Care & Cleaning

How to Remove Rust Stains From a Cutting Board

Rust stains on a cutting board come from wet iron: a carbon-steel knife, cast iron or a can. How to lift them with lemon and salt, and when to sand.

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A WONAMU. acacia cutting board lying flat on a pale ash table with sliced roast pork tenderloin, beside a dark walnut wood bowl of roasted potatoes
Materials & Buying

Walnut Cutting Boards: What the Dark Wood Gives You

Walnut cutting boards: what black walnut offers in color, texture and pores, how soft it is next to maple and acacia, and how to care for a dark board.

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A WONAMU. bamboo cutting board lying flat on two low wooden blocks above a pale concrete counter so both faces are open to the air, beside a glass dish of oil and a cotton cloth
Care & Cleaning

Should You Oil Both Sides of a Cutting Board?

Yes. Oil both faces and all four edges of a cutting board every time. Why one-sided oiling invites warping, and how to coat every surface without a mess.

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An old, dark wooden cutting board seen from above in low raking light, a shallow hollow worn into its center, with a plain wooden straightedge laid across it and a worn wooden spoon beside it
Materials & Buying

Why Old Cutting Boards Wear a Hollow in the Middle

Why do old cutting boards wear a hollow in the middle? Years of work in the same few inches. What wears the wood away, and whether to flatten or keep it.

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A WONAMU. acacia cutting board lying flat on a weathered gray workbench beside a wooden-handled dish brush, a steel bench scraper, a sanding block and a folded cotton cloth
Care & Cleaning

Can You Scrub a Cutting Board With Steel Wool?

Steel wool scratches a wooden cutting board, leaves iron bits that can rust in the grain, and can stain oak. What to scrub with instead, and when to sand.

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A WONAMU. bamboo cutting board on a grey concrete counter with halved tomatoes on it, beside a short offcut of red oak turned end grain up and a small magnifying glass
Materials & Buying

Why Red Oak Makes a Poor Cutting Board

Red oak is hard enough for a cutting board, but its pores are so open you can blow air through a length of it. Why that matters and what to use instead.

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A WONAMU. bamboo cutting board lying flat on a white enamel-topped baking table beside a white ramekin of shortening, a pastry blender, a bowl of flour and a small unlabeled glass bottle of mineral oil
Care & Cleaning

Can You Use Vegetable Shortening on a Cutting Board?

No. Vegetable shortening is a cooking fat that goes rancid and sits on the surface of a board. What to use instead, and how to clean a board that had it.

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Seen from directly above, a painted bow-back Windsor chair pulled up to the corner of a scrubbed pine farmhouse table on wide wooden floorboards
Materials & Buying

The Windsor Chair at the American Kitchen Table

The Windsor chair came from England, took root in Philadelphia and became the everyday American seat. How it is built and why it suits the kitchen table.

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A WONAMU. bamboo cutting board lying flat on a terrazzo kitchen counter beside a plain brown paper shopping bag, two unlabeled glass bottles of clear oil and a canvas tote
Care & Cleaning

Where to Buy Food-Grade Mineral Oil (and Which to Pick)

Food-grade mineral oil is sold at pharmacies, hardware stores and kitchen shops. Where to find it and how to read the label so you buy the right bottle.

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A WONAMU. bamboo cutting board on a woodworking bench beside two wooden bar clamps, a plain white glue bottle without a label, a cabinet scraper and a fold of sandpaper
Materials & Buying

Wood Glue and Cutting Boards: What Makes a Joint Food Safe

A food-safe cutting board joint needs the right glue, a full cure and a tight, clean line. What FDA rules say about adhesives, and what to check.

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A WONAMU. acacia cutting board lying flat on a dark walnut-toned table, its left half freshly oiled and deeper in tone, a cotton cloth resting at the line where the oiling stops
Care & Cleaning

Why Acacia Darkens After Oiling

Why does acacia darken after oiling? Oil fills the surface and changes how light leaves the wood. Why it happens, why it fades, and how to oil evenly.

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A WONAMU. bamboo cutting board with halved radishes on a terrazzo counter beside a charcoal workstation sink holding a steel colander and a roll-up drying rack, in warm evening light
Materials & Buying

Workstation Sink Cutting Boards: Are They Worth It?

Are workstation sink cutting boards worth it? Yes if you prep at the sink daily and have room for a 30-inch sink. Here is who gains and who does not.

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A clean WONAMU. acacia cutting board lying flat on a pale limestone counter beside a dish of coarse salt, half a lemon, a cork sanding block and a folded cotton cloth
Care & Cleaning

Why Cutting Boards Get Darker Where You Cut Most

The middle of a wooden board darkens because knife marks hold food fat, juice and water. What causes it, when it matters and how to even the color out.

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Peeled broccoli stems cut into coins, sliced rainbow chard ribs and chopped beet greens sorted in rows on a WONAMU. bamboo cutting board, with a bowl of leek tops and lemon peel for stock
Knife Skills & Technique

Zero-Waste Cooking: Using the Stems, Peels and Tops

How to cut and cook the parts most people throw away: broccoli stems, chard ribs, beet greens, herb stems, leek tops and citrus peel, plus what to skip.

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A WONAMU. acacia cutting board lying flat on a thin sheet of grey shelf liner on a white quartz counter, seen from above, with a halved butternut squash, a chef's knife and a bench scraper
Care & Cleaning

Why Your Cutting Board Rocks on the Counter

A cutting board that rocks is sitting on a crumb, a folded towel, an uneven counter or a warp. A one-minute test tells you which, and how to fix each one.

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A WONAMU. acacia cutting board lying flat on a white stone kitchen island beside a golden teak serving tray holding a small bowl of green olives
Materials & Buying

Acacia vs. Teak Cutting Boards: How the Two Woods Compare

Acacia vs. teak cutting boards: two unrelated hardwoods compared on color, grain, natural oil, sourcing and care, so you can choose the one that suits you.

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Diced onion, sliced peppers, chopped cilantro and halved limes on a WONAMU. acacia cutting board, beside four glass containers of rice, black beans and corn
Knife Skills & Technique

Burrito Bowl Meal Prep: The Cutting List

Burrito bowl meal prep in one session: what to cut, how small to cut it, the order that keeps the board clean, and how long each part keeps in the fridge.

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A WONAMU. bamboo cutting board lying flat on a sunlit farmhouse table beside a loose bundle of golden wheat stalks and a stoneware jug holding fresh green bamboo leaves
Materials & Buying

Bamboo Is a Grass, Not a Wood: What That Means for a Board

Bamboo is a grass, in the same family as wheat and rice, not a wood. How a grass grows a stalk hard enough to cut on, and what it means for a bamboo board.

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Early-morning kitchen with a WONAMU. bamboo cutting board lying flat on a folded towel on a butcher-block counter beside an empty, drained farmhouse sink, a dish brush and a bowl of coarse salt nearby
Care & Cleaning

Can You Leave a Cutting Board Soaking Overnight?

No. A night in the sink drives water deep into a wood or bamboo board, which can warp, roughen or crack it. What to do instead, and how to rescue one.

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Alternating rounds of fresh mozzarella and ripe tomato with torn basil leaves on a WONAMU. acacia cutting board, beside a bottle of olive oil and a small dish of flaky salt
Knife Skills & Technique

How to Cut Fresh Mozzarella and Tomatoes for Caprese

How to cut fresh mozzarella and tomatoes for caprese: drain and chill the cheese, slice both a quarter inch thick, salt the tomatoes, and tear the basil.

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A WONAMU. acacia cutting board lying flat beside a deep farmhouse sink, with a pair of folded disposable gloves, a wooden dish brush and a small enamel colander of whole red and green chiles
Care & Cleaning

How to Clean a Cutting Board After Cutting Hot Peppers

Capsaicin barely dissolves in water, so a rinse leaves it on the board. How to clean a cutting board after hot peppers with soap, a scraper and two washes.

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Diced chicken, bacon, egg, avocado, tomato and crumbled blue cheese laid out in neat rows on a WONAMU. acacia cutting board beside a bowl of chopped romaine
Knife Skills & Technique

Cobb Salad: Every Ingredient Cut to the Same Size

How to cut a Cobb salad so every bite holds a bit of everything: chicken, bacon, egg, avocado, tomato and blue cheese, all in an even half-inch dice.

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A WONAMU. acacia cutting board lying flat and whole on a garage workbench beside a folded cotton cloth and a small bottle of mineral oil, with bar clamps hanging on a pegboard behind
Care & Cleaning

A Cutting Board Cracked Along a Seam: Can It Be Saved?

A cutting board cracked along a glue seam can often be reglued with a food-safe wood glue. How to tell a seam crack from a split, repair it and prevent it.

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A WONAMU. bamboo cutting board set apart on a clean counter with sliced apples and carrots, while a bowl of peanuts and a second board sit at the far end of the kitchen
Materials & Buying

Cutting Boards and Food Allergies: Avoiding Cross-Contact

How to keep food allergens off a cutting board: a dedicated board, allergen-free prep first, and thorough washing. Sanitizing alone is not enough.

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A WONAMU. acacia cutting board lying flat on a white quartz counter where it meets a maple butcher block island, with a chef's knife and a halved head of romaine on the board
Care & Cleaning

Can You Cut Directly on a Butcher Block or Quartz Counter?

Quartz makers say always use a cutting board. A butcher block counter depends on its finish. What the makers say, and why a board is the better habit.

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A dark chocolate bar half chopped into shards and chunks on a WONAMU. bamboo cutting board, a serrated bread knife and a small bowl of chopped chocolate beside it
Knife Skills & Technique

How to Chop Chocolate for Baking

How to chop a chocolate bar for baking: a dry board, a serrated knife, corner-first cuts, and the right piece size for melting, cookies or folding in.

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A clean WONAMU. bamboo cutting board lying flat on a black soapstone counter beside a halved lemon, a small bowl of coarse salt, a head of garlic and a red onion
Care & Cleaning

How to Get Garlic, Onion and Fish Smells Out of a Board

Garlic and onion leave sulfur compounds, fish leaves trimethylamine. How to get each smell out of a cutting board with soap, salt, lemon and baking soda.

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Raw chicken breast cut into even one-inch cubes on a WONAMU. bamboo cutting board, with wooden skewers, a lemon and a small bowl of spice rub nearby
Knife Skills & Technique

How to Cut Chicken Breast Into Even Cubes

How to cut chicken breast into even cubes: chill it firm, pull off the tender, split the thick end, then cut strips and cubes so every piece cooks evenly.

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A rinsed bamboo sushi mat unrolled to dry on a wire rack by an open window, beside a WONAMU. bamboo cutting board wiped clean on the counter
Care & Cleaning

How to Clean and Store a Bamboo Sushi Mat

To clean a bamboo sushi mat, rinse and scrub it right after rolling, never soak it, and dry it fully in open air. How to store it so mold never starts.

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A russet potato cut into planks and even quarter-inch sticks on a WONAMU. bamboo cutting board, beside a glass bowl of cut fries soaking in cold water
Knife Skills & Technique

How to Cut Potatoes for Homemade French Fries

How to cut potatoes for French fries: pick russets, square them off, cut planks then sticks of one even width, soak off the starch and dry them well.

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A WONAMU. bamboo cutting board lying flat on a light oak workbench beside a cork sanding block wrapped in fine sandpaper, a damp blue-gray cloth and a small bottle of mineral oil
Care & Cleaning

New Cutting Board Shedding Fibers: Return It or Fix It?

A new wood or bamboo board that turns fuzzy after its first wash usually has raised grain, which is fixable. How to tell it from a defect worth returning.

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Red and yellow cherry tomatoes halved cut side up on a WONAMU. bamboo cutting board, two shallow saucers stacked beside them and a long slicing knife resting along the board
Knife Skills & Technique

How to Halve Cherry Tomatoes All at Once

Halve a pint of cherry tomatoes in one cut: trap them between two lids, press flat, and slide a long knife through the gap. Here is how to do it safely.

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A WONAMU. bamboo cutting board lying flat on a pale ash kitchen island beside a small clear bottle of mineral oil, a folded cotton cloth and a closed pantry shelf of cooking oils in the background
Care & Cleaning

Can You Use Peanut or Sesame Oil on a Cutting Board?

No. Peanut and sesame oil are cooking oils that never cure, and both come from major food allergens. Why they stay off a board, and what to use instead.

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A peeled shallot half scored into a fan of thin cuts beside a small mound of minced shallot on a WONAMU. bamboo cutting board, whole copper-skinned shallots nearby
Knife Skills & Technique

How to Mince a Shallot

How to mince a shallot: halve it through the root, peel, make a few flat and vertical cuts, then slice across for a fine, even mince that holds together.

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Boiled red potatoes cut into even one-inch pieces on a WONAMU. acacia cutting board, beside a bowl of potato salad set in a larger bowl of ice on a picnic table
Hosting

Potato Salad for a Cookout: How Big to Cut the Potatoes

Cut potatoes for potato salad into even three-quarter to one-inch pieces, use waxy potatoes, dress them warm, and keep the bowl on ice at the cookout.

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A sculpted walnut rocking chair with long curved runners standing on a wooden floor in a sunlit room with hand-built wooden doors and a tall window
Materials & Buying

Sam Maloof and the California Hand-Made Chair

Sam Maloof taught himself woodworking, built his rocking chair into an American icon and won a MacArthur fellowship. The story of his Alta Loma workshop.

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A WONAMU. acacia cutting board lying flat on a slate-gray counter with round beads of water sitting on its surface, a small glass pitcher and a folded cotton cloth beside it
Care & Cleaning

The Water Drop Test: How to Tell When Your Board Needs Oil

Put a few drops of water on a wooden cutting board and watch. If they bead, it is fine; if they spread or soak in, it needs oil. How to read the test.

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A WONAMU. bamboo cutting board lying flat on a workbench beside a short offcut of dark hardwood and a small slab of matte composite, with a magnifying glass resting between them
Materials & Buying

How to Tell Bamboo, Hardwood and Composite Boards Apart

Bamboo, hardwood and composite cutting boards can look alike. How to tell them apart by the edge, the face and the grain, and why it changes the care.

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An iceberg lettuce head cut into four wedges on a WONAMU. acacia cutting board, with a bowl of blue cheese dressing, crumbled bacon and diced tomato beside it
Knife Skills & Technique

The Wedge Salad: How to Cut an Iceberg Lettuce Head

How to cut iceberg lettuce for a wedge salad: rinse and chill the head, quarter it through the stem, then trim the core so each wedge holds together.

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A WONAMU. bamboo cutting board lying flat on a linen-covered table beside a short split section of raw green bamboo stalk showing a node and its hollow interior, with a magnifying glass
Materials & Buying

The Tiny Dots and Lines in Bamboo: What You Are Looking At

The tiny dots and fine lines in a bamboo board are vascular bundles, the plant's fiber-wrapped plumbing. The wider bands are nodes. How to read them.

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A chuck roast cut into even cubes for beef stew on a WONAMU. acacia cutting board, with trimmed fat set to one side and carrots and onions waiting nearby
Knife Skills & Technique

Beef Stew: How to Cut a Chuck Roast Into Cubes

How to cut a chuck roast into cubes for beef stew: separate the muscles, trim the hard fat and silverskin, and cut even 1½ inch pieces that brown well.

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A restored oak Hoosier cabinet in a farmhouse kitchen with its enamel work shelf pulled out, a flour sifter, a mixing bowl and glass spice jars on the shelves behind open doors
Materials & Buying

The Hoosier Cabinet: The Early-1900s Kitchen Workstation

The Hoosier cabinet was a freestanding kitchen workstation with a flour bin, sifter and work surface. Who made it, what was inside and why it disappeared.

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Boiled pork belly cut into neat quarter-inch slices with layers of fat and meat on a WONAMU. acacia cutting board, with napa cabbage leaves and kimchi beside it
Korean Kitchen

Bossam: How to Slice Boiled Pork Belly

How to make and slice bossam: simmer pork belly with aromatics, rest it until it firms up, then cut quarter inch slices across the grain for wraps.

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A sculptural spiral staircase of hand-hewn red oak slabs rising through a stone-and-timber studio interior, lit by low afternoon window light
Materials & Buying

Wharton Esherick: The Woodworker Whose House Is a Sculpture

Wharton Esherick spent four decades building a Pennsylvania studio home where the stairs, latches and floors are sculpture. Who he was and why it matters.

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Even half-inch cubes of russet potato on a WONAMU. bamboo cutting board, next to a cast-iron skillet of golden diced breakfast potatoes
Knife Skills & Technique

Breakfast Potatoes: How to Dice for Even Crisping

How to dice breakfast potatoes so every piece crisps: square off the potato, cut even half-inch cubes, rinse off surface starch, dry well, give them room.

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A WONAMU. acacia cutting board lying flat on a pale oak table beside a cross-section slice of a tree branch with a light outer ring and a dark core, and a small brass magnifying loupe
Materials & Buying

Why Acacia Cutting Boards Have Light and Dark Streaks

The light and dark streaks in an acacia cutting board come from heartwood, sapwood and figure. What each one is, and why a pale streak is not weaker wood.

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A traditional Korean bueok kitchen with large black iron cauldrons set into a clay hearth, a low firebox glowing beneath, and a wooden door open to a courtyard
Korean Kitchen

Bueok: The Traditional Korean Kitchen

The bueok was the kitchen of the traditional Korean house. Its fire cooked the rice and heated the floor of the next room. How it worked and what it held.

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A busy restaurant prep line with stacked color-coded plastic cutting boards on a steel rack in the background, and a WONAMU. bamboo cutting board on a home counter in the foreground
Materials & Buying

Why Restaurants Use Plastic Cutting Boards

Restaurants use plastic cutting boards for color coding, bulk washing and cheap replacement, not because wood is banned. What the Food Code says.

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A skillet of bubbling buffalo chicken dip beside a WONAMU. bamboo cutting board loaded with celery sticks, carrot sticks and tortilla chips on a game-day coffee table
Hosting

Buffalo Chicken Dip for Game Day

Buffalo chicken dip for game day: shred the chicken, cut the celery and carrots, bake it hot, and keep it at 140°F or above through all four quarters.

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A WONAMU. acacia cutting board with a few slices of raw tuna cut against the grain, a long slicing knife resting beside it and a bowl of ice holding the rest of the fish
Materials & Buying

Can You Use a Wooden Cutting Board for Raw Fish and Sushi?

Yes, a wooden cutting board works for raw fish and sushi if it starts clean and is washed right after. How to handle fish, the board and the knife safely.

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Diced carrots, celery and onion in neat piles on a WONAMU. bamboo cutting board beside a bowl of shredded chicken and a pot of chicken noodle soup
Knife Skills & Technique

Chicken Noodle Soup From Scratch: The Knife Work

Chicken noodle soup from scratch starts on the board: even mirepoix, shredded chicken, chopped herbs. Here is the knife work and the order to do it in.

