The answer is, no. Most likely you have both cutting boards and charcuterie boards in your kitchen. If you don’t have a charcuterie board then you probably have some sort of serving platter.
Do you really want to cut on a serving platter and potentially put knife marks on it?
Knife Marks May Be Acceptable for Halloween, But They Don’t Belong on Serving Trays.
First of all, charcuterie boards are generally used as serving boards, cheese boards, appetizer boards, or even dessert boards. This means we serve food on them and we want them to be in the best possible condition for serving. We cut on boards made for cutting and chopping.
Charcuterie boards are made from face grain wood.
This means they are more delicate. It also means sharp knives will mark them. Even a dull cheese knife or a serving utensil can make marks.
Cutting boards, on the other hand, are for cutting on. They are made from edge grain or end grain wood. Cutting boards are able to handle lots of slicing and chopping. They are heavier and denser.
Why Does the Wood Grain Matter?
What is the difference between the face grain wood, the edge grain wood, and the end grain wood?
Wood has three sides of grain. There is the face grain, the edge grain, and the end grain. Think of a piece of lumber. The face grain is the widest side.
When you look at the piece you see the pattern, the grain, and the interesting characteristics of that piece. If you were to cut on the face grain, you are actually slicing against the fibers of the wood. That means your knife leaves marks on it. Face grain pieces of wood make great serving boards or tops for tables. These are not as good as cutting boards.
The edge grain and the end grain sides are much more durable. Cutting boards are typically made by gluing long strips of edge grain or end grain wood. Since they are stronger, they are more suited for cutting.
In Our Kitchen We Keep Our Cutting Boards and Our Charcuterie Boards Separate.
We do not cut on our charcuterie boards. We use them strictly as serving pieces. While we know that you could cut on a charcuterie board, it is not something we do. Our cutting boards get a lot of use and abuse with chopping, slicing, dicing, and more. We expect them to get a little beat up after a few years.
Our charcuterie boards are used for entertaining. We want the boards to look as good as they can, showcasing our foods. We don’t want knife marks or scratches to show next to our beautiful displays of food.