The Luxe Cutting Board You'll Always Find In Ina Garten's Kitchen

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Watching the Barefoot Contessa glide through a recipe on her TV shows, you can't help but notice her dreamy East Hampton kitchen. The marble countertops! The Le Creuset Dutch ovens! The handmade French Lacanche stove! Ina Garten loves sharing her favorite kitchen tools, but true Contessa-heads know there's one piece of gear that Garten uses every day, no matter the recipe: a thick, handsome, wood cutting board known as a Boos Block.

Of course, this isn't just any cutting board. The John Boos & Co. block is a culinary icon itself, made from sustainably sourced hardwoods like maple, cherry, or walnut. It's a kitchen tool that signals you're serious about cooking and taking care of your cutlery. And it's been Garten's go-to for decades. While giving the New York Times a tour of her kitchen in 2020, Garten pointed out her butcher blocks, stating, "They're really important, I have lots of them, and if you take care of them, they last forever." 

A Boos Block is built like a piece of heirloom furniture. Founded by a blacksmith in 1887, the boards are still crafted in the small town of Effingham, Illinois. Originally made for meat markets and professional kitchens, they're also used today in top-tier restaurants. Thanks to Boos Block super-fans like Garten, Rachael Ray, and Giada De Laurentiis, the boards have also found a home in the kitchens of devoted cooks who appreciate craftsmanship and don't mind a little upkeep. You can shop Garten's favorite John Boos R-Board in maple on Amazon. 

It makes sense that Ina Garten, known for her unfussy but elegant style, gravitates toward tools that are both beautiful and functional. She advocates for keeping it simple in the kitchen, skipping ineffective kitchen gadgets like the overrated garlic press.

But, unlike your scratched and stained plastic cutting boards, a Boos Block requires maintenance. You'll need to oil it regularly and never stash it in the dishwasher. That bit of ritual care is part of the charm. Like seasoning a cast-iron skillet or sharpening a carbon steel knife, maintaining your Boos Block is essential. If you're a home cook who believes in investing in quality basics like the perfect chef's knife, or a Dutch oven that'll last forever, then the Boos Block might be worth it. Starting at around $150 to $450 depending on size and wood type, it's certainly not a casual purchase.

Luckily, this isn't a kitchen tool you'll have to hide in the cupboard. You can leave it out on the counter and instantly make your kitchen workspace feel intentional. Whether Garten is chopping herbs for her iconic roast chicken or assembling cheese boards for yet another cocktail hour with Jeffrey, it's often on her Boos Block, which has become part of her signature kitchen lewk.