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A WONAMU. bamboo cutting board on a weathered campsite picnic table with sliced bell peppers and onion, a two-burner camp stove and an enamel mug beside it
Materials & Buying

A Cutting Board for Camp Cooking and RV Kitchens

What makes a good cutting board for camp cooking and RV kitchens: the right size, keeping raw meat apart, and washing and drying it away from home.

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A bowl of chicken tortilla soup topped with crisp tortilla strips, avocado and cilantro, beside a WONAMU. bamboo cutting board with sliced corn tortillas, a halved lime and a diced jalapeño
Knife Skills & Technique

Chicken Tortilla Soup and Homemade Tortilla Strips

Chicken tortilla soup with fire-roasted tomatoes, black beans and lime, topped with crisp tortilla strips baked from corn tortillas in under 10 minutes.

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A WONAMU. acacia cutting board on a pale stone counter beside a few short offcuts of light oak lumber, a hand plane and a small bowl of oil
Materials & Buying

Can White Oak Be Used for a Cutting Board?

Can white oak be used for a cutting board? Yes. Its pores are plugged, unlike red oak. What to know about hardness, tannins and care before you choose it.

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Diced potatoes, onion and chopped clams on a WONAMU. bamboo cutting board beside a Dutch oven of creamy clam chowder, open clam shells and oyster crackers
Knife Skills & Technique

Clam Chowder From Scratch

New England clam chowder from scratch: steam fresh clams for broth, render salt pork, simmer diced potatoes, then finish with clams and cream off the boil.

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A WONAMU. bamboo cutting board on a dark slate counter beside a bundle of raw pale bamboo stalks and a small dish of dark brown caramelized sugar
Materials & Buying

Carbonized vs. Natural Bamboo: What the Color Tells You

Carbonized vs. natural bamboo: the caramel color comes from heat and steam, not stain. What each shade tells you about a board and how to care for both.

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An unplanned weeknight supper in progress: half an onion, a few carrots, greens and a lemon on a bamboo cutting board, with an open pantry shelf behind
Knife Skills & Technique

Cooking Without a Recipe

Cooking without a recipe is a skill, not a gamble. How to start from what you have, taste as you go, and build a meal from a few reliable patterns.

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A well-used black cast-iron skillet on a stovetop beside a jar of worn wooden spoons, a dark old rolling pin and a folded linen towel
Materials & Buying

Cast Iron and Wood: Kitchen Things That Get Better With Use

Why a cast-iron skillet and a wooden spoon improve with years of cooking, what patina and seasoning really are, and the small habits that keep both going.

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Bell peppers, red onion and tomato diced to the size of a bean on a WONAMU. bamboo cutting board, beside a large bowl of cowboy caviar and tortilla chips
Knife Skills & Technique

Cowboy Caviar: How to Dice for a Crowd

How to dice cowboy caviar for a crowd: cut peppers, onion and tomato to the size of a bean, prep in the right order, and keep the bowl safe on the table.

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A clean WONAMU. bamboo cutting board on a shared kitchen counter with a small stack of folded towels, a bowl of lemons and two mugs, ready for the next cook
Care & Cleaning

Cutting Board Etiquette in a Shared Kitchen

Cutting board etiquette for roommates, families and office kitchens: separate boards for raw meat, wash right away, never soak, dry on edge, put it back.

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A WONAMU. bamboo cutting board on a counter right beside a sink, with sliced carrots on the board and a metal colander of rinsed carrots next to it
Knife Skills & Technique

How to Use a Cutting Board Over the Sink

How to use a cutting board over the sink: when bridging the basin works, how to keep it from rocking, and the sink-side setup that saves counter space.

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A large milky white Korean moon jar on a low wooden stand against a pale paper wall, its round body slightly uneven, in soft side light
Korean Kitchen

Dalhangari: The Korean Moon Jar

The dalhangari, or Korean moon jar, is a large white porcelain jar of the Joseon dynasty. How it was made in two halves, and why its unevenness matters.

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Peeled hard-boiled eggs halved lengthwise in neat rows on a WONAMU. bamboo cutting board, yolks lifted into a small bowl beside a thin knife and a damp towel
Knife Skills & Technique

Deviled Eggs: How to Halve Hard-Boiled Eggs Cleanly

How to halve hard-boiled eggs cleanly for deviled eggs: chill them, peel under water, and cut lengthwise with a thin, wet blade wiped between every egg.

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A crusty loaf with three slices fanned out on a WONAMU. acacia cutting board, a serrated bread knife and a few crumbs beside a butter dish on a wooden table
Materials & Buying

Do You Need a Separate Bread Board?

Do you need a separate bread board? Not a special one, but a board kept for bread keeps loaves away from raw meat, onion and garlic. How to set it up.

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A tall pile of thinly sliced yellow onions on a WONAMU. bamboo cutting board beside a sheet pan heaped with more slices and a heavy pot on the stove behind
Knife Skills & Technique

French Onion Soup and Five Pounds of Onions

French onion soup starts with about five pounds of onions. How to slice that many evenly, cut down the tears, and cook them down slowly for a deep soup.

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Sheets of handmade Korean hanji paper drying on boards in the sun, their soft fibers glowing, beside a bundle of pale mulberry bark
Korean Kitchen

Hanji: Korean Paper Made From Mulberry

Hanji is traditional Korean paper made from the inner bark of the paper mulberry. How it is cooked, beaten and formed by hand, and why it lasts so long.

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Containers of sliced peppers, diced onion, celery sticks and shredded cheese lined up beside a WONAMU. acacia cutting board on a kitchen counter the night before a game day party
Knife Skills & Technique

Game Day Prep: What to Cut the Night Before

What to cut the night before game day: chili vegetables, peppers, crudités and cheese keep well overnight. Avocados, herbs and tomatoes wait for kickoff.

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Three generations of wooden kitchen boards on a farmhouse table: a worn round trencher, a thick end-grain block and a plain modern board, in soft window light
Materials & Buying

A Short History of the Cutting Board in America

From wooden trenchers to the butcher's block to the plastic boards that followed, a short history of the cutting board in America and why wood stayed.

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A loaf of Italian bread split lengthwise on a WONAMU. bamboo cutting board, one half spread with garlic and parsley butter, beside a head of garlic and a bowl of soft butter
Knife Skills & Technique

Garlic Bread From a Whole Loaf

How to make garlic bread from a whole loaf: split it or slice it accordion style, spread garlic butter to the edges, bake in foil, then crisp the top.

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A WONAMU. bamboo cutting board lying flat on a counter beside a rain-streaked open window on a humid summer afternoon, with a small hygrometer and a folded cotton cloth
Care & Cleaning

How Humidity Affects a Bamboo Cutting Board

Bamboo takes on moisture in humid air and gives it up in dry air. How each season affects a bamboo cutting board, and the routine that keeps it flat.

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Fresh green beans trimmed in a neat bundle, sliced cremini mushrooms and thin shallot rings on a WONAMU. bamboo cutting board, with a baked green bean casserole topped with crisp onions beside it
Knife Skills & Technique

Green Bean Casserole From Scratch: Trimming and Slicing

Green bean casserole from scratch: trim the beans in bunches, slice mushrooms for a real cream sauce, and cut thin onion rings for a crisp topping.

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A WONAMU. bamboo cutting board lying flat beside a kitchen sink after a wash, with a measuring spoon, a glass pitcher of water and folded rubber gloves on the counter
Care & Cleaning

How to Clean a Cutting Board After Someone Is Sick

How to clean a cutting board when someone in the house is sick: a hot soapy wash, the right bleach strength for a stomach bug, and a clean-water rinse.

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Golden Yukon Gold potatoes sliced thinly accordion style between two wooden chopsticks on a WONAMU. acacia cutting board, with roasted fanned hasselback potatoes in a pan beside it
Knife Skills & Technique

Hasselback Potatoes: The Knife Work

Hasselback potatoes depend on one cut: thin slices that stop short of the base. Here is how to make them evenly, with two chopsticks as your guide.

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Thin pear slices fanned beside wedges of blue cheese and aged cheddar on a WONAMU. acacia cutting board, with whole Bosc pears and walnuts nearby
Hosting

How to Cut a Pear for a Cheese Board

How to cut a pear for a cheese board: pick a firm ripe pear, core it cleanly, slice thin wedges or fans, and keep the slices pale until guests arrive.

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Red, yellow and green bell peppers cut into strips, dice and rings on a WONAMU. bamboo cutting board, with the seedy cores set to one side
Knife Skills & Technique

How to Cut a Bell Pepper

How to cut a bell pepper: slice the four sides away from the core, lay each piece skin side down, then cut clean strips, dice or rings with no seeds.

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A clean WONAMU. bamboo cutting board on a sunny counter beside a scrub brush, a bowl of baking soda, a folded towel and a sheet of fine sandpaper
Care & Cleaning

How to Get Rid of Mold on a Wooden Cutting Board

How to get rid of mold on a wooden cutting board: scrub it, sanitize with dilute bleach, sand out what remains, and know when the board should be replaced.

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A pink grapefruit cut three ways on a WONAMU. bamboo cutting board: a loosened half, a stack of peeled wheels and a small pile of clean segments
Knife Skills & Technique

How to Cut a Grapefruit

How to cut a grapefruit three ways: halves loosened for the spoon, peeled wheels for a salad, and clean segments with no pith or membrane left on them.

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A long table set for a tamalada with soaked corn husks, a bowl of masa and red chile pork shredded on a WONAMU. bamboo cutting board
Hosting

How to Host a Tamalada

How to host a tamalada, the holiday tamale-making party: cook the fillings ahead, soak the husks, set up an assembly line and steam in batches all day.

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Kiwis cut four ways on a WONAMU. bamboo cutting board: a halved kiwi with a spoon, peeled rounds showing the green flesh and black seeds, and a few wedges
Knife Skills & Technique

How to Cut a Kiwi

How to cut a kiwi four ways: scooped with a spoon, peeled with a knife and sliced into rounds, cut into wedges, or eaten skin and all, sliced thin.

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A freshly washed WONAMU. bamboo cutting board lying flat on a raised wire rack by a kitchen window, air reaching both faces as it dries
Care & Cleaning

How to Keep a Cutting Board From Warping

Keep a cutting board from warping by keeping both faces equally wet and equally dry: wash both sides, never soak it, dry it on edge and oil every face.

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A lemon sliced into rounds and another cut in half on a WONAMU. bamboo cutting board, beside a wooden reamer and a small glass of fresh lemon juice
Knife Skills & Technique

How to Cut a Lemon for the Most Juice

How to cut a lemon for the most juice: bring it to room temperature, roll it, cut around the core or lengthwise, and squeeze with a press, not your fist.

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A WONAMU. bamboo cutting board lying flat on a kitchen counter beside an open moving box, a roll of packing paper, tape and a folded cotton cloth
Care & Cleaning

How to Pack a Cutting Board When You Move

How to pack a cutting board when you move: clean, dry and oil it first, wrap it in cloth and paper, pack it flat or on edge, and unpack it on day one.

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A pomelo with its thick rind scored and peeled back like petals, with pale segments stripped of their membranes on a WONAMU. bamboo cutting board
Knife Skills & Technique

How to Cut and Segment a Pomelo

How to cut a pomelo: slice off the top, score the thick rind, peel it away, then pull the segments apart and strip the tough membrane from each one.

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A clean WONAMU. bamboo cutting board on a grey concrete counter beside a sanding block, sheets of sandpaper in three grits, a card scraper and a cast iron pan resting on a trivet
Care & Cleaning

How to Remove Burn Marks From a Wooden Cutting Board

How to remove burn marks from a wooden cutting board: scrape away the char, sand evenly until clean wood shows, then oil, and keep hot pans off it.

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A whole chicken broken down into two drumsticks, two thighs, two wings and two breast halves on a WONAMU. acacia cutting board, with the backbone set aside for stock
Knife Skills & Technique

How to Cut a Whole Chicken Into Eight Pieces

How to cut a whole chicken into eight pieces: two drumsticks, two thighs, two wings and two breast halves, found at the joints with a sharp knife.

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A WONAMU. bamboo cutting board on a white counter beside a small bowl of mineral oil, a folded cotton cloth, a plastic scraper and a hair dryer
Care & Cleaning

How to Remove Sticker Residue From a New Cutting Board

How to remove sticker residue from a new cutting board: warm the label, peel it slowly, dissolve the glue with mineral oil, then wash. No harsh solvents.

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A globe eggplant cut into rounds and one-inch cubes on a WONAMU. bamboo cutting board, beside a slender whole eggplant and a chef's knife
Knife Skills & Technique

How to Cut an Eggplant

How to cut an eggplant: trim the cap, give it a flat side, then cut rounds, planks or cubes. When to salt, when to peel, and how to keep it from browning.

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A holiday buffet table set in a line from plates to napkins, with a sliced roast on a WONAMU. acacia cutting board as the carving station
Hosting

How to Set Up a Holiday Buffet

How to set up a holiday buffet: plan the flow from plates to napkins, keep hot food hot and cold food cold, swap in fresh platters, and carve at the table.

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A bunch of green asparagus lined up on a WONAMU. bamboo cutting board, woody ends trimmed in one cut, with bias-cut pieces and a few shaved ribbons beside the spears
Knife Skills & Technique

How to Cut Asparagus

How to cut asparagus: trim the woody ends, peel thick stalks, then cut whole spears, bias pieces, coins or raw ribbons for roasting, stir-fries or salads.

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A whole salami being sliced into thin ovals on a WONAMU. acacia cutting board, with loose ribbons of prosciutto and a curl of peeled casing beside it
Hosting

How to Slice Prosciutto and Salami for a Board

How to slice prosciutto and salami for a board: buy prosciutto sliced thin, chill and peel a whole salami, cut thin coins or ovals, then fold, never stack.

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A slab of bacon cut into planks and short lardons on a WONAMU. acacia cutting board, beside a cast-iron skillet of browned lardons
Knife Skills & Technique

How to Cut Bacon Into Lardons

How to cut bacon into lardons: chill a thick slab, cut it into planks, then sticks about 3/8 inch wide, and render them slowly until crisp outside.

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A clean, dry WONAMU. bamboo cutting board on a white counter beside an empty wire plate rack, a folded cotton cloth and a short stack of plates
Care & Cleaning

How to Store a Cutting Board the Right Way

How to store a cutting board: dry it fully, stand it on edge with air on both faces, and keep it away from heat, sun and damp cabinets so it stays flat.

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Red and golden beets cut into wedges and matchsticks on a WONAMU. bamboo cutting board, with a bunch of beet greens and a peeler beside it
Knife Skills & Technique

How to Cut Beets

How to cut beets: trim the greens, peel before or after cooking, then cut even wedges, rounds, dice or matchsticks without staining everything.

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A family's old kitchen tools laid out to sort: a cast iron skillet, a worn wooden spoon, a rolling pin and an old knife beside a bamboo cutting board on a table
Materials & Buying

Inherited Kitchen Tools: What to Keep

Inherited kitchen tools can serve another lifetime or quietly cause trouble. What to keep, what to restore and what to retire from a family kitchen.

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A head of broccoli broken down into even florets and peeled stalk coins on a WONAMU. bamboo cutting board, with a paring knife and a small pile of trimmed outer stalk peel
Knife Skills & Technique

How to Cut Broccoli Into Even Florets

How to cut broccoli into even florets: cut the head from below, split thick stems lengthwise instead of chopping the tops, and peel the stalk to cook it.

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A WONAMU. bamboo cutting board seen from above with a few beads of water sitting on its surface, beside a glass of water and a folded cotton cloth
Materials & Buying

Is Bamboo Porous? Why It Matters for a Cutting Board

Is bamboo porous? Every plant material has pores, but a bamboo board is dense and low in porosity. Here is what that means for stains, odors and care.

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A head of green cabbage cut into thick round slabs through the core on a WONAMU. bamboo cutting board, with a chef's knife and a small dish of olive oil beside it
Knife Skills & Technique

How to Cut Cabbage Steaks

How to cut cabbage steaks that hold together: trim the base flat, slice down through the core into even slabs, then roast them at 400°F until browned.

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Diced pork, onion, zucchini and potato in even half-inch cubes with julienned cucumber on a WONAMU. bamboo cutting board, beside a bowl of black bean noodles
Korean Kitchen

Jjajangmyeon at Home: The Dicing Behind Black Bean Noodles

How to make jjajangmyeon at home: dice pork, onion, zucchini and potato into even half inch cubes, fry the black bean paste, and finish the sauce.

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A peeled jicama cut into crisp white sticks and thin rounds on a WONAMU. bamboo cutting board, with lime wedges and a small dish of chili powder
Knife Skills & Technique

How to Cut Jicama

How to cut jicama: trim the ends, peel the papery skin and fibrous layer with a knife, then cut sticks, cubes or thin slices for salads, slaws and snacks.

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Chopped red kimchi, small even cubes of Spam and sliced scallions on a WONAMU. bamboo cutting board, beside a skillet of kimchi fried rice topped with a fried egg
Korean Kitchen

Kimchi Fried Rice: How to Cut Kimchi and Spam

Kimchi fried rice comes together in minutes once the board work is done: kimchi chopped small, Spam in even cubes, onion and scallion cut to match.

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Peeled parsnips cut into even batons and coins on a WONAMU. bamboo cutting board, with the thick tops quartered and their pale cores set aside
Knife Skills & Technique

How to Cut Parsnips

How to cut parsnips: peel them, split the thick top from the thin tail, remove a woody core, and cut even batons, coins or dice so they roast evenly.

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A vintage teak salad bowl with wooden servers, a lidded teak ice bucket and a teak tray with stainless steel cutlery on a mid-century walnut sideboard
Materials & Buying

Mid-Century Teak Serving Ware

Mid-century teak serving ware: where the bowls, trays and ice buckets came from, why teak, what to check when buying vintage, and how to care for it today.

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A rustic apple galette cut into eight even wedges on a WONAMU. bamboo cutting board, one slice pulled slightly out, with a long knife and a pie server beside it
Knife Skills & Technique

How to Cut Pie Into Even Slices

How to cut pie into even slices: let it set, score halves and quarters, wipe the knife between cuts, and add a third cut so the first slice lifts out.

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A black lacquered Korean box inlaid with iridescent mother-of-pearl chrysanthemum and vine patterns, resting on a low wooden table in soft light
Materials & Buying

Najeonchilgi: Korean Mother-of-Pearl Lacquerware

Najeonchilgi is Korean lacquerware inlaid with shell. How it is made in layers of wood, lacquer and abalone, and why it took months to finish one piece.

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A halved rutabaga with golden flesh beside small purple-topped turnips cut into wedges on a WONAMU. bamboo cutting board, with a chef's knife and strips of peeled skin
Knife Skills & Technique

How to Cut a Rutabaga and Turnips

How to cut a rutabaga and turnips safely: make a flat base first, peel the waxed skin with a knife, then cut even cubes or wedges for roasting or mash.

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Antique carved wooden butter prints and a round butter mold on a scrubbed farmhouse table beside a pat of butter stamped with a flower design
Materials & Buying

Pennsylvania Butter Molds: Carved Wood for the Table

Pennsylvania butter prints and molds were carved wooden stamps that shaped farm butter and marked its maker. Their history, and how to use one today.

