Gwyneth Paltrow Has Instagram Followers “Rethinking” Their Kitchens

Gwyneth Paltrow recently shared a video on Instagram of her making a New York Times recipe, and though I’m sure the actual food looked good, she kind of blew my mind within the first few frames because of something else. While prepping her ingredients, Paltrow began chopping the garlic cloves right on her butcher block counter, which was unexpectedly jarring because I’ve heard that cutting directly on the counter can leave irreversible marks. I wanted to get to the bottom of it, so I did a little digging.

Butcher block countertops aren’t anything new, and it’s been a popular material choice for years (including for Erin Napier!) because of the homey feel they lend to a kitchen. But while they look made for double duty, there are different opinions on the pros and cons of chopping food and ingredients directly on them. Turns out, as long as you’re using a food-safe finishing oil and doing regular maintenance, you can cut food directly on the counter. After all, historical butcher blocks, though much thicker than the countertops we install today, were used by actual butchers for cutting meat.

But there are downsides to cutting on modern butcher block countertops, as many people on Reddit point out. Wood is very porous and therefore hard to sanitize, so you may be giving germs and bacteria a breeding ground if you begin chopping on your countertop (versus, say, a hard plastic cutting board). 

And cutting on your butcher block will also damage it over time with slice marks and stains. One homeowner in a Houzz forum said that they used to cut on their butcher block countertop and “it did not look good at all … we had to sand and re-finish it before selling the house.”

When you’re spending so much money on your kitchen surfaces, destroying them may not be something you’re willing to do (and that’s understandable). Even Paltrow gives her butcher block a break and uses a cutting board, as seen in a recent Instagram video.

If you’re looking to copy Paltrow, visit your local hardware store or check out this butcher block from The Home Depot. It comes in multiple sizes and can be used as an island or traditional countertops. 

So yes, you definitely can use your butcher block as a cutting board if you condition it with food-safe oils or waxes, especially if you’re just dicing up the occasional garlic clove, or slicing through a loaf of bread. But if you want to keep it looking its best and avoid any bacteria contamination, you’re better off pulling out a regular old cutting board instead.