So you’re considering a crafted wood cutting board and have reached the question of whether you need a juice groove… or perhaps pondering what a juice groove even is? It’s pretty simple really; a juice groove is a small indented channel parallel to the edge of the cutting board, usually a rounded “moat” that is intended to capture the liquids that run off as you chop away. These grooves are typically placed within an inch of the edge of the board and are 1/2” to 3/4” in width. While you can still use that area of the cutting board, it will act as a bit of an impediment as you shuffle your ingredients around.

The question though, is whether that groove is really necessary. Let’s dive into that!

What are you chopping (…is it meat)?

This is probably the most important question, and we think the main reason you’d want one of these grooves is if you are cutting meat. Not just a little meat, but the big stuff — slow-cooked rumps, big juicy turkeys, or anything you’d carve tableside. If this is a regular evening for you, a juice groove will come in handy to capture some juices as you carve up these big meaty feasts.

Otherwise, there’s probably not enough juice running off your tomatoes, carrots, and onions for the juice groove to do anything beyond taking up valuable cutting space. And for occasional (or even regular) steak or chicken dinners, you’ll probably find it perfectly satisfactory to wipe the excess juices off the surface.

How big is your wood?

Every inch matters, and unless you’ve got a pretty big block, losing that outer inch does shrink the usable chopping area. As a rule of thumb, we think things get a little tight with a juice groove if you don’t have 14 inches to work with in one dimension or the other. This is a good chunk of the cutting boards we and other hand-crafted board makers offer.

Do looks matter?

We care a lot about the visual appeal of cutting boards at Wooded. We think they can be an artful centerpiece in your kitchen, one of the most visually and functionally impactful spaces in a home.

Juice grooves certainly impact the aesthetic of the board. They can take a monochromatic board (like an all-Maple block, for example) and add a nice visual frame around them and add some flair. In some cases, if the other edge of the wood has a contrasting pattern from the inner area of the board, they can serve as an additional accent to highlight that contrast in just the right spot.

On the other hand, they can cut through and visually interrupt many other types of patterns, whether they are contrasting varieties of hardwood or the artful grain patterns we craft here at Wooded Carving Company. That’s why we generally take a chef’s choice philosophy with Wooded’s single-edition boards (Top of the Block, Board Singles and A Little Knotty), our most artful and visually expressive collections. For custom boards (Wooded Designs), we give you the choice.

Conclusion

Juice grooves are a controversial feature in our simple world of wood. They have their utility for the meat lovers among us, managing juices as you carve slice-after-slice. They can add a visual pop for big boards with just the right pattern. But for many (if not most), they take up valuable real estate and can throw off the visual vibe of many grain and wood patterns.