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Orange sweet potatoes cut into even cubes, wedges and rounds on a WONAMU. bamboo cutting board, with a whole sweet potato and a chef's knife beside them
Knife Skills & Technique

How to Cut Sweet Potatoes for Roasting

How to cut sweet potatoes for roasting: make a flat side first, then cut even cubes, wedges or rounds so every piece browns at the same time in a hot oven.

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A cooked pork shoulder half shredded into tender strands with two forks on a WONAMU. acacia cutting board, with soft buns and pickled red onions beside it
Hosting

Pulled Pork for a Crowd

How to make pulled pork for a crowd: how much shoulder to buy per guest, how to cook it low and slow, shred it on a board, and hold it safely for hours.

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Zucchini cut four ways, coins, half-moons, spears and small dice, in neat groups on a WONAMU. bamboo cutting board beside a chef's knife and one whole zucchini
Knife Skills & Technique

How to Cut Zucchini

How to cut zucchini into coins, half-moons, planks, spears and dice, the right thickness for roasting, grilling and sautéing, and how to store it.

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A quiet Korean scholar's study with a low wooden writing desk, a plain persimmon-wood chest beneath a paper window, and a brush and inkstone set on the floor
Materials & Buying

Sarangbang: The Korean Scholar's Study

The sarangbang was the study and guest room of the traditional Korean house. How its low wooden furniture was made, and why plainness was the point.

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Celery ribs split into long strips and a mound of quarter-inch diced celery on a WONAMU. bamboo cutting board, with the pale leaves set aside
Knife Skills & Technique

How to Dice Celery for Stuffing and Soup

How to dice celery: trim it, split each rib into even strips, then cut across. A quarter-inch dice for stuffing, a half-inch dice for hearty soups.

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A half-carved wooden spoon blank beside a straight carving knife, a hook knife, a small hatchet and a pile of pale wood shavings on a weathered workbench
Materials & Buying

Spoon Carving: The Hobby That Starts With One Knife

Spoon carving needs little more than a knife, a hook knife and a piece of green wood. How the craft works, which tools to start with, and why it spread.

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A side of salmon cut into even portions with the thin tail trimmed off on a WONAMU. bamboo cutting board, with a pair of fish tweezers and pin bones beside it
Knife Skills & Technique

How to Portion a Whole Salmon Fillet

How to portion a whole salmon fillet: pull the pin bones, trim the belly and tail, cut equal portions by weight, and skin it when a recipe needs it.

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Carved wooden springerle molds and a carved rolling pin beside rows of pale, freshly stamped anise cookies drying on parchment, with flour and anise seeds scattered on a wooden table
Materials & Buying

Springerle Molds and Carved Christmas Cookies

Springerle are anise cookies pressed with carved wooden molds. How the molds work, what they show, and how to stamp, dry and bake the cookies at home.

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Chicken breast halves under parchment beside a pounded thin cutlet and a meat mallet on a WONAMU. bamboo cutting board, with a dish of breadcrumbs nearby
Knife Skills & Technique

How to Pound Chicken Cutlets

How to pound chicken cutlets: split thick breasts first, cover them, and tap from the thickest part outward until every piece is an even quarter inch.

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Five Korean side dishes in small containers, seasoned spinach, soybean sprouts, radish salad, braised potatoes and zucchini, with julienned radish on a WONAMU. bamboo cutting board
Korean Kitchen

Sunday Banchan Prep: Five Side Dishes for the Week

Sunday banchan prep: make five Korean side dishes in about two hours, in an order that shares one pot of water, with the knife work for each one.

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Roasted green chiles with blistered, charred skins being peeled and opened flat on a WONAMU. bamboo cutting board, with a pile of peeled chiles beside a sheet pan
Knife Skills & Technique

How to Roast and Peel Green Chiles

How to roast and peel green chiles at home: blister them under a broiler or on a grill, steam them, slip off the skins, and freeze the rest for winter.

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A long family table in early afternoon light with a roast chicken on a platter, a pot of red sauce, bowls of green beans and mashed potatoes, and empty chairs pulled out
Hosting

Sunday Dinner in America

Sunday dinner in America began as the big midday meal after church. How blue laws, chicken dinners, Sunday sauce and brunch shaped it, and how to keep it.

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Glossy brown chestnuts scored with an X on a WONAMU. bamboo cutting board, a small serrated knife beside them and a cast-iron pan of roasted chestnuts with curled-open shells nearby
Knife Skills & Technique

How to Score Chestnuts for Roasting

How to score chestnuts for roasting: cut an X or a single slit through the shell on the rounded side, roast them hot, then peel while warm under a towel.

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A long, scrubbed wooden farmhouse table in a sunlit kitchen with a deep white sink, open shelves of stoneware and a freestanding painted kitchen cabinet
Materials & Buying

The Farmhouse Kitchen and Why It Endures

The farmhouse kitchen was built for work: a big table, open storage, deep sinks. Why that working room keeps returning to American homes, and what to take.

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A quarter of green cabbage with its core cut out and a pile of fine shredded ribbons beside it on a WONAMU. bamboo cutting board, with red cabbage and carrot nearby
Knife Skills & Technique

How to Shred Cabbage for Coleslaw

How to shred cabbage for coleslaw by hand: quarter the head, cut out the core, slice thin ribbons across the leaves, and salt them so the slaw stays crisp.

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A worn wooden kitchen table with mismatched chairs, a coffee pot, an open homework notebook and a cooling pie, lit by late-afternoon window light
Materials & Buying

The Kitchen Table as an American Gathering Place

How the kitchen table became the American gathering place, from the colonial hearth to the Hoosier cabinet to the open plan, and why it still holds us.

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Thin slices of pink corned beef fanned across a WONAMU. acacia cutting board beside a pot of cabbage wedges, carrots and potatoes and a small dish of mustard
Knife Skills & Technique

How to Slice Corned Beef

How to slice corned beef: rest it, find the grain, and cut thin slices across it. Flat cut versus point cut, slicing cold for sandwiches, and leftovers.

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A worn maple rolling pin with handles and a slim tapered French pin beside a half-rolled round of pie dough on a floured pastry cloth, with an empty pie plate nearby
Materials & Buying

The Rolling Pin: An American Kitchen Object

The rolling pin in the American kitchen: handled rollers and French rods, maple pins in museums, an 1884 patent, and how to choose and care for one.

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A sushi roll cut into eight even pieces on a WONAMU. bamboo cutting board, a long thin knife and a folded damp cloth beside it, with a bamboo rolling mat nearby
Knife Skills & Technique

How to Slice Sushi Rolls Cleanly

How to slice sushi rolls cleanly: use a long sharp knife, wet the blade, cut the roll in half and then into even pieces with a single pulling stroke.

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A large turned wooden salad bowl filled with tossed green salad, with wooden servers and a halved garlic clove on a mid-century dining table
Materials & Buying

The Wooden Salad Bowl in the American Kitchen

From the 1940s to the 1960s, US cookbooks championed the wooden salad bowl, with a rule never to wash it. Where that came from, and how to care for one.

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Even rounds of red beefsteak tomato sliced across the middle on a WONAMU. bamboo cutting board, with a serrated knife and a toasted sandwich on a plate nearby
Knife Skills & Technique

How to Slice Tomatoes for Sandwiches

How to slice tomatoes for sandwiches: core them, cut across the equator into even rounds, then salt and drain the slices so the bread stays dry.

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Cylinder rice cakes, triangles of Korean fish cake, squares of cabbage and long scallion pieces prepared on a WONAMU. bamboo cutting board, with a shallow pan of red tteokbokki beside it
Korean Kitchen

Tteokbokki at Home: The Knife Work

Tteokbokki at home starts on the board: rice cakes cut to length, fish cake sheets into triangles, cabbage into squares and scallions in long pieces.

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A grilled tri-tip split in two and sliced thin against the grain on a WONAMU. acacia cutting board on a backyard table at dusk, beside a carving knife
Knife Skills & Technique

How to Slice a Tri-Tip Against the Grain

How to slice tri-tip: rest it, split the roast where its two grains meet, then cut each half thinly across its own grain so every slice stays tender.

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A quiet Korean bamboo grove in soft winter light, tall green culms rising behind a low stone wall dusted with snow
Korean Kitchen

What Bamboo Means in Korean Culture

In Korea, bamboo stands for integrity: straight, hollow and green in winter. How it entered poetry, painting, language and the objects of the Korean home.

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Jalapeños halved lengthwise with seeds and ribs scraped out, lined up on a WONAMU. bamboo cutting board beside a bowl of cream cheese filling and a teaspoon
Knife Skills & Technique

Jalapeño Poppers: How to Halve and Seed Jalapeños

How to halve and seed jalapeños for poppers: cut through the stem, scrape out the white ribs where the heat lives, and keep each half a sturdy boat.

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A massive end-grain maple butcher block on sturdy legs in an old butcher shop, a cleaver resting on its worn checkerboard top
Materials & Buying

Why Butchers Use Wooden Blocks

Butchers have worked on thick wooden blocks for generations. Why the block is built the way it is, why hard maple, and how a block was kept in service.

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Sliced andouille, diced onion, celery and green bell pepper in rows on a WONAMU. bamboo cutting board beside a heavy pot of jambalaya and a string of Mardi Gras beads
Knife Skills & Technique

Jambalaya for Mardi Gras: The Knife Work

Jambalaya for Mardi Gras starts on the cutting board: dice the trinity, slice the andouille, cube the chicken, and prep in the right order for one pot.

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A WONAMU. bamboo cutting board lying flat beside a sink, half wiped with a damp cloth, next to a small bowl of white vinegar and a folded cotton cloth
Care & Cleaning

Why Your Cutting Board Has White Spots

White spots on a cutting board are usually dry fibers, hard-water minerals, soap film or leftover wax. How to tell which one you have and how to fix each.

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Minced garlic, chopped parsley and grated Parmesan on a WONAMU. bamboo cutting board beside a tray of raw meatballs and a pot of simmering red sauce
Knife Skills & Technique

How to Make Meatballs for Sunday Sauce

How to make meatballs for Sunday sauce: a bread and milk panade, a light hand, a quick browning, then a long simmer in the sauce until they reach 160°F.

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Chopped dark chocolate and whole strawberries on a WONAMU. bamboo cutting board beside a bowl of melted chocolate and a plate of chocolate-dipped strawberries
Hosting

Chocolate-Dipped Strawberries: How to Prep Them on a Board

How to make chocolate dipped strawberries that set glossy: dry the berries completely, chop and melt or temper the chocolate, then dip, drizzle and set.

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Zucchini, carrot, celery, onion and potato diced to the same small size in rows on a WONAMU. bamboo cutting board beside a pot of minestrone
Knife Skills & Technique

Minestrone: Cutting Vegetables to the Same Size

Minestrone tastes best when every vegetable is cut to the size of a bean. How to dice each one, and the order to add them so all finish tender together.

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A rolled log of cinnamon roll dough with three slices cut by floss showing the spiral on a WONAMU. bamboo cutting board on a grey marble counter
Hosting

Christmas Morning Cinnamon Rolls, Rolled and Cut

Make ahead cinnamon rolls for Christmas morning: roll out the dough, roll it tight, cut it with floss, and let it rise in the fridge overnight.

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Diced onion, carrot and celery in three separate piles on a WONAMU. bamboo cutting board beside a heavy soup pot with butter melting on the stove
Knife Skills & Technique

Mirepoix: The Quiet Start of American Soups

Mirepoix is onion, carrot and celery, two parts onion to one part each of the others by weight. How to cut it, size it, and cook it without browning.

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A baguette sliced on the bias into even rounds, with toasted crostini topped with ricotta, roasted tomato and mushroom on a WONAMU. acacia cutting board on green marble
Hosting

Crostini for a Crowd: How to Slice a Baguette Evenly

How to slice a baguette for crostini: use a day old loaf and a serrated knife, cut half inch slices on the bias, toast ahead, and top at the party.

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Cubed pork, diced potatoes and chopped roasted green chiles on a WONAMU. acacia cutting board beside a pot of New Mexico green chile stew and warm flour tortillas
Knife Skills & Technique

New Mexico Green Chile Stew

New Mexico green chile stew is pork, potatoes and roasted green chile in a simple broth. Here is how to cut each part and build the pot for a winter night.

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A freshly washed WONAMU. bamboo cutting board on a pale terrazzo counter with half a lemon, a bowl of coarse salt, a jar of baking soda and a folded white waffle towel
Care & Cleaning

Why Your Cutting Board Smells Worse When It Gets Wet

A board that smells fine dry and funky when wet is releasing trapped food residue. How to find the cause and clear it with salt, baking soda and vinegar.

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Neat squares of pecan pie bars with a golden shortbread base cut on a WONAMU. acacia cutting board, a long knife beside them and a bowl of pecan halves nearby
Knife Skills & Technique

How to Make Pecan Pie Bars

How to make pecan pie bars with a pressed shortbread crust and a set caramel filling, then chill them and cut clean squares that hold their edges.

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A quiet woodworker's lumber barn with whole logs sawn into thick slabs and restacked in order, a spindle-back chair and hand tools on a bench in soft daylight
Materials & Buying

George Nakashima and the Tree That Decides the Table

George Nakashima built furniture by letting each slab of wood lead. His path from Spokane to Minidoka to New Hope, and what his craft says about wood.

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Carrots in 2 inch lengths, quartered onions and halved potatoes on a WONAMU. acacia cutting board beside a heavy Dutch oven and a raw chuck roast
Knife Skills & Technique

Pot Roast Vegetables: How Big to Cut Them

How big to cut pot roast vegetables: carrots, potatoes, onions and celery in 2 inch pieces, and when to add them so they are tender but not mushy.

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A cream plaster pantry shelf holding unlabeled Korean staples: a glass jar of red chili paste, glass jars of chili flakes and sesame seeds, sliced rice cakes, a bundle of perilla leaves and a crock of rice
Korean Kitchen

H Mart and the New American Pantry

How a corner grocery opened in Queens in 1982 helped move gochujang, perilla, rice cakes and kimchi from Korean kitchens into American pantries.

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A halved head of radicchio, sliced red ribbons and separated pale endive leaves on a WONAMU. bamboo cutting board beside a bowl of winter salad with orange segments
Knife Skills & Technique

How to Cut Radicchio and Endive for Winter Salads

How to cut radicchio and endive for winter salads: core them, slice ribbons or separate whole leaves, crisp them in ice water, and balance the bitterness.

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Strawberries cut into hearts, heart-shaped slices of cheddar and watermelon, and pretzel crisps arranged in rows on a WONAMU. acacia cutting board
Hosting

Heart-Shaped Snacks: How to Cut Fruit and Cheese Into Hearts

How to cut strawberries, cheese, melon and bread into hearts with a paring knife or a small cutter, and arrange them on a board for Valentine's Day.

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Diced onion, celery and green bell pepper with sliced andouille on a WONAMU. bamboo cutting board, beside a pot of red beans and a bowl of white rice
Knife Skills & Technique

Red Beans and Rice on a Monday

Red beans and rice is the Louisiana Creole Monday supper. How to prep the trinity and andouille, cook dried red beans safely, and simmer them creamy.

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A cheddar cheese ball rolled in chopped pecans and parsley on a WONAMU. acacia cutting board with crackers, sliced apple and grapes on an oxblood linen tablecloth
Hosting

How to Make a Holiday Cheese Ball

How to make a holiday cheese ball: blend cream cheese and sharp cheddar, chill it, shape it on the board, and roll it in toasted pecans and herbs.

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Cold cubes of butter and a floured slab of biscuit dough on a WONAMU. bamboo cutting board, with a round biscuit cutter and a pastry blender beside a bowl of flour
Knife Skills & Technique

Southern Biscuits: Cutting Butter Into Flour

How to cut butter into flour for Southern biscuits: cold cubes, pea-size pieces, a light hand, a few folds, and a cutter pressed straight down.

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Thin slices of dill-crusted gravlax fanned beside the cured salmon fillet on a WONAMU. acacia cutting board, with rye bread, lemon and mustard sauce
Hosting

How to Cure Gravlax at Home

How to cure gravlax at home: use salmon frozen for safety, cure it in salt, sugar and dill for two to three days, then slice it thin on the bias.

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A loaf of country bread cut into even cubes beside diced onion, celery and chopped sage on a WONAMU. acacia cutting board, ready for Thanksgiving stuffing
Knife Skills & Technique

Stuffing From Scratch: Cutting the Bread and Aromatics

How to make stuffing from scratch: cut the bread into even cubes, dry it well, dice the onion and celery, and bake it in its own dish to 165°F.

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Rolled pierogi dough with cut circles, a row of sealed half-moon pierogi and a bowl of potato filling on a WONAMU. bamboo cutting board on a walnut-stained table
Hosting

How to Make Pierogi for Christmas Eve

How to make pierogi for Christmas Eve: a soft sour cream dough, potato and cheese or sauerkraut and mushroom fillings, rolled, cut and sealed on the board.

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A seared strip steak sliced across the grain on a WONAMU. acacia cutting board, its juices held in the groove, with a carving knife and a cast iron skillet behind
Knife Skills & Technique

When to Slice a Steak After Cooking

When to slice a steak after cooking: check it hits 145°F, rest it 3 minutes or more, about 5 to 10 for most steaks, then cut it across the grain.

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A crusty Italian party sub cut into even portions pinned with toothpicks, showing layers of salami, ham, provolone and lettuce, on a WONAMU. acacia cutting board
Hosting

How to Slice a Party Sub for a Crowd

How to build and slice a party sub: choosing the loaf, layering so it stays crisp, wrapping it to set, and cutting even portions with a serrated knife.

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Grilled carne asada sliced against the grain and chopped into small pieces on a WONAMU. bamboo cutting board, with small corn tortillas, chopped onion and cilantro, and lime wedges
Knife Skills & Technique

Street Tacos for a Crowd: How to Chop Carne Asada

How to make carne asada street tacos for a crowd: skirt or flank steak, a citrus marinade, a hot sear, then slicing against the grain and chopping small.

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A thin sheet of noodle dough folded and cut into ribbons on a WONAMU. bamboo cutting board, beside zucchini matchsticks, sliced potato, dried anchovies and kelp
Korean Kitchen

Kalguksu: Korean Knife-Cut Noodles Made on a Wooden Board

How to make kalguksu at home: a firm dough rolled thin on a board, folded and cut by knife, then simmered in anchovy kelp broth with zucchini and potato.

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Diced onion, carrot and celery, peas and cubed cooked chicken prepped on a WONAMU. bamboo cutting board for a chicken pot pie, with a round of chilled pie dough nearby
Knife Skills & Technique

Chicken Pot Pie From Scratch: The Prep List

Chicken pot pie from scratch, in order: make the crust first, dice the vegetables evenly, cook and cut the chicken, build the sauce, then cool the filling.

