Peer Sorensen

Long grain boards are cut with the grain running along the length of the board. End grain boards are built from blocks stood upright, so the cutting surface is the ends of the fibres rather than their sides.

The difference matters at the blade. On an end grain board the edge passes between the fibres instead of across them, and the surface partly closes behind the cut. That means less wear on your knives and a board that does not scar the way a long grain board eventually will. It is why end grain costs more and why it lasts longer.

Long grain is the right choice for most kitchens and most budgets. End grain is worth it if you use good knives daily and want a board you will still be using in twenty years.

Rinse it with hot water and a little mild detergent after each use, then towel dry it straight away. Do not soak it and do not leave water sitting on it.

Every so often, wipe an even coat of food-safe mineral oil across the surface. That is the single thing that keeps a board alive. It puts a moisture barrier back into the timber and stops the grain drying out and splitting.

A steel scraper or spatula is fine for lifting food off. Never use steel wool or a steel brush on the cutting surface. Clean the board thoroughly after any raw meat, and do not leave meat sitting on it.

If your board has two usable faces, turn it over from time to time so both sides wear evenly.

No. Hand wash every board in the range.

A dishwasher combines prolonged soaking with high heat, which is the fastest way to warp, crack or split a timber board. It also strips the oil out of the surface. A board that would have lasted twenty years can be ruined in a handful of cycles.

Hot water, a little detergent, a towel dry and an occasional oil is all any of these boards need.

No. Every Peer Sorensen knife block is sold empty, so you fill it with the knives you already own rather than paying for a set you did not choose.

The 17 slot blocks have fixed angled slots, available in acacia or European beech. The iBlock has no slots at all. It is filled with thousands of fine polypropylene strands, so a knife goes in anywhere at any angle and the block adapts to whatever you own, including awkward shapes like a cleaver or a bread knife.

If you are buying knives at the same time, we can match a block to them in store.