Teakhaus Rectangle Cutting Board

This butcher's block is beautiful and so handy!!! For years I've used thin, flexible plastic cutting boards for the ease of clean-up and the ability to pick up the cutting board in its entirety and transfer its contents to the cooking pot. I knew that this would be a departure, but wanted a large butcher's block capable of holding a large turkey for carving or of providing space for large cutting jobs - a whole "garden full" of vegetables for a minestrone, or 5 to 6 onions for a vat of pinto beans...This block delivers!! We get compliments on it all the time! It very quickly became a fixture in the kitchen. I did not purchase with the intent of transporting ingredients to a pot or of carrying as a cheese tray - in my opinion, this would be too large and heavy for those types of jobs. If your hope is to buy a fixture that will stay put, then this is a gorgeous option. It leaves ample room for large cutting jobs, and the one side with the channels would minimize the mess of carving a juicy bird. It's also ideal to use a wooden cutting surface to improve the longevity of the sharp blade of your kitchen knives. I am an intensive home cook, and this board gets heavy use, and has stood up well to this use for nearly a year, and surely many more to come. When I purchased this board, I immediately checked for warping - it had none. I gave it several coats of a non-food based oil (that won't go rancid...I have liked the Snow River wood oil, 8 oz, also purchased on Amazon) over the course of several days, giving time for the oil - applied liberally then spread to a thin and even layer with a cloth dedicated for this purpose - to absorb. About once a month, I apply a fresh coat of the oil to the surface of this butcher's block to renew the depth of color and protect the wood. Early on the board developed a SLIGHT warp, only enough so that I noticed a bit of rocking on one diagonal, but this was quickly remedied with a small bit of the sticky waffle-like material used to hold area rugs in their position under one corner. Voila! Problem solved. With a board this large I am sure that it would be nearly impossible to avoid all warping. It is nice and thick and heavy, so that this warping I've seen has been MINIMAL and only noticed when using the entire surface for a cutting job, and, as I said, is eliminated with a VERY thin strip of the rubbery material described above. I make it a rule to never cut raw meat directly on this board, just using a plastic, flexible cutting board atop this board to contain the mess and reduce the risk of cross-contamination. I'm sure you could do this safely on this butcher's block if you keep up with cleaning it, but with my lackluster cleaning tendencies, I worry I might risk cross-contamination. I do cut up fruits and veggies all the time directly on the surface of this board. Everything I have read suggests that an occasional, liberal sprinkling of kosher salt and scrubbing with a cut lemon is good to sanitize the board. I use a kitchen scraper to lift debris or peelings from the surface, and it's good as new! Please know that I am firmly in the "rub some dirt on it" camp, and am not overly concerned with germs. As long as I keep raw meat directly from the surface, I am happy with an occasional wipe-down and the salt and lemon scrub to keep this board clean! LOVE THIS BOARD. Have included a picture with an 8-inch chef's knife and a grapefruit that just fits in the palm of my hand to give an idea of size.