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A cast iron skillet, a stone mortar and pestle, a crock of wooden spoons, a rolling pin and a balloon whisk arranged on a honed travertine counter against a sage green plaster wall
Materials & Buying

Why the Best Kitchen Tools Have No Plug

A knife, a board, a wooden spoon, a cast iron pan and a mortar outlast most appliances. Why tools with no motor stay useful, quiet and repairable.

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Onion ends, carrot peels, celery leaves, parsley stems and a chicken carcass gathered on a WONAMU. bamboo cutting board beside a large stockpot
Knife Skills & Technique

How to Make Chicken Stock From Cutting Board Scraps

How to make chicken stock from cutting board scraps: freeze onion ends, carrot peels, celery leaves and bones in a bag, then simmer them for hours.

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Chopped seared beef, shredded cabbage slaw and sliced scallions on a WONAMU. bamboo cutting board beside a stack of warm corn tortillas and a bowl of kimchi
Korean Kitchen

Korean Tacos: The Los Angeles Food for Super Bowl LXI

Korean tacos were born on a Los Angeles food truck in 2008. How to make them at home for Super Bowl LXI, from the marinated beef to the slaw.

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A winter farmers market stall with wooden crates of carrots, beets, onions, leafy greens and brown eggs under warm light
Knife Skills & Technique

Why More Americans Are Cooking From Scratch Again

Cooking from scratch is coming back into American kitchens. What is driving it, what changes when you start from raw ingredients, and how to make it last.

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A long live edge walnut dining table with a wavy natural edge and a bow tie inlay across a crack, in a bright room with a large window and wooden chairs
Materials & Buying

Live Edge: Why We Want the Bark Left On

A live edge keeps the outline of the tree along the side of a slab. Where the style came from, what the edge reveals about the tree, and why it endures.

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A well of flour holding two cracked eggs on a WONAMU. bamboo cutting board, with nests of hand-cut tagliatelle and a rolling pin on a marble counter
Knife Skills & Technique

How to Make Fresh Pasta on a Wooden Board

Fresh egg pasta by hand: a flour well on a wooden board, 100 grams of flour per egg, a short knead and rest, then rolled thin and cut into tagliatelle.

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A lantern-lit family table set for Lunar New Year with a bowl of rice cake soup, a plate of folded dumplings, a square leaf-wrapped rice cake and a dish of mandarins
Korean Kitchen

Lunar New Year in America: One Day, Many Tables

Lunar New Year 2027 falls on February 6 and 7. How Korean, Chinese and Vietnamese American families set the table, and what each dish carries.

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Finely diced white onion, minced jalapeño and chopped cilantro on a WONAMU. bamboo cutting board next to halved avocados and a large stone bowl of guacamole
Knife Skills & Technique

Guacamole for a Crowd: The Knife Work Behind a Good Bowl

How to make guacamole for a crowd: how many avocados to buy, how to dice the onion, jalapeño and cilantro, and how to keep a big bowl green all game.

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A hand woodworker's bench by a window with wooden hand planes, chisels, curled shavings and an unfinished ladder-back chair in soft daylight
Materials & Buying

Made Slowly: What Hand Woodworkers Know About Patience

Woodworking by hand has quietly revived in America. What hand tool makers have learned about patience, and what a cook can borrow from the bench.

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Diced onion, celery and green bell pepper in three neat piles on a WONAMU. bamboo cutting board beside a cast-iron pot of dark roux
Knife Skills & Technique

The Holy Trinity: How to Cut the Base of a Gumbo

The holy trinity of Cajun and Creole cooking is onion, celery and green bell pepper. How to cut it for gumbo, the ratio cooks use, and when it goes in.

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A WONAMU. bamboo cutting board on a pale concrete counter with sheets of sandpaper, a sanding block, a bottle of mineral oil and a folded cotton cloth
Care & Cleaning

How to Restore a Thrift Store Cutting Board

Which secondhand cutting boards are worth buying, which to leave on the shelf, and how to scrub, sand, sanitize and oil one back into daily use.

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Dough balls and thin rolled flour tortillas on a WONAMU. bamboo cutting board beside a cast iron comal with a tortilla browning and a stack wrapped in a cloth
Knife Skills & Technique

How to Make Flour Tortillas on a Wooden Board

Soft flour tortillas from scratch: lard rubbed into flour, hot water, a rest, then dough balls rolled thin on a wooden board and cooked on a hot dry comal.

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Diced tomatoes, sliced scallions and sliced black olives on a WONAMU. bamboo cutting board beside a glass dish of seven layer dip showing its stripes
Hosting

Seven-Layer Dip: How to Prep Every Layer Ahead

How to make seven layer dip ahead of the game: which layers to build the night before, what to chop on the board, and when to add guacamole and toppings.

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Shelled pistachios in a small bowl, a rough-chopped pile of green pistachios and a chef's knife on a WONAMU. bamboo cutting board on a dark soapstone counter
Knife Skills & Technique

Pistachio Season: How to Chop Nuts Without Them Flying

How to chop nuts without them flying off the board: steady the pile, rock the knife with a flat palm, chop before you toast, and match size to the bake.

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A WONAMU. bamboo cutting board lying flat on a pale limestone counter beside a folded striped tea towel, a chef's knife and a bowl of shallots
Care & Cleaning

Should a Cutting Board Have Feet?

Feet lift a cutting board, help it dry and keep it from sliding, but they cost you a second face. How to decide, and how a flat board stays steady and dry.

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A roasted herb-crusted rack of lamb cut into pink double chops between the bones on a WONAMU. bamboo cutting board, with a carving knife and a sprig of rosemary
Knife Skills & Technique

How to Cut a Rack of Lamb Into Chops

How to cut a rack of lamb into chops: rest it ten minutes, stand it bones up, find the gap between ribs, and slice down into single or double chops.

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A hand carved wooden dough bowl with bread dough rising under a linen cloth beside an old cast iron cookstove in a farmhouse kitchen
Materials & Buying

The Dough Bowl: Why Farmhouse Kitchens Keep a Wooden Bowl

The long wooden dough bowl once held a household's bread as it rose. Where the hand carved bowl came from, how it worked, and why it is back in kitchens.

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A slab of dark fudgy brownies cut into neat, sharp-edged squares on a WONAMU. bamboo cutting board, with a long knife and a folded sheet of parchment beside it
Knife Skills & Technique

How to Cut Brownies and Bars Into Clean Squares

How to cut brownies and bars into clean squares: cool them completely, lift the slab out with a parchment sling, then cut with a hot, clean knife.

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A well-used wooden spoon resting across a simmering enamel pot on an old stove, with a stoneware crock of hand carved wooden spoons beside it
Materials & Buying

The Wooden Spoon Is One of the Oldest Tools in Your Kitchen

The wooden spoon has outlasted every kitchen trend. Why cooks keep reaching for it, what makes it work so well at the stove, and the craft of carving one.

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Carrots cut four ways on a WONAMU. bamboo cutting board: round coins, long bias slices, even batons and angled roll-cut chunks, with a chef's knife beside them
Knife Skills & Technique

How to Cut Carrots: Coins, Batons and the Roll Cut

How to cut carrots safely: make a flat side first, then slice coins, bias cuts, batons and the Japanese roll cut that roasts and simmers evenly.

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Antique treenware on a whitewashed shelf: turned burl bowls, carved wooden spoons, a ridged wooden roller, a wooden scoop and a mortar and pestle in soft north light
Materials & Buying

Treenware: The Wooden Kitchen Before Plastic

Treenware is the old name for everyday wooden kitchen things. What early American cooks carved and turned from trees, and why so much of it survives.

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A peeled celery root halved on a WONAMU. bamboo cutting board beside neat cream-colored cubes and fine matchsticks, with knobby trimmed peel and a bowl of lemon water nearby
Knife Skills & Technique

How to Peel and Cut Celery Root

How to peel and cut celery root: slice off the knobby skin with a knife, hold pieces in lemon water, then cut cubes for mash or matchsticks for remoulade.

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Round hollowed wooden trenchers on a rough plank table beside an open hearth in a seventeenth century style room, with a pewter jug and a wooden spoon
Materials & Buying

Trenchers: The Wooden Plates Early Americans Ate From

Before pewter and china, colonial Americans ate from wooden trenchers, often two to a plate. The history of the trencher and the word it left behind.

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Whole raw chicken wings separated into drumettes, flats and wingtips in three rows on a WONAMU. bamboo cutting board, with a chef's knife beside them
Knife Skills & Technique

How to Cut Chicken Wings Into Flats and Drumettes

How to cut whole chicken wings into flats and drumettes: find the two joints, cut through the cartilage, save the tips for stock, then clean the board.

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Wheels of blood orange and pink Cara Cara orange fanned on a WONAMU. acacia cutting board with a wedge of aged cheese, toasted almonds and a small dish of honey
Hosting

The Winter Citrus Board: Blood Oranges and Cara Caras

How to build a winter citrus board with blood oranges and Cara Caras: wheels, supremes and peel twists, arranged with cheese, nuts and a little honey.

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Striped delicata squash sliced into rings on a WONAMU. bamboo cutting board, with a chef's knife, a whole squash and a small bowl of scooped seeds
Knife Skills & Technique

How to Cut Delicata Squash Into Rings

How to cut delicata squash into rings: wash it, trim the ends, slice crosswise, scoop the seeds from each ring and roast it with the skin left on.

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A long wooden table set for a winter solstice supper by a frosted window at dusk, with a cast iron pot, roasted root vegetables, a bowl of pomegranates and lit candles
Hosting

The Longest Night Supper: Cooking for the Winter Solstice

The winter solstice falls on December 21, 2026. A case for marking the longest night with a slow supper of braises, roots and candlelight at home.

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A fennel bulb halved and cut into wedges and paper-thin slices on a WONAMU. bamboo cutting board, with feathery green fronds and trimmed stalks to one side
Knife Skills & Technique

How to Cut Fennel

How to cut fennel: trim the stalks, save the fronds, halve the bulb through the root, then shave it thin for salad or cut wedges that hold to roast.

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A brunch bagel board on a WONAMU. bamboo cutting board with smoked salmon, cream cheese, sliced tomato, cucumber, red onion, capers and dill beside a basket of bagels
Hosting

The Bagel Board: A Brunch Spread on One Board

How to build a bagel board for brunch: how many bagels and how much lox and cream cheese per person, what to slice, and what to set up the night before.

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Neat squares of chocolate fudge and broken shards of almond toffee on a WONAMU. bamboo cutting board on a black slate counter, with a long knife and a ruler
Knife Skills & Technique

How to Cut Fudge and Toffee Into Clean Squares

How to cut fudge and toffee into clean squares: chill the fudge hard, use a hot dry knife in one stroke, and score toffee warm so it breaks on the lines.

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A WONAMU. bamboo cutting board with chopped chives, crumbled bacon, diced tomato and broccoli florets beside a tray of split baked potatoes and bowls of sour cream and cheese for a potato bar
Hosting

How to Set Up a Baked Potato Bar

How to bake potatoes for a crowd, keep them hot for hours, and set out a board of chopped toppings so every guest builds their own. Quantities for twelve.

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Dark lacinato kale leaves stripped from their stems and sliced into thin ribbons on a WONAMU. bamboo cutting board, with a bundle of pale green stems set to one side
Knife Skills & Technique

How to Cut Kale and Strip the Stems

How to cut kale: strip the leaves from the stems by hand or with a knife, slice them into ribbons, massage them for salad, and cook the stems too.

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A WONAMU. bamboo cutting board lying flat on a dark soapstone counter beside a steel kettle, a bowl of soapy water and a sponge
Care & Cleaning

Can You Pour Boiling Water on a Wooden Cutting Board?

Boiling water is a poor way to sanitize a wooden board. What heat and water do to the fibers, and the three methods that clean it better without the risk.

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A trimmed pork tenderloin partly sliced into even round medallions on a WONAMU. bamboo cutting board, with a thin strip of removed silverskin and a boning knife beside it
Knife Skills & Technique

How to Cut a Pork Tenderloin Into Medallions

How to cut pork tenderloin into medallions: trim the silverskin, slice even rounds an inch thick, flatten them gently and cook to 145°F, then rest.

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A homemade margherita pizza cut into slices on a WONAMU. bamboo cutting board on a wooden dining table with a serrated knife, a cast-iron pan and two glasses of water
Care & Cleaning

Can You Cut Pizza on a Bamboo Cutting Board?

Yes, a bamboo board is a good place to slice pizza. Which cutter to use, how to handle heat and grease, and how to clean the board after pizza night.

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Raw shrimp with the shell split down the back, a paring knife and a row of poached pink shrimp on a WONAMU. bamboo cutting board beside a coupe of cocktail sauce
Knife Skills & Technique

How to Devein Shrimp for Shrimp Cocktail

How to devein shrimp for shrimp cocktail: cut a shallow line down the back, lift out the vein, poach them in the shell, then chill them in an ice bath.

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A WONAMU. bamboo cutting board lying flat on a pale oak counter beside a clear glass bottle of mineral oil and a folded cotton cloth, in soft window light
Care & Cleaning

Can You Use Baby Oil on a Cutting Board?

Baby oil is mineral oil with fragrance added, and fragrance has no place on a cutting board. What to use instead, and how to fix a board already oiled.

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A shaped round of sourdough dough dusted with flour on a WONAMU. bamboo cutting board, beside a cane proofing basket and a small bowl of rice flour
Knife Skills & Technique

How to Shape Sourdough on a Wooden Board

How to shape a sourdough boule: preshape a loose round, rest it, then fold and drag it on a floured wooden board to build the tension that lifts the loaf.

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A WONAMU. bamboo cutting board lying flat on a sage green tiled counter beside a small glass cruet of golden oil and a cluster of green grapes
Care & Cleaning

Can You Use Grapeseed Oil on a Cutting Board?

Grapeseed oil is about 70 percent polyunsaturated fat, which oxidizes and can turn rancid in wood. Why it is a poor board oil, and what to use instead.

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A folded towel holding a closed oyster beside an oyster knife and three opened oysters on a WONAMU. bamboo cutting board on a zinc table with a bowl of crushed ice
Knife Skills & Technique

How to Shuck Oysters at Home Safely

How to shuck oysters at home safely: grip the shell in a folded towel on the board, work the knife into the hinge, twist, then free the meat.

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A freshly washed WONAMU. bamboo cutting board resting beside a kitchen sink with a dish brush, a striped towel, a bowl of diced onion and a glass dish of raw chicken thighs in the background
Care & Cleaning

How to Clean a Cutting Board Between Ingredients

When a mid-cook rinse is enough, when the board needs hot soapy water, and the order of prep that saves you from washing it five times during one dinner.

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A whole raw chicken spatchcocked and pressed flat skin side up on a WONAMU. bamboo cutting board, with the removed backbone and a pair of kitchen shears beside it
Knife Skills & Technique

How to Spatchcock a Chicken

How to spatchcock a chicken: cut out the backbone with kitchen shears, press the bird flat, pop the keel bone, and roast it to 165°F in about 45 minutes.

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A crudité spread of carrot sticks, radishes, sugar snap peas, blanched green beans and pale endive leaves around a bowl of dip on a WONAMU. bamboo cutting board, with a second dip beside it
Hosting

Crudité Platter: How to Cut Vegetables Like a Caterer

How to cut vegetables for a crudité platter the way caterers do: which to blanch, how to cut each one for dipping, and how to keep them crisp for hours.

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Paper-thin slices of raw ribeye fanned on a WONAMU. bamboo cutting board beside a hot griddle of chopped steak, onions and melting provolone and long hoagie rolls
Knife Skills & Technique

Philly Cheesesteak at Home: The Chopped Ribeye Method

How to make a Philly cheesesteak at home: firm the ribeye in the freezer, slice it thin on the board, then chop it on a hot griddle with onions and cheese.

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A WONAMU. bamboo cutting board lying flat on a white quartz counter beside a folded white cotton cloth, a soap dispenser and a plain white canister
Care & Cleaning

Can You Use Disinfecting Wipes on a Wooden Cutting Board?

Most disinfecting wipes are made for hard, sealed surfaces, not a board you eat from. What the label says, what to use instead, and why rinsing matters.

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Star and fleur-de-lis biscochito cookies dusted with cinnamon sugar beside a WONAMU. bamboo cutting board holding rolled-out cookie dough and a cutter, on a kitchen table in winter light
Knife Skills & Technique

Biscochitos: Rolling New Mexico's State Cookie for Christmas

Biscochitos are New Mexico's official state cookie: lard, anise and cinnamon sugar, rolled thin and cut out. How to make the dough and roll it well.

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A WONAMU. bamboo cutting board lying flat on a weathered wooden patio table in soft morning sun, with dappled leaf shadows and a pot of thyme beside it
Care & Cleaning

Does Sunlight Sanitize a Wooden Cutting Board?

Sun drying helps a board dry fast, but it is not a proven way to sanitize one. What sunlight does and does not do, and how to dry a board outdoors safely.

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A WONAMU. bamboo cutting board with collard green leaves stacked and sliced into ribbons, beside a pot of Hoppin' John and a skillet of cornbread on New Year's Day
Knife Skills & Technique

Black-Eyed Peas and Collard Greens for New Year's Day

The Southern New Year's Day plate: Hoppin' John, braised collard greens and cornbread. What each stands for, and how to prep the greens and the pot.

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A Korean home kitchen counter with a bamboo cutting board holding a quarter of napa cabbage kimchi, kitchen scissors, a brown onggi jar and a bowl of rice
Korean Kitchen

Doma: The Korean Cutting Board in Words and Habits

Doma is the Korean word for cutting board. What it means in everyday speech, how Korean home cooks use and keep one, and the woods they reach for.

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A large enameled pot of beef and bean chili beside a WONAMU. bamboo cutting board with diced onion, peppers and garlic, with bowls of shredded cheese, scallions and sour cream for a crowd
Knife Skills & Technique

Chili for a Crowd: The Prep List

How much chili to make per person, what to chop and in what order, and a make-ahead timeline for a pot that feeds twenty at a game-day or winter party.

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A hot cocoa board on a WONAMU. acacia cutting board with marshmallows, crushed peppermint, chocolate shavings, cinnamon sticks and shortbread beside mugs of cocoa
Hosting

Hot Cocoa Board: How to Build One for a Winter Night

How to build a hot cocoa board: keeping the cocoa hot for a crowd, the toppings worth setting out, how to cut the dippers, and how much to plan per guest.

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A WONAMU. bamboo cutting board with diced red pepper and carrot beside glass containers of chopped vegetables for a week of salads, in a bright January kitchen
Knife Skills & Technique

Chopped Salad Prep: How to Cut Vegetables That Last All Week

Which vegetables hold up chopped for five days, which to cut the night before, and how to size and store them so a January salad habit survives Thursday.

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A WONAMU. bamboo cutting board lying flat on a dark wooden table at dusk beside a small glass bottle of oil, a folded cotton cloth and a brass hourglass
Care & Cleaning

How Long Should Oil Soak In Before You Use the Board Again?

Give mineral oil at least a few hours, ideally overnight, then wipe off the excess. How to tell a board is ready, and why longer is not always better.

