Totally Bamboo Congo Parquet End Grain Cutting Board

The large Congo Parquet 17-1/4-by-13-3/4-by-1-inch cutting board from Totally Bamboo's African collection makes a superb gift for the home chef. Like rock-solid butcher blocks made of wood, the board is composed of strips of bamboo laid in end-grain fashion. By alternating direction of the strips, an attractive parquet pattern is achieved, dark-colored in the center of the board with two lighter curved sides. Harder than maple, bamboo won't absorb water, crack, or peel, yet won't dull your good knives. The warm honey color, which comes from an oven-heating process that caramelizes the bamboo's natural sugars, goes all the way through, won't fade, and can even be sanded. After use, simply wash the board lightly with warm, soapy water, and wipe now and then with mineral oil. --Ann Bieri