TLDR: What's the best type of chopping board for good knives, and where do buy them?
This so following on from the knife thread from a couple of weeks ago. I'm looking at pulling the trigger and finally getting some good knives, but then the question came up about the cheap chopping boards I have.
From what gather an end grain board made of hardwood (but not too hard) is best.
I was out yesterday and saw a very nice looking Teak one at half price, a quick Google said Teak was pretty good, so it bought it. But after getting it home I read that some manufacturers mislead you into thinking you are buying genuine Teak, when you are actually buying something less expensive such as Cumaru (which is also known as Brazilian Teak, but is in fact a completely different wood).
Anyway, after reading this I had a look at the smaller print on the label of my new board and it listed a few countries where it said Teak was from - and Brazil was first on the list.
I'm going back to the store today to return it, as I'm sure they won't have a clue if it's real Teak or "Brazilian Teak". And since "Brazilian Teak" is about 3x harder than proper Teak, I've never be comfortable using good knives on it without knowing which it is.
So this leads be back to my search, but the more I read the more I am getting a nasty case of purchasing paralysis as there is just so much info out there. Apparently Sugar Maple is the gold standard, but can you even get it here? What would be an NZ equivalent, and where can you get them?