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Three small bowls of green herb sauce beside a pile of hand-chopped parsley, lemon zest and garlic on a WONAMU. bamboo cutting board
Knife Skills & Technique

Gremolata, Salsa Verde, Chimichurri: Sauces Chopped by Hand

Gremolata, salsa verde and chimichurri compared: what goes into each green sauce, why a knife beats a food processor, and which dish each one suits.

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A WONAMU. bamboo cutting board lying flat on pale concrete beside a natural-bristle scrub brush, a small bowl of baking soda paste and a chef's knife, seen from above
Care & Cleaning

How to Clean Deep Knife Marks Where Grime Hides

Knife marks hold food and water a sponge cannot reach. How to scrub them clean, when to sanitize, and when a light sanding is the better answer.

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A rotisserie chicken broken down into legs, wings, sliced breast and shredded meat on a WONAMU. bamboo cutting board, with glass storage containers beside it
Knife Skills & Technique

How to Break Down a Rotisserie Chicken for a Week of Meals

How to break down a rotisserie chicken while it is warm: legs, breasts and wings off, the carcass picked clean, and the meat portioned for the week.

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A block of medium-firm tofu cut into half-inch slices and squares on a WONAMU. bamboo cutting board, beside an earthenware pot and a bowl of water
Korean Kitchen

How to Cut Tofu for Jjigae Without Breaking It

How to cut tofu for Korean jjigae: which tofu to buy, how to slice it half an inch thick in the package or on the board, and when it goes into the pot.

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Half a peeled pineapple with spiral grooves where the eyes were removed, beside golden spears on a WONAMU. bamboo cutting board, with the green crown nearby
Knife Skills & Technique

How to Cut a Pineapple Without Losing Half the Fruit

How to cut a pineapple with little waste: pick a ripe one, peel thin strips, remove the eyes in spiral grooves, then cut spears, rings or chunks.

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Aged cheddar in cubes, a round of Brie with two wedges cut and crumbled blue cheese on a WONAMU. acacia cutting board beside grapes and walnuts
Hosting

How to Slice Cheese for a Board: Wedges, Cubes and Crumbles

How to slice cheese for a board by shape and texture: wedges for soft wheels, slabs and cubes for firm blocks, crumbles for blue, and what to leave whole.

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Two baby bok choy halved lengthwise and a small pile of sliced stems on a WONAMU. bamboo cutting board beside a bowl of whole baby bok choy and minced garlic
Knife Skills & Technique

How to Cut Bok Choy, Baby or Full-Size

How to cut bok choy: wash out the grit, split stems from leaves so both cook evenly, and when to halve baby bok choy instead of chopping it.

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A WONAMU. acacia cutting board lying flat on a kitchen island with halved cherry tomatoes, torn mozzarella and basil, a paring knife and a stack of white plates beside it
Materials & Buying

Is Acacia Wood Food Safe? What to Know Before You Cut on It

Acacia is a true hardwood used for cutting and serving boards. What makes an acacia board safe for food is its finish and the care it gets after each use.

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Peeled fresh ginger cut into coins, thin matchsticks and a small mound of minced ginger on a WONAMU. bamboo cutting board, with a spoon used for peeling
Knife Skills & Technique

How to Cut Ginger: Coins, Matchsticks and Mince

How to cut ginger: peel it with a spoon, then slice coins across the fibers, stack them into matchsticks, and mince for stir-fries, sauces and marinades.

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Small glass jars filled with salami skewers, cheese cubes, grapes, breadsticks and rosemary arranged on a WONAMU. bamboo cutting board
Hosting

Jarcuterie: Individual Charcuterie Cups for a Party

How to make jarcuterie cups: what to put in each jar, how to build the skewers, how far ahead you can assemble them, and how many to make for a party.

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Cremini mushrooms on a WONAMU. bamboo cutting board, some whole, some sliced and a small pile finely diced, with a chef's knife resting beside them
Knife Skills & Technique

How to Cut Mushrooms Three Ways

How to cut mushrooms three ways: slices for a sauté, quarters for roasting and a fine dice for duxelles, plus how to clean them without making them soggy.

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Chopped sour kimchi, diced pork belly, sliced onion and scallions arranged in separate piles on a WONAMU. bamboo cutting board beside a pot of red stew
Korean Kitchen

Kimchi Jjigae: The Knife Work Behind the Stew

The prep behind kimchi jjigae: how to cut sour kimchi, pork belly, onion, scallions and tofu so every piece cooks right in a half-hour Korean stew.

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Long strips of red, yellow and green bell pepper and onion sliced on a WONAMU. bamboo cutting board beside a cast-iron skillet of sizzling fajita vegetables
Knife Skills & Technique

How to Slice Peppers and Onions for Fajitas

How to slice bell peppers and onions for fajitas: matched strips a quarter to half inch wide, onions cut root to tip, so it all chars and softens together.

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Small holiday gifts on an entryway bench: a WONAMU. bamboo cutting board beside a blank card with a rosemary sprig, a jar of honey with a ribbon and a kraft bag of coffee beans
Gifts

Kitchen Gifts for Teachers, Coaches and Neighbors

Holiday gifts for the people who show up all year. What teachers say they want, how much to spend, and kitchen gifts that get used instead of stored.

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Scallions sliced on a long diagonal into pale green and dark green pieces on a WONAMU. bamboo cutting board beside a bowl of noodles
Knife Skills & Technique

How to Slice Scallions on the Bias

How to slice scallions on the bias: the 45 degree angle, thin rounds versus long diagonals, which part to use where, and how to keep them crisp.

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Thin round cucumber slices fanned beside two halved Persian cucumbers on a WONAMU. bamboo cutting board, with a bowl of salted slices and a dish of red pepper flakes
Korean Kitchen

Korean Cucumber Salad: How to Slice the Cucumbers

How to slice cucumbers for Korean cucumber salad: which cucumber to buy, how thick to cut, how long to salt, and how the cut keeps every slice crisp.

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A pork shoulder being trimmed on a WONAMU. bamboo cutting board with a boning knife, a bowl of trimmed fat and a pile of cubed pork beside an orange Dutch oven
Knife Skills & Technique

How to Trim a Pork Shoulder: Cheaper Cuts, Better Knife Work

Pork shoulder is a great value at the meat counter. How to trim the fat cap and silver skin, then cut it for pulled pork, stew, carnitas or stir-fry.

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A tangle of finely shredded scallions in cold water beside a chef's knife and trimmed scallion lengths on a WONAMU. bamboo cutting board, with a small bowl of red pepper flakes
Korean Kitchen

Korean Scallion Salad (Pa-Muchim) for a K-BBQ Night

How to make pa-muchim, the scallion salad served with Korean BBQ: cut scallions into fine threads, crisp them in ice water, and dress them at the table.

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A WONAMU. bamboo cutting board set with small bunches of green grapes, a halved pomegranate, a bowl of lentils and orange segments for New Year's Eve, beside two champagne glasses
Hosting

Lucky Foods for the New Year, Prepped on One Board

Twelve grapes, lentils, pomegranate, soba and more. The lucky New Year foods of six countries, and how to set them out together on one board at midnight.

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Small even dice of red tomato, white onion and green jalapeño in separate piles on a WONAMU. bamboo cutting board, beside a bowl of finished pico de gallo and tortilla chips
Knife Skills & Technique

How to Make Pico de Gallo With an Even Dice

How to make pico de gallo with an even quarter-inch dice: the right tomatoes, how to dice each ingredient, and how to keep the salsa from going watery.

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A WONAMU. bamboo cutting board holding diced tomato, sliced jalapeños, scallions, cilantro and lime wedges next to a cast-iron pan of baked nachos and bowls of guacamole, sour cream and salsa for game day
Hosting

How to Build a Nacho Board for Game Day

A nacho board for the Super Bowl: thin layers of chips baked in batches, hot toppings in the oven, cold toppings on the board so nothing goes soggy.

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Thin rings of red onion sliced on a WONAMU. bamboo cutting board beside a glass jar of bright pink pickled onions and a bowl of tacos
Knife Skills & Technique

Quick Pickled Red Onions for Tacos, Bowls and Burgers

How to make quick pickled red onions: slice thin and even, use a brine of at least equal parts vinegar and water, keep them cold, and use them all week.

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Two clay bowls of red chile posole with hominy and pork, beside a WONAMU. bamboo cutting board holding sliced radishes, shredded cabbage, chopped onion and lime wedges for garnish
Hosting

New Mexico Red Chile Posole for New Year's Eve

Red chile posole the New Mexico way: pork shoulder, hominy and a sauce of dried red chile pods, simmered all evening and ready by midnight.

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A WONAMU. bamboo cutting board lying flat on a grey cork counter with thinly sliced scallions, a chef's knife and a small fine sanding block beside it
Care & Cleaning

Self-Healing Cutting Boards: What the Claim Really Means

No cutting board heals itself. What self-healing means on a product page, what oil does for knife marks, and how to keep a board smooth for years.

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A WONAMU. bamboo cutting board lying flat on a linen-covered table with a half-sliced sourdough loaf, a serrated bread knife and a scatter of crumbs
Knife Skills & Technique

Can You Use a Serrated Bread Knife on a Bamboo Board?

Yes, a bread knife works on a bamboo board. How to saw so the teeth cut the loaf and not the board, plus where to slice and how to clean up the crumbs.

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A WONAMU. bamboo cutting board with sliced pickles, shaved onion, tomato and shredded lettuce beside a tray of 24 cheeseburger sliders on soft rolls for a party
Hosting

Sliders for a Crowd, Prepped on One Board

How to make 24 beef sliders at once: one sheet-pan patty, slider buns split as a slab, and a board of toppings prepped before the guests arrive.

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Sweet potato cubes, red onion wedges and broccoli florets cut to size on a WONAMU. bamboo cutting board beside a parchment-lined sheet pan with chicken thighs
Knife Skills & Technique

Sheet-Pan Dinners: Why Cut Size Is Everything

A sheet-pan dinner works when everything finishes at once. How to cut potatoes, broccoli, onions and chicken so they roast evenly on one pan.

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A sliced seared steak resting on a WONAMU. bamboo cutting board beside two plates of crispy roasted potatoes and shaved fennel salad, set for a Valentine's dinner for two by candlelight
Hosting

Dinner for Two at Home: A Valentine's Menu in an Hour

A Valentine's dinner for two that takes one hour: seared steak with a pan sauce, crisp smashed potatoes, a shaved fennel salad and chocolate for dessert.

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Jalapeño rings, bias-cut carrot coins and onion wedges on a WONAMU. bamboo cutting board beside a jar of olive-green pickled jalapeños and carrots
Knife Skills & Technique

Taqueria-Style Pickled Jalapeños and Carrots

How to make taqueria-style pickled jalapeños and carrots at home: how to cut each vegetable, a safe brine ratio, the short simmer, and storage.

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Three nested Shaker-style oval wooden boxes in muted yellow, red and green on a plain pine table below a wall peg rail holding a ladder-back chair
Materials & Buying

What the Shakers Knew About Making Things Last

The Shakers built oval boxes, chairs and kitchen tools that still work two centuries later. What their plain, useful craft can teach a modern kitchen.

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Whole butternut squash, red onions, carrots and broccoli spilling from a paper grocery bag beside a WONAMU. bamboo cutting board with broccoli cut into florets
Knife Skills & Technique

Whole vs. Pre-Cut Produce: What You Actually Save

Price checks have found pre-cut vegetables costing from 40 percent to several times more than whole. When convenience is worth it, and how to prep fast.

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A WONAMU. bamboo cutting board lying flat on a slatted wooden drying rack beside a folded cotton cloth and a small scrub brush, seen from above
Care & Cleaning

Why the Underside of Your Cutting Board Turns Black

Black marks under a wooden board come from water trapped against the counter. Why it happens, how to clean the spots, and the drying habit that stops it.

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A walnut bowl, olive-wood spoons and a linen towel beside a steaming mug, a steel bowl and a marble mortar on a stone counter by a frosted winter window
Materials & Buying

Why Wood Feels Warm to the Hand

A wooden spoon and a steel bowl sit at the same temperature, yet one feels warm and one cold. The physics behind it, and why it matters in a kitchen.

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A WONAMU. acacia cutting board with a warm baked brie topped with honey, walnuts and thyme, surrounded by sliced baguette, apple, pear, grapes and fig jam
Hosting

How to Build a Baked Brie Board

A baked brie board for winter hosting: how long to bake the cheese, toppings that work, what to set around it, and how to move warm brie to the board.

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Overhead view of a WONAMU. bamboo cutting board lying flat on a blue-grey tiled counter beside a small bowl of white paste, a natural bristle brush and a glass jar of baking soda
Care & Cleaning

Can You Use Baking Soda on a Wooden Cutting Board?

Yes. Baking soda is a gentle scrub for stains and smells on wood and bamboo. The paste ratio, how long to leave it, what it cannot do, and how to finish.

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Warm golden Korean bronze rice bowl, soup bowl and spoon on a low wooden table with a few small dishes of banchan
Korean Kitchen

Bangjja Yugi: Korea's Hand-Forged Bronze Tableware

Bangjja yugi is Korean bronze tableware hammered from a copper and tin alloy rather than cast. How it is made, who still makes it and how to live with it.

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Overhead view of a WONAMU. bamboo cutting board lying flat on a pale terrazzo counter beside a closed linen notebook, a pencil, a folded cotton cloth and a small amber bottle of oil
Care & Cleaning

Bamboo Cutting Board Care: Daily, Weekly, Monthly, Yearly

How to take care of a bamboo cutting board on a calendar: the two minutes after every use, the weekly refresh, the monthly oiling and the yearly check.

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An everyday Korean table seen from above with a bowl of rice on the left, a bowl of doenjang soup on the right, a spoon and chopsticks beside it, and small shared dishes of banchan in the middle
Korean Kitchen

Bansang: How a Korean Everyday Table Is Arranged

A Korean meal arrives all at once: rice on the left, soup on the right, side dishes shared in the middle. Here is how the bansang works and why.

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A WONAMU. bamboo cutting board on a dark walnut table beside a small amber glass bottle of oil, an open tin of pale board butter and a cotton cloth
Care & Cleaning

Board Butter vs. Mineral Oil: Which Does a Board Need?

Mineral oil soaks in and keeps a board from drying out. Board butter adds wax on top. Which one your board needs, when to use each, and in what order.

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A WONAMU. bamboo cutting board lying flat on a kitchen island beside its closed gift box, with two aprons, a cookbook and a pot of herbs in warm winter light
Gifts

Christmas Gifts for Couples Who Cook Together

Christmas gifts for couples who share a kitchen: tools that let two people prep side by side, pieces they will cook with nightly, and what to skip.

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A WONAMU. bamboo cutting board lying flat on a workbench in a sunlit garage workshop, beside a cork sanding block, folded sheets of sandpaper and a cotton cloth
Care & Cleaning

Can You Sand a Cutting Board? How to Restore a Worn Surface

Yes, and a light sanding brings a scarred, fuzzy or stained board back to a smooth face. The grits to use, how far to go, and how to oil it afterward.

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A small, lived-in apartment kitchen at dusk with a short counter, a pot on the stove, a bowl of onions and a lamp glowing on a shelf
Knife Skills & Technique

Cook in the Kitchen You Have, Not the One You See Online

The kitchens online are lit, styled and empty. Yours has a narrow counter and one bad drawer. How to cook well in the room you have, starting tonight.

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Overhead view of a WONAMU. bamboo cutting board lying flat on a sunlit farmhouse table beside a jug of sunflowers, a glass cruet of golden oil and a small dish of sunflower seeds
Care & Cleaning

Can You Use Sunflower Oil on a Cutting Board?

No. Sunflower oil turns sticky and rancid on wood and bamboo, high oleic or not. What to use instead, and how to fix a board that has already had it.

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A WONAMU. bamboo cutting board lying flat on a soapstone counter beside a small glass bowl of chopped herbs, a paring knife and a ceramic dish of sliced radishes
Materials & Buying

Cutting Mats vs. Cutting Boards: When a Mat Makes Sense

Flexible cutting mats are cheap, light and easy to funnel from. Where they help, where they fall short, and why they work best on top of a real board.

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Overhead view of a WONAMU. bamboo cutting board lying flat on a dark oak table beside a wooden bowl of whole walnuts, a brass nutcracker, a small glass cruet of amber oil and a few autumn leaves
Care & Cleaning

Can You Use Walnut Oil on a Cutting Board?

Only the right kind, and never in a home with a nut allergy. Walnut oil is a drying oil that cures, unlike cooking oils. When it works and when to skip it.

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An open rectangular tin lunchbox with rice, a fried egg on top, kimchi, stir-fried anchovies and a slice of pink sausage, beside a folded cloth wrapper on a wooden school desk
Korean Kitchen

The Korean Lunchbox Tradition: Dosirak

Dosirak is the Korean packed lunch: rice, a few side dishes and something warm. Its history runs from woven baskets to aluminum and a lunchbox inspection.

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Overhead view of a WONAMU. bamboo cutting board lying flat on a pale limestone counter in low afternoon sun, its surface catching a soft sheen, beside a crumpled cotton cloth and a sheet of brown kraft paper
Care & Cleaning

Why Is My Cutting Board Sticky After Oiling?

A tacky board after oiling means too much oil left on top, the wrong oil, or wax not buffed out. How to tell which, how to fix it, and how to oil it right.

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A WONAMU. bamboo cutting board dusted with flour holding a stack of round wrappers and a bowl of filling, beside a platter of folded dumplings and small water bowls on a long dinner table
Hosting

How to Host a Dumpling-Folding Party

How to host a dumpling-folding party: make the filling ahead, set up folding stations, teach one easy fold, cook in small batches, freeze the extras.

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Overhead view of a WONAMU. bamboo cutting board lying flat on a folded linen towel beside a white ceramic sink, with a glass soap dispenser, a wooden dish brush and a few soap bubbles
Care & Cleaning

Can You Use Dish Soap on a Wooden Cutting Board?

Yes, and you should. Why a drop of dish soap and hot water is the USDA standard for wood and bamboo, how much to use, and the soaps worth avoiding.

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Red onion half-moons, carrot rounds and sliced jalapeños on a WONAMU. bamboo cutting board beside a jar of Honduran encurtido with oregano, cumin and a plate of fried plantain slices
Knife Skills & Technique

Encurtido Hondureño: Pickled Onions, Carrots and Chiles

Honduran encurtido is a jar of onion, carrot and chile in seasoned vinegar, served with pollo chuco and fried plantains. How to cut it and make it at home.

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A WONAMU. bamboo cutting board drying flat on a wooden dish rack beside a sink, with a bottle of dish soap, a scrub brush and a folded cotton towel
Care & Cleaning

Does Microwaving a Cutting Board Sanitize It?

Heat kills bacteria, so the microwave trick sounds logical. Why it is a poor way to clean a wood or bamboo board, and the routine that works better.

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Bundles of radish greens drying on a rope under a wooden eave beside strips of dried radish on a woven bamboo tray and dark earthenware jars in a frosty Korean courtyard
Korean Kitchen

Gyeoul: How Korean Kitchens Change for Winter

Korean kitchens prepare for winter in late autumn: kimchi in jars, radish greens hung to dry, porridge on the longest night. Here is the winter kitchen.

