Buying a Cutting Board

My boyfriend recently enlightened me on the joys of using an end grain wood cutting board for vegetables and meats. It's great for several reasons- it saves your knives!
A serrated knife (knife with a jagged-edged blade) will start to get blunt a lot quicker on a glass cutting board or some other surface like that. Plus now I get to appreciate the beauty of the wood and the detailed grain instead of a boring piece of glass or plastic. Here are some more points to keep in mind:
1. Wood boards are more resistant to bacteria than normal glass/plastic cutting boards
2. Proper "seasoning" of the board needs to be done prior to usage... douse it in vegetable oil on both sides and let it all soak in. Apply a few coats, allowing to completely soak in between each application. The oil makes it resistant to letting liquids from veggies sink in.
3. You can land up spending anywhere from $10 to $150+ on a good wood cutting board. Decide what you can afford and how thick you want it. The more expensive ones come as thick as 3"
4. It can be cleaned after use by wiping with a soft cloth, or sprayed with 4 parts water to 1 part 5% vinegar mixture, or soap and water. Though, you'll have to season again after that.
5. It will need seasoning regularly based on how often you use it.
6. Mark "V" and "M" on each side of the board- one for veggies and one for meats.
I found the best information on this site- http:////whatscookingamerica.net/CuttingBoards/AllAbout.htm

My beautiful new wood cutting board (bought from Ross for under $12!)


Maple edge grain 20" x 15" 1.75" www.overstock.com ($46.99)

Teak board 12" in diam x 2" www.surlatable.com ($60.00)

Boos cherry wood grain board 12" x 12" x 3" www.williams-sonoma.com ($119.95)