Choosing The Right Cutting Board For Your Knives
A sharp knife is a partnership between blade and surface. Cut on glass and your edge is gone in a week. Cut on dense end-grain wood and you can go months between sharpenings.
For daily use, end-grain walnut, maple, or cherry are the gold standard. The fibers stand vertically, so the blade slips between them rather than slicing across. The board is also self-healing: shallow cuts close back up over time.
For raw fish or anything you fear cross-contamination on, dedicate a separate plastic board you can run through the dishwasher. Pair them with a sharpening steel kept on the counter, and your knives will keep their edge longer than you thought possible.