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A WONAMU. acacia cutting board set as a Hanukkah dairy board with feta, ricotta, Brie, smoked salmon, rugelach and apples beside a plate of latkes and gold chocolate coins
Hosting

How to Build a Hanukkah Dairy Board

A dairy board for Hanukkah 2026: why cheese belongs to the holiday, which cheeses and spreads to choose, where the latkes go, and how to set it out.

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A black earthenware pot of haejangguk with bean sprouts, napa cabbage and beef in a red-brown broth beside a bowl of rice and a dish of radish kimchi on a wooden table in early morning light
Korean Kitchen

Haejangguk: Korean Hangover Soup for New Year's Morning

Haejangguk is the Korean soup for the morning after a long night: beef broth, bean sprouts, napa cabbage. Here is its history and a New Year's Day pot.

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Pale hinoki cypress planks and fresh shavings beside a round wooden hinoki bucket and a ladle in soft daylight
Care & Cleaning

How to Care for a Hinoki Cutting Board

Hinoki is a soft, fragrant Japanese cypress, and its care starts before the first cut. How to wet, wash, dry and store a hinoki board so it stays flat.

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A celadon bowl of smooth golden hobak-juk with small white rice balls, red beans and pine nuts on top, beside a halved kabocha squash on a linen cloth in soft afternoon light
Korean Kitchen

Hobak-juk: Korean Pumpkin Porridge for Cold Days

Hobak-juk is Korean pumpkin porridge: kabocha cooked soft, thickened with sweet rice, finished with chewy rice balls. Here is its story and how to make it.

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Finely chopped parsley, a stack of basil ribbons and a bunch of cilantro beside a chef's knife on a WONAMU. bamboo cutting board on a green zellige tile counter
Knife Skills & Technique

How to Chop Fresh Herbs Without Bruising Them

Dry the leaves, use a sharp knife, and cut through the pile as few times as you can. How to chop parsley, cilantro, basil and woody herbs cleanly.

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A WONAMU. bamboo cutting board of bread cubes, small potatoes, broccoli, apple slices and cornichons beside a bubbling cheese fondue pot with long forks on a candlelit winter table
Hosting

How to Host a Fondue Night

How to host a fondue night at home: the classic Swiss cheese blend, how much to buy per person, what to dip, how to cut it, and how to keep the pot smooth.

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Fuyu persimmon sliced into rounds showing the star pattern and wedges beside a chef's knife on a WONAMU. bamboo cutting board, with a soft Hachiya persimmon halved in a bowl
Knife Skills & Technique

How to Cut a Persimmon (Fuyu and Hachiya)

Fuyu persimmons are sliced firm like an apple. Hachiya must be jelly soft before you spoon it out. How to tell them apart and cut each one.

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A WONAMU. bamboo cutting board of sliced ham, cheese and bread on a sideboard set for a holiday open house, with cookies, a punch bowl and pine garland in afternoon light
Hosting

How to Host a Holiday Open House

How to host a holiday open house: choosing the hours, food that holds for three hours, how much to make per guest, and refilling the table in waves.

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Boneless chicken thighs cut into even one-inch pieces beside a chef's knife on a WONAMU. bamboo cutting board, with a bowl of marinade and sliced scallions nearby
Knife Skills & Technique

How to Cut Chicken Thighs Into Bite-Size Pieces

Firm the thighs in the freezer, trim the fat, open them flat, then cut strips and cubes. How to get even pieces that cook at the same speed.

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Rounds of sliced gimbap showing egg, spinach, carrot and pickled radish on a WONAMU. bamboo cutting board, with sheets of seaweed and bowls of fillings on a linen tablecloth
Korean Kitchen

How to Make Gimbap at Home

How to make gimbap at home: season rice with salt and sesame oil, cut the fillings into long strips, roll it tight, and slice it clean with a damp knife.

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A Korean radish cut into neat cubes and thin flat squares on a WONAMU. bamboo cutting board beside an earthenware bowl, with a pot of soup steaming on a green tiled counter
Knife Skills & Technique

How to Cut Korean Radish for Soup, Kkakdugi and Braises

Three cuts for Korean radish: thin flat squares for soup, even one inch cubes for kkakdugi, and thick rounds for braises, plus how to peel and choose one.

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Separate piles of julienned carrot, onion, bell pepper and spinach on a WONAMU. bamboo cutting board beside a bowl of glossy japchae noodles on a white marble counter
Korean Kitchen

Japchae: The Korean Glass Noodle Dish Built on Knife Work

Japchae is mostly knife work: cut every vegetable into thin matching strips, cook each separately, then toss with sweet potato noodles, soy and sesame oil.

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A napa cabbage split into quarters by hand on a WONAMU. bamboo cutting board, with a wide basin of coarse salt and a stack of pale green leaves on an outdoor wooden table
Knife Skills & Technique

How to Cut Napa Cabbage

How to cut napa cabbage three ways: split by hand for whole-leaf kimchi, cut into bite-size squares for mak kimchi, and shred fine for slaw and dumplings.

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A dinner table set for Korean barbecue with pork belly in a cast iron pan on a portable burner, lettuce, banchan and dipping sauces, and sliced mushrooms on a WONAMU. bamboo cutting board
Hosting

How to Host a Korean BBQ Night Without a Grill Table

Host Korean BBQ at home with a cast iron pan or tabletop burner: what meat to buy, what to prep ahead, the side dishes and dips, and how to pace the table.

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Pie dough being cut into lattice strips on a WONAMU. bamboo cutting board beside a pie dish of sliced apples, a rolling pin, cubed butter and a bowl of flour on a marble counter
Knife Skills & Technique

How to Make Pie Crust on a Wooden Board

Make pie crust by hand on a wooden board: cut the butter, smear it in with fraisage, chill, roll a 12 inch round between parchment and cut lattice strips.

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A low Korean soban table, a nested set of wooden monk's bowls and a small wooden chest arranged on a heated stone floor in a hanok room
Materials & Buying

2,000 Years of Korean Woodcraft in Five Objects

A door from an Iron Age marsh, a monk's bowl, a low table, a chest and a pearl-inlaid box: five objects that trace 2,000 years of Korean woodcraft.

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Yellow onions sliced pole to pole into even crescents beside a chef's knife on a WONAMU. bamboo cutting board, with a cast-iron pan of golden caramelized onions nearby
Knife Skills & Technique

How to Slice an Onion for Caramelizing

Slice pole to pole, not across, and keep every slice the same width. Why the direction of the cut decides whether caramelized onions hold their shape.

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Dark lacquered Korean wooden ritual vessels on tall pedestal feet, holding stacked fruit and rice cakes on a low wooden table
Korean Kitchen

Mokgi: The Wooden Vessels of the Korean Ancestral Table

Mokgi are the raised wooden vessels Korean families set out for ancestral rites. Why they stand on pedestals, and how the town of Namwon still makes them.

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Paper-thin slices of ribeye fanned out beside a firm block of beef on a WONAMU. bamboo cutting board, with a glass bowl of soy and pear marinade on a black stone counter
Knife Skills & Technique

Bulgogi at Home: How to Slice Beef Paper-Thin

How to slice beef paper-thin for bulgogi: choose ribeye, firm it in the freezer for 30 minutes, find the grain, and cut across it with a sharp knife.

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A WONAMU. bamboo cutting board set as a New Year's Eve midnight snack board with potato chips, crème fraîche, smoked salmon, olives, aged cheese, chocolate and twelve grapes beside Champagne coupes
Hosting

How to Build a Midnight Snack Board for New Year's Eve

A late-night board for the last hour of New Year's Eve: salty bites that suit Champagne, a sweet corner, twelve grapes for midnight, and what to prep.

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Slices of brisket with a dark crust cut against the grain on a WONAMU. bamboo cutting board, juices gathered in the groove, beside a carving knife and small dishes of salt and pickled onions
Knife Skills & Technique

How to Cut a Brisket for Hanukkah or Christmas

How to slice brisket against the grain: reading the grain, separating the flat from the point, slicing a braised brisket cold, and saving the juices.

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A lacquer artisan's bench with dark red-brown lacquered wooden bowls drying on a rack, a flat brush and a small dish of raw sap
Materials & Buying

Ottchil: Korean Lacquer and the Tree It Comes From

Ottchil is the sap of the Korean lacquer tree, brushed onto wood in thin coats for two thousand years. How it is gathered, layered and still made today.

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A peeled orange with segments cut free from the membranes beside a paring knife on a WONAMU. bamboo cutting board, with a glass bowl of orange supremes and a blood orange on grey stone
Knife Skills & Technique

How to Supreme an Orange

Trim the ends, cut away the peel and pith, then slice each segment free of its membranes. The French technique for clean citrus, step by step.

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A WONAMU. bamboo cutting board of sliced cured ham, cornichons, pickled onions and potatoes beside a tabletop raclette grill with melting cheese on a winter evening
Hosting

How to Prep a Raclette Night

How to run a raclette night at home: cheese and potatoes per person, the cold plates to prep ahead, how to cut everything, and how the evening runs.

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A chef's knife and halved red onion with a few neat slices on a WONAMU. bamboo cutting board on a dark walnut table beside a folded towel
Knife Skills & Technique

Knife Grips for Beginners: The Pinch and the Claw

Hold the blade, not only the handle, and tuck your fingertips behind your knuckles. The two grips that make cutting faster, steadier and safer.

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A large pot of rice on a low wooden table with four bowls being filled from it, a stew in the center and small side dishes around it, in warm evening light
Korean Kitchen

Sikgu: The Korean Word for Family

In Korean, one common word for family is sikgu, written with the characters for eat and mouth. It means the people who share your rice.

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Carrot sticks, cauliflower florets and garlic on a WONAMU. bamboo cutting board beside a glass jar of vegetables under cloudy salt brine and a small dish of coarse salt
Knife Skills & Technique

Salt-Brine Pickles: How to Pickle Without Vinegar

Pickles without vinegar are fermented in salt water. The brine strength by weight, how long it takes, what the bubbles mean, and when to throw a batch out.

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Overhead view of a well-used bamboo cutting board on a worn wooden counter beside a chef's knife, a bunch of herbs and a folded linen cloth
Materials & Buying

The Hidden Life of a Cutting Board

Ten years of cooking leaves knife marks, a deeper color and a worn spot where you chop. What those traces mean, and why a used wooden board is sound.

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Three neat piles of diced carrot, potato and onion in small, medium and large cubes beside a chef's knife on a WONAMU. bamboo cutting board on a pale limestone counter
Knife Skills & Technique

Small, Medium and Large Dice: What Recipes Actually Mean

Small dice is a quarter inch, medium is half an inch, large is three quarters. How to cut each one evenly and which dishes call for which size.

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Overhead view of a WONAMU. bamboo cutting board lying flat on a worn workshop bench beside an unlabeled tin, a folded cotton rag, a cork sanding block and a few curls of wood shaving
Care & Cleaning

Can You Use Tung Oil or Linseed Oil on a Cutting Board?

Pure tung oil and raw linseed can work once fully cured, but boiled linseed oil and tung oil finish should never touch a board. How to tell them apart.

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A prep station on a white oak counter between sink and stove with a WONAMU. bamboo cutting board, a chef's knife, a scrap bowl and small bowls of chopped vegetables
Knife Skills & Technique

The Prep Zone: Setting Up the Counter Where You Cut

Kitchen design is moving toward zoned kitchens. How to set up the stretch of counter where you cut so the board, knife and bowls are in reach.

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A glass measuring jug of vinegar and a jug of water beside a WONAMU. bamboo cutting board with sliced cucumbers and red onion, three jars of pickles, a dish of salt and a sprig of dill on a white tiled counter
Materials & Buying

The Right Vinegar-to-Water Ratio for Homemade Pickles

The safe vinegar to water ratio for pickles starts at 1:1. Refrigerator pickles, canned pickles, the 5 percent acidity rule, and a brine table to keep.

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A WONAMU. bamboo cutting board with sliced chicken, broccoli florets, red pepper strips, snap peas and scallions lined up in cooking order beside a wok and a small bowl of sauce
Knife Skills & Technique

Weeknight Stir-Fry: The Prep Is the Whole Recipe

A stir fry cooks in eight minutes and fails in the prep. How to cut everything to size, velvet the meat, mix the sauce first and line up the board.

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Overhead view of a WONAMU. bamboo cutting board lying flat on a dark stone counter, its surface beaded with water, beside a cucumber, a ceramic pitcher and a folded blue cotton cloth
Care & Cleaning

Should You Wet a Wooden Cutting Board Before You Cut?

Japanese cooks wet a wooden board before they cut on it. What that thin film of water does for stains and smells, when it helps, and how to do it right.

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A WONAMU. bamboo cutting board lying flat on a concrete counter in a modern kitchen, with a whole butternut squash, a chef's knife and a linen towel nearby
Materials & Buying

What to Look for in a Premium Cutting Board

Size, flatness, tight seams, sensible thickness and a groove that earns its place. What separates a lasting cutting board, and the specs people overrate.

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A WONAMU. acacia cutting board holding three cheeses surrounded by grapes, sliced apple, quince paste, honey, marcona almonds, olives, cornichons and crackers on a linen-covered table
Hosting

What to Put on a Cheese Board Besides Cheese

What belongs on a cheese board besides the cheese: bread and crackers, fruit, nuts, something sweet, something briny, and how much of each to buy.

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A WONAMU. bamboo cutting board with a warm honey tone lying flat on a white marble counter beside a bottle of oil, a cotton cloth and a bowl of lemons
Care & Cleaning

Why Bamboo Cutting Boards Turn Gray, and How to Fix It

A pale, gray or dull board is a dry board. What causes the color to fade, how to bring back the warm tone with oil, and when a light sanding helps.

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A WONAMU. bamboo cutting board lying flat on a pale oak counter in a quiet morning kitchen, with a chef's knife, a halved onion and a folded linen towel beside it
Materials & Buying

Why Some Cutting Boards Are Louder Than Others

Glass rings, plastic clacks, wood thuds. What makes a cutting board loud under the knife, and the three fixes that quiet a noisy one at home.

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A glass jar of golden yuja marmalade with thin strips of citron peel beside a cup of yuja-cha and two whole yellow yuzu on a wooden tray in winter light
Korean Kitchen

Yuja-cha: How to Make Korean Citron Tea at Home

Yuja-cha is Korean citron tea: thin-sliced yuzu packed in sugar, rested until it turns to marmalade, stirred into hot water. Here is how to make a jar.

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A clean WONAMU. bamboo cutting board lying flat on a white tiled counter beside a bunch of fresh beets with their leaves, a knob of turmeric root and a small jar of baking soda
Care & Cleaning

How to Get Beet and Turmeric Stains Out of a Cutting Board

Beet and turmeric stain wood differently. The salt and lemon scrub, the baking soda paste and the sunlight method, and which one to use for each stain.

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A raw whole chicken on a WONAMU. bamboo cutting board on a dark stone counter, with a boning knife, a bowl of kosher salt, a lemon and a folded towel beside a roasting pan
Materials & Buying

Can You Cut Raw Meat on a Bamboo Cutting Board?

Yes. Raw chicken, beef and fish are fine on a bamboo cutting board when you wash it in hot soapy water and sanitize it afterward. Here is the routine.

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A WONAMU. bamboo cutting board on a dark slate counter in a workshop-style kitchen, with a block of pale beeswax, a small tin of cream conditioner, a glass jar in a pan of water and a cotton cloth
Care & Cleaning

Can You Use Beeswax on a Cutting Board?

Yes, over mineral oil, not instead of it. What beeswax does on a wood or bamboo board, the four to one conditioner ratio, and how to apply it thinly.

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A Christmas morning breakfast board on a WONAMU. bamboo cutting board with waffles, bacon, sugared cranberries, clementine segments and a small bowl of maple syrup, beside a tree and wrapped presents
Hosting

The Christmas Morning Breakfast Board

A Christmas morning breakfast board to graze through the gifts: what to cook the night before, what goes on the board, and how to lay it out for a family.

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A WONAMU. bamboo cutting board lying flat on a stainless steel counter in a galley kitchen, with a glass measuring jug of water, a tablespoon, a spray bottle and a folded cotton cloth beside it
Care & Cleaning

Can You Use Bleach on a Wooden Cutting Board?

Yes, diluted to one tablespoon per gallon of water. The USDA ratio, the contact time, how to rinse and dry, and where vinegar fits.

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Glossy red gochujang chicken wings piled on a platter with scallions and sesame seeds, beside a WONAMU. bamboo cutting board holding sliced scallions and a knife, on a kitchen island before a game
Korean Kitchen

Gochujang Wings for Game Day

Oven-baked gochujang wings for a Super Bowl crowd: dry the wings, bake them hot, then toss in a sweet and spicy glaze of gochujang, honey, soy and garlic.

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A WONAMU. bamboo cutting board lying flat on a dark walnut dining table in morning light, with a small unlabeled bottle of oil, a folded cotton cloth, a bowl of green apples and a cup of coffee beside it
Care & Cleaning

Can You Use Canola Oil on a Cutting Board?

Canola is a cooking oil, not a board oil. Why it turns sticky and rancid on wood and bamboo, what to use instead, and how to fix a board that has had it.

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A low Korean table set for one with a bowl of rice, a bowl of soup, three small side dishes and a brass spoon, in soft morning light
Korean Kitchen

Have You Eaten? Why Koreans Greet You With a Food Question

Koreans ask bap meogeosseoyo, have you eaten, the way Americans ask how are you. Where the greeting comes from and what it says about feeding people.

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A WONAMU. bamboo cutting board lying flat on a sunlit wooden table by an open window, with a halved lemon, a small wooden bowl of coarse salt and a stoneware pitcher beside it
Care & Cleaning

Does the Lemon and Salt Trick Work on a Cutting Board?

Lemon and coarse salt lift odors and light stains from a wooden cutting board. What the method does, what it cannot do, and the right way to use it.

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A mango cheek scored into cubes and turned inside out beside a whole mango and a paring knife on a WONAMU. bamboo cutting board, with a bowl of diced mango and a lime on a dark counter
Knife Skills & Technique

How to Cut a Mango Without Wasting Half of It

The cheek and hedgehog method for cutting a mango: find the flat pit, slice the cheeks off beside it, score and scoop, then rescue the flesh at the seed.

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A WONAMU. bamboo cutting board lying flat on a workbench in a bright garage workshop, with a stack of cast iron pans, a damp folded cloth and a bottle of mineral oil arranged beside it
Care & Cleaning

How to Flatten a Warped Wooden Cutting Board

A cupped wooden cutting board can be flattened at home. Wet the hollow side, weight it flat for two or three days, oil it, and keep it flat from then on.

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A halved avocado with its pit lifted out by a spoon on a WONAMU. bamboo cutting board, with a chef's knife, a bowl of limes and a stack of tortillas on a sunlit counter
Knife Skills & Technique

How to Cut an Avocado Safely (Avocado Hand Is Real)

Avocado hand is a real emergency room injury. The board method for halving, pitting and slicing an avocado without a knife near your palm.

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Rows of shortbread and gingerbread cookies cooling on a WONAMU. bamboo cutting board on a dining table set with kraft boxes, baker's twine, a pot of coffee and a bowl of clementines
Hosting

How to Host a Cookie Exchange

How to host a cookie exchange that works: the guest count, how many dozen each baker brings, the rules that stop duplicates, and the packing station.

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A WONAMU. bamboo cutting board lying flat on a butcher block island in a warm kitchen at dusk, with an unlabeled brown glass bottle, a small white dish, a kitchen timer and a linen towel nearby
Care & Cleaning

Hydrogen Peroxide on a Cutting Board: Safe or Not?

Three percent hydrogen peroxide is a food safe sanitizer for a wooden cutting board. How long to leave it on, and where it sits beside vinegar and bleach.

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A WONAMU. bamboo cutting board on a grey concrete counter in a modern kitchen with a window onto a bamboo garden, with a glass of water, a dish brush, a bar of soap and a wooden dish rack beside it
Materials & Buying

Is Bamboo Antimicrobial? What the Research Actually Shows

Bamboo resists bacterial growth, helped by a dense, low-porosity surface, and studies find counts fall after washing and drying. What that does not mean.

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Blocks of dried fermented soybean meju hanging from rice straw in a Korean storeroom beside dark earthenware jang crocks
Korean Kitchen

Jang: The Korean Fermentation Tradition Now UNESCO Heritage

UNESCO added Korean jang making to its heritage list in December 2024. What jang is, how one block of soybeans becomes three sauces, and why it matters.

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A WONAMU. bamboo cutting board with halved yellow onions, a split head of garlic and a chef's knife on a pale oak counter, with a strawberry bowl kept well apart
Knife Skills & Technique

Should You Keep a Separate Board for Onions and Garlic?

Many cooks keep one cutting board for onions and garlic so the smell stays off fruit and bread. When it is worth it, when a wash is enough, how to mark it.

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Rows of dark glazed onggi earthenware jars on a stone terrace outside a Korean house, lids on, in low afternoon sun
Korean Kitchen

Onggi: The Breathing Clay Jars of the Korean Kitchen

Onggi are the earthenware jars Korean households ferment in. Their porous walls let gas and moisture pass, which is why kimchi and jang mature inside them.

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A spring kitchen reset in progress: spice jars lined up for sorting, a stack of containers, a cast-iron skillet and a WONAMU. bamboo cutting board with a cloth and a bottle of oil on a bright counter with an open window
Care & Cleaning

Spring Kitchen Reset: What to Toss, Keep, and Restore

A spring kitchen reset in one afternoon: the spices and oils to toss, the tools and containers to keep, and the boards, knives and pans to restore.

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A Korean ssam spread on a low table with a basket of lettuce and perilla leaves, sliced bossam pork, ssamjang, garlic, chiles and kimchi
Korean Kitchen

Ssam: The Korean Habit of Wrapping Food and Eating Together

Ssam is the Korean practice of wrapping meat, rice and sauce in a leaf and eating it in one bite. How it works, where it comes from, and how to host it.

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A child's hands in the claw grip slicing a banana with a small nylon knife on a WONAMU. bamboo cutting board set on a damp towel, with cucumber and strawberries nearby
Knife Skills & Technique

Teaching Kids to Use a Knife: Which Board, Knife and Jobs

A stage by stage guide to teaching children knife skills: a nylon knife at four, the claw grip at six, a small chef knife at ten, a board that stays put.

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A WONAMU. bamboo cutting board holding a halved shallot and a chef's knife on a narrow marble counter between a stovetop and a sink, with a single pan on the burner
Materials & Buying

The Case for a Small Cutting Board

A 12 by 9 inch cutting board fits the counter, the sink and the hand. Why the small board becomes the one you use every night, and what the big one is for.

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A compact RV galley with a two-burner stove, where a WONAMU. bamboo cutting board holds sliced bell pepper and scallions beside a single skillet, a knife and a small bowl
Knife Skills & Technique

The One-Board Kitchen: Cooking Well in a Studio, Dorm, or RV

A studio, a dorm or an RV galley has two feet of counter at best. How to cook real dinners on one cutting board, one pan and one knife, in the right order.

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A WONAMU. bamboo cutting board on a white marble counter in a bright pantry, with a clear unlabeled bottle of mineral oil, a glass dropper bottle, a cotton cloth and a row of glass storage jars behind
Care & Cleaning

What Food-Grade Mineral Oil Actually Means

Every care guide says use food-grade mineral oil and none explains the label. What USP and the FDA food-contact rule mean, and what to look for on it.

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A Korean joiner's workbench with a half-assembled soban table, a wooden mallet, chisels and shavings in soft window light
Materials & Buying

Why Korean Furniture Uses No Nails

Traditional Korean carpenters join wood with cut joints and pegs instead of metal. What that choice says about wood, patience and objects built to last.

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A WONAMU. bamboo cutting board resting on a folded towel on a butcher block island in a dim evening kitchen, with a sheet of sandpaper, a halved lemon, a jar of coarse salt and an open window
Care & Cleaning

Why Your Cutting Board Smells Rancid (It Is the Wrong Oil)

A rancid smell on a wooden or bamboo board almost always means a cooking oil went on it. How to tell, how to get it out, and the oil that never goes off.

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A moso bamboo grove in soft morning mist, tall green culms rising from a carpet of fallen leaves with a few fresh shoots pushing up between them
Materials & Buying

Bamboo Flowers Once a Century: Its Strange Life Cycle

Bamboo is a grass that reaches full height in one season, hardens for years and flowers so rarely a plant may never bloom. The life cycle behind the board.

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A WONAMU. bamboo cutting board on a tiled counter beside a halved avocado, a small glass bottle of green avocado oil, a bottle of clear mineral oil and a folded cotton cloth
Care & Cleaning

Can You Use Avocado Oil on a Cutting Board?

Avocado oil is a cooking oil that turns rancid on a cutting board. Why a high smoke point does not help, what to use instead, and how to fix a board.

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A WONAMU. bamboo cutting board with sliced cucumber on a light counter beside a chef's knife, a bowl of radishes and a folded linen cloth in a bright kitchen
Materials & Buying

Glass, Silicone, or Wood: Which Cutting Board Is Worth It

Glass is hard on a knife edge, silicone mats score and shift, and wood or bamboo gives under the blade and cleans well. An honest comparison.

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A WONAMU. bamboo cutting board on a pale wooden counter beside an open jar of solid white coconut oil, a small bottle of clear liquid oil, a cotton cloth and a halved coconut
Care & Cleaning

Coconut Oil on a Cutting Board: Does It Go Rancid?

Virgin coconut oil can turn rancid in the wood. Fractionated coconut oil resists it. Which kind is safe on a board, and why mineral oil is the standard.

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A relaxed weeknight table in a small apartment kitchen with a pot of pasta, a WONAMU. bamboo cutting board holding sliced bread, olives and a wedge of cheese, and mismatched glasses
Hosting

Having People Over on a Weeknight: The No-Menu Way to Host

Move the dinner party to Tuesday. How to have friends over on a weeknight with one pot, a board of good things from the shop and a text.

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Orange wheels, lemon wedges and a long citrus twist on a WONAMU. bamboo cutting board beside a paring knife, a channel peeler and two coupe glasses on a dark counter
Knife Skills & Technique

How to Cut Citrus Garnishes for Holiday Cocktails

Wheels a quarter inch thick, wedges with the pith trimmed, twists cut shallow and expressed over the glass. The knife work behind holiday drinks.

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A WONAMU. bamboo cutting board lying flat on a folded linen towel on a kitchen counter next to a wooden dish rack, with a second towel and a ceramic cup in soft light
Care & Cleaning

How to Dry a Wooden Cutting Board: Lying Flat Is the Mistake

Towel it, then stand it on its edge with air on both faces. A board dried flat dries from one side and cups. The routine that keeps a board flat for years.

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A sharp chef's knife resting on a WONAMU. bamboo cutting board beside a whetstone, a honing rod and a few sliced shallots on a dark stone counter
Knife Skills & Technique

Is Bamboo Too Hard for Your Knives? An Honest Answer

Bamboo sits close to hard maple on the Janka scale and yields under a blade like wood. What dulls knives is glass, stone, steel and technique.

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A WONAMU. bamboo cutting board being rinsed under a kitchen tap, with a dish brush, a bar of soap in a ceramic dish and a folded linen towel on the counter beside the sink
Care & Cleaning

How to Wash a Bamboo Cutting Board Without Ruining It

Hot soapy water, a short scrub, a towel and the rack: the two-minute daily wash for a bamboo cutting board, what to skip, and when to sanitize it.

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A WONAMU. bamboo cutting board beside its closed gift box, a stack of linen kitchen towels, a pair of ceramic rice bowls and a small potted plant on the entry table of a new Korean apartment
Gifts

Korean Housewarming Gifts: What to Bring to a Jipdeuri

Toilet paper and detergent are the classic Korean housewarming gifts, each with a wish behind it. The custom, the etiquette and kitchen gifts that fit.

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A candlelit New Year's Eve table for six with a WONAMU. bamboo cutting board holding sliced citrus and herbs, a dish of braised short ribs, polenta, radicchio salad and coupe glasses
Hosting

A New Year's Eve Dinner Instead of a Party: A Menu for Six

A four-course New Year's Eve dinner for six, mostly made the day before: whipped feta, bitter leaves with citrus, short ribs on polenta, chocolate.

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A lived-in kitchen corner with a worn walnut counter, an unlacquered brass tap, a soapstone sink, well-used wooden spoons in a crock and a WONAMU. bamboo cutting board showing faint knife marks
Materials & Buying

The Imperfect Kitchen: Why 2027 Kitchens Show Their Wear

Designers forecasting 2027 expect kitchens that embrace imperfection: warmer wood, materials that age, lived-in rooms. What it means for how we cook.

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A bowl of tteokguk with oval rice cake slices, strips of egg, scallion and shredded seaweed in clear broth on a low wooden table beside brass chopsticks and a small dish of kimchi
Korean Kitchen

Tteokguk: Why Koreans Eat Rice Cake Soup for the New Year

On Seollal Korean tables start with tteokguk, clear broth with sliced rice cake. The bowl marks a year of age and each part carries a wish.

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Overhead view of a WONAMU. bamboo cutting board on a marble counter holding rolled sugar cookie dough with three stars cut out, beside a rolling pin, flour, a star cutter and two trays of cookies
Knife Skills & Technique

Can You Roll Cookie Dough on a Wooden Cutting Board?

Yes, a wooden or bamboo cutting board makes a good surface for rolling cookie dough. How to prepare it, keep dough from sticking, and clean up after.

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A freshly oiled WONAMU. bamboo cutting board on an oak counter on a snowy morning, beside a small bottle of oil, a folded cloth, a brass hygrometer and a steaming mug of tea
Care & Cleaning

Dry Winter Air and Your Cutting Board: Keep It in Shape

Indoor heating dries the air, and wooden and bamboo boards feel it. How winter humidity affects a cutting board, and the simple routine that protects it.

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A crock of gochujang on a kitchen counter at dusk with gochujang-glazed sweet potatoes and Brussels sprouts, a jar of red vinaigrette, glazed chicken and scallions
Korean Kitchen

Gochujang in the American Kitchen: Five Ways Beyond Bibimbap

Gochujang belongs in more than Korean food. Five everyday ways to use the fermented chili paste: butter, glaze, vinaigrette, roasted vegetables and soup.

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Overhead view of a clean, well-oiled WONAMU. bamboo cutting board on a worn wooden counter among a care cloth, a bottle of oil, sandpaper, a chef's knife, old cookbooks and a bowl of lemons
Care & Cleaning

How Long Does a Bamboo Cutting Board Last?

A well-made bamboo cutting board lasts for years of daily use. What decides how long, the habits that extend it, and when any board should be retired.

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Overhead view of a scored pomegranate and a paring knife on a WONAMU. bamboo cutting board, beside a glass bowl of water with pomegranate sections, a strainer, a bowl of seeds and a salad
Knife Skills & Technique

How to Cut a Pomegranate Without Splattering the Kitchen

The clean way to cut a pomegranate: score the skin, open it along its ridges, and release the seeds under water. No red splatter, no crushed seeds.

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A WONAMU. bamboo cutting board set up as a prep station on a butcher-block counter with chopped parsley, halved lemons, shallots and a chef's knife, a handwritten timeline taped inside an open cabinet beside stacks of plates
Hosting

How to Get Thanksgiving Guests to Actually Help

Most Thanksgiving hosts want help and few ask for it. How to hand out real jobs, from chopping to dishes, so the kitchen runs and nobody hovers.

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A WONAMU. bamboo cutting board on a pine table with evenly sliced green apple and a paring knife, beside bowls of sliced apples, a basket of apples and a pie dish lined with pastry
Knife Skills & Technique

How to Cut Apples for Pie So Every Slice Bakes Evenly

Even apple slices make an even pie. Which apples to choose, how to peel and core them, the right slice thickness, and how to keep slices from browning.

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A WONAMU. bamboo cutting board tied with a red ribbon on an office table beside flaky salt, a microplane, olive oil wrapped in a tea towel, honey and kraft-paper gifts, a small Christmas tree behind
Gifts

Secret Santa Kitchen Gifts That Actually Get Used

Kitchen gifts for a Secret Santa or office exchange that will not end up in a drawer. Practical ideas at every common spending limit, plus what to skip.

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A WONAMU. bamboo cutting board with freshly grated potato, a halved russet and half an onion beside a box grater, a cast-iron skillet and fried latkes, a lit menorah in the window
Knife Skills & Technique

How to Grate Potatoes for Latkes Without Losing a Knuckle

Grating potatoes for latkes, safely and well: box grater or food processor, the onion trick that stops browning, squeezing out water and saving the starch.

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A WONAMU. bamboo cutting board used as a serving platter on a walnut coffee table, with cheddar, blue cheese, salami, grapes, sliced pear, olives and honey, beside wine glasses and a lit candle
Hosting

Serving on Wood: How to Use a Cutting Board as a Platter

A clean wooden or bamboo cutting board makes a safe serving platter. What to put on it, how long food can sit out, and how to clean it after the party.

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A Thanksgiving table with a roast turkey behind small bowls of Korean banchan: seasoned spinach, bean sprouts, cucumber salad, soy-braised potatoes and kimchi, beside a dish of cranberry sauce
Korean Kitchen

Banchan on the Thanksgiving Table

Korean side dishes sit naturally beside a turkey: small, bright and made ahead. Five banchan that fit an American Thanksgiving, and why they work.

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A WONAMU. acacia cutting board set as a winter cheese board with blue Stilton, brie, aged Gouda, persimmons, sliced pear, dates, walnuts, honey and pomegranate seeds by a snowy window
Hosting

How to Build a Winter Cheese Board for the Holidays

A cheese board built for the cold months: which winter cheeses to buy, the seasonal fruit that pairs with them, how much per guest, and how to arrange it.

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A clean WONAMU. bamboo cutting board lying flat on a sunny stone counter beside a lemon half, a dish of coarse salt, a wooden scrub brush and a folded cotton cloth
Care & Cleaning

Black Spots on a Wooden Cutting Board: Mold or Stain?

Black spots on a wood cutting board are usually mildew or a food stain. How to tell which, how to clean each, and when a board needs sanding or replacing.

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A tidy kitchen during holiday cooking: a WONAMU. bamboo cutting board wiped clean beside a folded towel and chef's knife, clean prep bowls in a dish rack, a bowl of soapy water in the sink and the oven glowing behind
Hosting

Clean As You Go: How to Host Without a Mountain of Dishes

Clean-up is the part of hosting many people dread. How to cook a holiday meal so the kitchen is nearly clean at dinner and done twenty minutes after.

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A WONAMU. bamboo cutting board on a front-hall console table beside a small jar of honey, a tin of flaky sea salt, a bottle of olive oil and a stack of folded towels tied with twine, a coat on a rack and holiday lights in the window behind
Gifts

Hostess Gifts That Are Not a Bottle of Wine

The best hostess gift asks nothing of the host during the party and gets used after it. Ten ideas for Thanksgiving and holiday dinners that are not wine.

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A handwritten recipe card, worn at the edges, propped against a bowl of chopped celery and onion beside a WONAMU. bamboo cutting board on an old wooden kitchen table in warm afternoon light
Hosting

The Dish Older Than 25 Years: Why Heirloom Recipes Last

Over half of Americans serve a Thanksgiving dish older than 25 years. Why family recipes outlast every trend, and how to keep one from being lost.

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Two WONAMU. cutting boards side by side on a pale stone counter, a bamboo board with sliced cucumber and cherry tomatoes and an acacia board with a raw chicken breast, a window and a crock of wooden spoons to the right
Materials & Buying

How Many Cutting Boards Do You Actually Need?

Two, for most home kitchens: one for raw meat and fish, one for everything else. Why two is enough, why a third rarely helps, and how to tell them apart.

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Overhead view of a Thanksgiving table: sliced turkey breast and a chef's knife on a WONAMU. bamboo cutting board, with the whole roast turkey, mashed potatoes, stuffing, green beans, cranberry sauce, rolls and candles around it
Knife Skills & Technique

How to Carve a Turkey, Step by Step

Rest it, take it apart in pieces, slice the breast across the grain. How to carve a Thanksgiving turkey cleanly and keep the juice on the board.

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A quiet kitchen counter with a seasoned cast-iron skillet, two wooden spoons in a stoneware crock, a carbon steel knife on a folded linen towel and a WONAMU. bamboo cutting board lying flat in soft afternoon light
Materials & Buying

Buy It for Life: The Kitchen Tools Worth Keeping

The buy-it-for-life idea is back, and the kitchen is where it makes most sense. What separates a tool you keep for decades from one you replace.

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Halved Brussels sprouts and a few loose green leaves on a WONAMU. bamboo cutting board with a chef's knife, a colander of whole sprouts and a sheet pan beside it on a wooden counter
Knife Skills & Technique

How to Cut Brussels Sprouts Fast

Trim the stem, pull the loose leaves, halve through the core. How to cut Brussels sprouts for roasting, shred them for salad, and prep two pounds fast.

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A WONAMU. bamboo cutting board lying flat on a pale stone counter with a small clear bottle of mineral oil and a folded cotton cloth, while a bottle of olive oil stands apart by the stove
Care & Cleaning

Can You Use Olive Oil on a Cutting Board?

Olive oil is the bottle closest to hand and the wrong one for a wooden board. Why it turns rancid, what to use instead, and how to recover.

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Garlic cloves being minced with a chef's knife on a WONAMU. bamboo cutting board, a head of garlic, loose papery skins and a small bowl of minced garlic beside it on a white counter
Knife Skills & Technique

How to Mince Garlic: Knife, Press, or Grater

A knife gives the mildest, most even garlic, a press and a grater give the strongest. How to mince garlic by hand, and when each tool is the right one.

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A WONAMU. bamboo cutting board lying flat on a sunlit counter, a few drops of water sitting on its surface as beads beside a folded cotton cloth
Care & Cleaning

What Happens If You Never Oil Your Cutting Board?

A board that never sees oil changes slowly: pale, then rough, then split. The stages, the signs at each one, and how to bring it back.

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A WONAMU. bamboo cutting board resting on a thin damp paper towel on a grey stone counter, with an onion and a chef's knife on the board and a small bowl of onion skins beside it
Knife Skills & Technique

Why Your Cutting Board Slides, and How to Stop It

A cutting board that moves under the knife is how a knife slips. Why boards slide, the damp-towel trick chefs use, and what to do if it rocks.

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A WONAMU. bamboo cutting board being rinsed by hand under a kitchen tap with a dish brush, an open and empty dishwasher visible beside the sink
Care & Cleaning

Can You Put a Wooden Cutting Board in the Dishwasher?

No. One cycle can warp or crack a wooden board. What the heat, water and detergent actually do, and the sixty-second hand wash that replaces it.

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Shredded leftover turkey and sliced breast meat on a WONAMU. bamboo cutting board the morning after Thanksgiving, with a steaming stockpot, stuffing, cranberry sauce and glass storage containers along the counter
Knife Skills & Technique

Thanksgiving Leftovers That Are Not a Sandwich

Five ways to turn Thanksgiving leftovers into new meals, from turkey congee to stuffing waffles, plus carcass stock and the timings that matter.

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A Friendsgiving potluck being set out on a kitchen counter, foil-covered dishes with handwritten labels, and a sliced roast chicken resting on a WONAMU. bamboo cutting board at the center
Hosting

Friendsgiving Potluck Planning: Who Brings What

A potluck works when the host assigns categories, not dishes. The system that keeps three pies and no vegetables from arriving at the same door.

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A brand-new WONAMU. bamboo cutting board lying flat on a kitchen counter during its first oiling, one half darkened with absorbed mineral oil, a cotton cloth and a bottle of food-grade mineral oil beside it
Care & Cleaning

How to Season a Brand-New Cutting Board Before First Use

A new wooden board needs three or four coats of mineral oil before it meets a knife. The two-day routine, the water test, and what to avoid.

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A quiet kitchen corner in late light with walnut-toned cabinetry, a ceramic bowl, a wooden spoon, and a WONAMU. acacia cutting board standing against the backsplash with its grain facing out
Materials & Buying

Why Kitchens Are Turning Back to Warm Wood for 2027

Warmer wood and softer, lived-in rooms are coming back to the kitchen. Why the white kitchen is receding, and what it means at the level of the counter.

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A chef's knife resting at an angle on a wet whetstone beside a WONAMU. bamboo cutting board on a stone counter, water beading on the stone surface
Knife Skills & Technique

How to Sharpen a Knife at Home Without Ruining It

Many dull knives do not need sharpening. Here is how to tell the difference, what angle to hold, and the mistakes that take years off a blade.

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A rested roast chicken on a WONAMU. acacia cutting board with juices collected in the perimeter groove, an instant-read thermometer resting on the counter beside it
Materials & Buying

Do You Need a Wireless Meat Thermometer?

A $15 instant-read used well beats a $200 probe used badly. Here is what each type is for, where probes go wrong, and which one belongs in your kitchen.

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A WONAMU. acacia cutting board arranged as a Christmas charcuterie board with cheeses, folded prosciutto, olives, honey, grapes, pomegranate and rosemary
Hosting

How to Build a Christmas Charcuterie Board

How to build a Christmas charcuterie board: quantities per person, cheese selection, and the arrangement order that makes it look effortless.

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A kitchen counter arranged with a glass storage jar, a wooden spoon, a cellulose sponge and a WONAMU. bamboo cutting board, morning light across a stone surface
Materials & Buying

Plastic-Free Kitchen Swaps That Actually Matter

Not every plastic in a kitchen is worth replacing. Heat, friction and food contact are where the swaps earn their keep, and where they do not.

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A WONAMU. bamboo cutting board on a dark stone counter beside a chef's knife, whetstone and cast-iron skillet, arranged as a practical gift for a cook
Gifts

Christmas Gifts for Dad Who Loves to Cook

Christmas gifts for dad who loves to cook: the upgrades he keeps putting off and the consumables he would never splurge on himself.

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A carved and resting roast turkey breast on a WONAMU. acacia cutting board with juices in the perimeter groove, a carving knife alongside and a warm kitchen behind
Hosting

How to Host Christmas Dinner for the First Time

A working timeline, realistic quantities and the decisions that matter, written for someone cooking Christmas dinner for the first time.

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A WONAMU. acacia cutting board on a marble counter with a folded cotton cloth, olive oil and flaky salt behind it, arranged as a considered gift
Gifts

Christmas Gifts for Mom Who Loves to Cook

Christmas gifts for mom who loves to cook: what to give someone who already owns the basics and would never buy the upgrade for herself.

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Sliced cold roast meat, chopped roast potatoes and shredded sprouts on a WONAMU. bamboo cutting board beside a jar of set gravy and a warming skillet
Knife Skills & Technique

What to Do With Christmas Leftovers

How long leftovers actually keep, the safe way to reheat them, and what to cook on the 26th that does not taste like the 25th again.

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An overhead arrangement of a WONAMU. bamboo cutting board with olive oil, flaky salt, whole spices, a microplane and a linen cloth on a pale oak table
Gifts

Gifts for Food Lovers: What Actually Gets Used

Gifts for food lovers, organised by what survives past January: the consumables, upgrades and daily-use objects that earn their place.

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A WONAMU. bamboo cutting board and acacia cutting board side by side on a marble counter, showing the difference in grain and color
Materials & Buying

Bamboo vs. Acacia Cutting Board: Which Should You Buy?

Acacia and bamboo sit in overlapping hardness ranges. Bamboo is lighter and renews faster. Here is how the two materials actually differ.

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An acacia cutting board resting flat on a marble counter beside a small ceramic bowl of mineral oil and a folded linen cloth
Care & Cleaning

How to Care for an Acacia Cutting Board

Acacia is dense and water-resistant, but only stays that way with maintenance. Here is the full care routine, from the first month to the first sanding.

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A slim WONAMU. bamboo cutting board seen from counter height, its half-inch edge profile visible beside a knife and sliced spring onion
Materials & Buying

Cutting Board Thickness: Does It Actually Matter?

Thick boards buy mass and resurfacing life. Thin boards buy handling and drying. Here is what thickness really predicts about a cutting board.

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A curated flat lay of kitchen gifts for Cyber Week shopping, including a bamboo cutting board, a stand mixer box, and a small cookware set, arranged on a counter
Gifts

Cyber Week Kitchen Gifts Worth Buying (And What to Skip)

Cyber Week discounts are real on some kitchen categories and mostly theater on others. Here is how to tell the difference before adding anything to a cart.

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Close view of the warm varied grain on a WONAMU. acacia cutting board under raking light, with a chef's knife resting across one corner
Materials & Buying

What Wood Should Never Be Used for a Cutting Board

Softwoods, open-pored species and engineered panels belong nowhere near food. Here are the four properties that decide whether a wood is safe to cut on.

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A WONAMU. cutting board still in its gift-ready box on a counter beside a wrapped stack of other last-minute gifts, ready to give without extra preparation
Gifts

Last-Minute Kitchen Gifts That Still Arrive by Christmas

A late start does not have to mean a bad gift. Here is how to shop the final week before Christmas without losing the thought behind the gift.

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An organized kitchen counter reset for the new year, with a clean bamboo cutting board, a few pared-down tools, and empty counter space
Materials & Buying

The Cook's New Year: Kitchen Resets for a Fresh Start

Many kitchen resolutions fail for the same reason: friction, not motivation. Here is how to reset a kitchen so cooking more sticks.

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A WONAMU. cutting board resting beside its closed gift box and a folded cotton care cloth, ready to give without additional wrapping
Gifts

The Gift You Don't Have to Wrap

Both WONAMU. boards now arrive in gift-ready packaging with a cotton care cloth included. No wrapping paper required, and that changes the gift.

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Overhead view of a WONAMU. bamboo cutting board with a visible perimeter groove, showing diced onion, sliced carrot, and chopped celery mid-prep, a chef's knife resting at the corner
Materials & Buying

What Is a Juice Groove on a Cutting Board?

A juice groove keeps liquid off the counter and off your hands. Here is what it does, and why it earns a place on a daily-use board.

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An intimate two-person spread on a bamboo cutting board set for a Valentine's Day dinner at home, with two wine glasses and a small arrangement of cheese and fruit
Gifts

Valentine's Day Gifts for the Person Who Cooks for You

The best Valentine's gift for a cook rarely competes with cooking. It supports the meal they were already going to make.

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A bamboo cutting board being oiled — mineral oil and a folded cloth beside it on a warm wooden table, the surface showing a freshly conditioned sheen
Care & Cleaning

Do Bamboo Cutting Boards Need to Be Oiled?

The short answer is yes, but less often and with less oil than a hardwood board. Here is why bamboo still needs it, and what happens when it does not.

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A few essential tools on a bare new-apartment counter — a bamboo cutting board, a chef's knife, a wooden spoon, and a single pan in morning light
Gifts

The First-Apartment Kitchen: What You Really Need

A short, honest list for setting up a first kitchen: the dozen things that earn their place, and the long list of things that do not.

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A relaxed autumn grazing board on a casual table — cheeses, figs, persimmon, nuts, and bread on a bamboo board among candles and mismatched plates
Hosting

How to Host Friendsgiving Without Losing Your Mind

Friendsgiving works best when the host does less. A calm plan for feeding a crowd of friends: what to cook, what to delegate, what to set out.

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A bamboo cutting board wrapped as a gift in kraft paper and twine, beside a small tin of salt and a bottle of olive oil on a wooden table
Gifts

Kitchen Gifts Under $30 That Don't Feel Like Filler

For Secret Santa, white elephant, and the gift you forgot you needed: useful kitchen gifts under thirty dollars that someone will keep.

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A rested, sliced steak fanned on a honey-toned bamboo board with flaky salt and fresh herbs, served board-to-table on a simple dinner table
Knife Skills & Technique

How to Add Restaurant-Quality Touches to a Home-Cooked Meal

The gap between a home dinner and a restaurant plate is rarely the recipe. It is a few finishing habits that cost almost nothing. Here is what they are.

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A honey-toned bamboo cutting board drying upright in a wooden rack beside a sunlit kitchen window, water still beading on its surface
Materials & Buying

Why Wood Cutting Boards Are Naturally Antibacterial

Wood and bamboo resist bacteria better than worn plastic, for structural reasons. Here is the honest version of how it works, and where it stops.

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A bamboo cutting board lying flat on a marble counter beside a simple glass spray bottle of white vinegar and a folded linen cloth
Care & Cleaning

How to Clean a Cutting Board With Vinegar

Vinegar cleans a cutting board well, but not in every situation. Here is the chemistry, the right method, and when bleach is the better tool.

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Close-up of rich acacia wood grain showing warm dark tones and natural pattern variation on a linen-covered counter
Materials & Buying

Acacia Wood Cutting Boards: Pros, Cons and Care

Acacia cutting boards: the pros, the honest cons, how the hardwood compares to bamboo, and the care routine it needs to last.

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A bamboo cutting board lying flat on a cool grey slate surface, its grain catching the light from a small amber bottle of mineral oil and a folded linen cloth beside it
Care & Cleaning

Bamboo vs. Wood Cutting Board Care: What Differs

Bamboo and wood cutting boards share the same core care. Here is what differs, and what it means for your oiling schedule and your knives.

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A bamboo cutting board with sliced chicken breast and fresh herbs on a kitchen counter, with containers of prepped grains and vegetables arranged nearby
Knife Skills & Technique

High-Protein Meal Prep: What to Cook on a Sunday

Two hours on a Sunday sets up five days of high-protein meals. What to cook, in what order, and how to build a full week without repeating the same meal.

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A bamboo cutting board standing upright on a marble counter beside a small glass bowl of clear sanitizing solution and a folded white cloth
Care & Cleaning

How to Clean a Cutting Board After Raw Meat or Chicken

Raw meat demands more than a rinse. Here is the complete process for deep cleaning and sanitizing a bamboo cutting board, and the step most people skip.

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Sliced radishes and red onions on a bamboo cutting board beside a mason jar of clear brine and fresh dill on a stone counter
Knife Skills & Technique

How to Quick Pickle Any Vegetable at Home

Quick pickling takes 20 minutes of work and 48 hours of patience. The brine ratio, the right vinegar, which vegetables hold up, and how long they last.

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A bamboo cutting board on a white marble counter with halved lemons and fresh herbs nearby, photographed in clean natural light
Materials & Buying

Are Bamboo Cutting Boards Safe? What to Check

Bamboo cutting boards are food-safe. What the bacterial research shows, what food-safety guidance says, and the one concern worth taking seriously.

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An aperitivo spread on a bamboo cutting board — cheese, cured meat, grapes, and olives on a stone counter, with a softly lit dinner table visible in the background
Hosting

Dinner Party Menu for 6: What to Serve

Six guests is the right number. Here is how to plan a menu that is genuinely good to eat, without spending the whole evening in the kitchen.

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A cutting board and salt cellar on a kitchen counter, objects that have earned their place in the daily routine
Gifts

Why the Best Gifts Earn a Place in the Routine

On the difference between gifts appreciated once and gifts that become part of how someone lives, and what separates the two.

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A dense Moso bamboo forest with tall green stalks and filtered light coming through the canopy
Materials & Buying

The Case for Bamboo: Where It Comes From, and Why It Lasts

What bamboo is, where it grows, how it harvests without replanting, and the honest caveats: a clear-eyed account of the material behind the label.

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A bamboo cutting board with a thermometer, finishing salt, and fresh herbs on a kitchen counter
Gifts

Father's Day Gifts for the Dad Who Preps Before He Grills

For the father who takes cooking seriously, indoors and out. Gifts built around the work of real cooking, not the performance of it.

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Bottles of mineral oil and a small tin of board butter beside a bamboo cutting board on a clean kitchen counter
Care & Cleaning

Best Oil for a Cutting Board, and Which to Avoid

Mineral oil, board butter, fractionated coconut oil, walnut oil: which one is right for your cutting board, and which common oils cause rancidity.

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A bamboo cutting board next to a jar of finishing salt, a bottle of olive oil, and dried spices on a kitchen counter
Gifts

What to Give the Cook Who Already Has Everything

When the cook in your life owns every pan and has strong opinions about every knife, here is where the good gifts still hide.

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A bamboo cutting board standing upright on a clean counter to air dry beside a halved lemon and small bowl of coarse salt
Care & Cleaning

Everything You Know About Cleaning a Cutting Board Is Wrong

The four cleaning habits most cooks rely on, and why each one either damages the board or skips the actual problem. Here is what works.

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A bamboo cutting board alongside a salt cellar, olive oil, and kitchen tools on a countertop
Gifts

Housewarming Gifts for the Kitchen That Earn Daily Use

A guide to kitchen housewarming gifts that earn real daily use, not the ones that look good in a bag and stay in a cabinet for years.

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Overhead flat lay of a bamboo serving board with aged cheddar, brie, and blue cheese surrounded by grapes, crackers, and honey, with wine glasses at the edges
Hosting

Wine and Cheese Night at Home: How to Host One

The right wines, the right cheeses, the quantities that actually work. A practical guide to hosting a wine and cheese night at home.

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A bamboo cutting board alongside finishing salt and fresh olive oil on a kitchen counter
Gifts

Mother's Day Gifts for the Mom Who Cooks

For the mother who treats the kitchen as a serious place, gifts that respect how she cooks, not ones that assume she needs help.

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A bamboo cutting board on a wooden surface with a bottle of mineral oil and a linen cloth beside it
Care & Cleaning

How to Oil a Bamboo Cutting Board: Which Oil, How Often

Which oil to use on a bamboo cutting board, how often to oil it, and the step-by-step technique that keeps the board from cracking.

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A bamboo cutting board, chef's knife, and salt cellar arranged on a kitchen counter
Gifts

Wedding Registry Ideas: The Kitchen Essentials Worth Adding

A guide to building the kitchen portion of a wedding registry around things that earn daily use, not the full set, not the matching everything.

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A professional chef's prep station with a cutting board, knife, and portioned ingredients arranged before cooking begins
Knife Skills & Technique

5 Things Professional Chefs Do Before They Touch the Stove

Before the heat comes the ritual. Five specific pre-cook habits professional chefs use to stay in control, and how to apply them at home.

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An overhead view of a Korean home meal with multiple small ceramic dishes of banchan arranged around a central bowl of rice
Korean Kitchen

5 Things Korean Home Cooks Do Differently (And Why It Works)

Five specific habits of Korean home cooks, from banchan discipline to fermented pantry staples, that any curious cook can learn from.

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A home cook's cutting board and knife on a clean counter with organized prep bowls, ready for mise en place
Knife Skills & Technique

7 Mistakes Home Cooks Make in the First 10 Minutes

The prep phase is where most home cooking goes wrong. Seven specific mistakes made before anything hits heat, and what to do instead.

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A bamboo cutting board on a clean kitchen counter with a chef's knife resting beside it
Care & Cleaning

10 Cutting Board Mistakes That Ruin a Good Board

Avoid these 10 common mistakes that warp, crack and contaminate cutting boards, with the science behind why each one causes damage.

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Chef's knife on a bamboo cutting board with vegetables during kitchen prep
Knife Skills & Technique

5 Basic Knife Cuts: Julienne, Brunoise, Dice, Chiffonade

Master the five foundational knife cuts: julienne, dice, chiffonade, brunoise and chop. Every recipe becomes easier and more consistent.

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Overhead flatlay of a bamboo cutting board surrounded by kitchen gifts including herbs, salt, and olive oil
Gifts

The Gift Guide for Someone Who Loves to Cook

Thoughtful gifts for cooks who already own everything: tools, surfaces and ingredients worth giving to someone serious about their kitchen.

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Oiling a bamboo cutting board with food-grade mineral oil
Care & Cleaning

Bamboo Cutting Board Maintenance: The Complete Routine

How often to oil a bamboo board, which oils to use, how to wash and dry it, and the mistakes that cause cracking. The full care routine.

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Overhead view of a cutting board with vegetables showing ideal kitchen size
Materials & Buying

What Size Cutting Board Do You Actually Need?

The kitchen industry sells big boards. Most home cooks do not need them. Here is the case for going smaller, and why it changes how you cook.

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Lemon halves and coarse salt on a wooden cutting board for natural cleaning
Care & Cleaning

How to Remove Stains and Odors from a Cutting Board

Salt, lemon and baking soda: three things already in your kitchen that solve most cutting board problems. When and how to use each one.

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Close-up of deep knife marks on a plastic cutting board
Materials & Buying

Plastic Cutting Boards and Microplastics: The Research

Cutting on a polyethylene board releases millions of plastic particles a year. Here is what the research shows, and what belongs on your counter instead.

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