How to Use a Cutting Board with a Cracker Well™ and Built-In Compartments
Use a cutting board with a Cracker Well™ to keep chopped ingredients together during meal prep, or fill it with crackers, nuts, and garnishes when serving. On select Sonder LA boards, this recessed space leaves the main surface free for chopping, arranging, and sharing food.
Sonder LA introduced its Signature Cracker Well™ in 2017 to help a wood cutting board move from kitchen prep to entertaining. Here are practical ways to use it alongside built-in compartments, from charcuterie and breakfast boards to appetizers and baking.
What Is a Cracker Well™ on a Cutting Board?
A Cracker Well™ is a recessed section built into a cutting board that provides a convenient place to contain small foods and ingredients. While it's perfect for holding crackers and bread when you're entertaining, it can also be used during everyday food preparation.
Use a Cracker Well™ to hold:
- Crackers and breadsticks
- Sliced baguette
- Nuts and seeds
- Olives and pickles
- Berries and dried fruit
- Chopped vegetables
- Fresh herbs and garnishes
- Bagel toppings
- Chocolate chips and baking ingredients
- Food scraps and trimmings
The idea is simple: instead of needing a separate bowl or serving dish for every small ingredient, the cutting board itself gives you additional functional space.
How to Use a Cutting Board with a Cracker Well™
A board with a built-in Cracker Well™ can be useful in both the kitchen and at the table.
1. Use the Cracker Well™ for Meal Prep
During cooking, the Cracker Well™ can help keep small ingredients, chopped vegetables, herbs, or food scraps contained and organized while you work.
For example, when preparing dinner, use the main surface for chopping and place smaller ingredients or trimmings in the built-in well. It's a simple way to keep your workspace organized without reaching for another bowl.
2. Turn It Into a Charcuterie Board
The Cracker Well™ really shines when it's time to entertain.
Fill it with crackers, sliced baguette, breadsticks, nuts, olives, dried fruit, or another favorite snack. Then use the surrounding surface for cheese, cured meats, fresh fruit, and other charcuterie favorites.
The result is a beautiful charcuterie board with a built-in cracker compartment that is ready to take straight from the kitchen to the table.
3. Create a Breakfast Board
Breakfast boards are another fun way to use the Cracker Well™.
Fill the well with berries, granola, nuts, sliced fruit, bagel toppings, or other small breakfast favorites. Add pancakes, waffles, toast, pastries, or bagels to the main surface and let everyone build their own plate.
A cutting board with compartments makes it especially easy to create a casual breakfast spread without needing a collection of separate serving dishes.
4. Make an Appetizer Board
Planning a dinner party or casual gathering? Use the built-in well and compartments to separate smaller appetizers and accompaniments.
Try filling them with:
- Olives
- Pickles
- Nuts
- Crackers
- Dips
- Fresh herbs
- Fruit
- Small candies or sweets
Then arrange your larger appetizers across the main surface.
5. Use It for Baking
Your cutting board doesn't have to be limited to savory foods.
The Cracker Well™ can be useful when baking, too. Use it to hold chocolate chips, chopped nuts, berries, sprinkles, or other ingredients as you prepare your recipe.
It can also become a beautiful serving board for cookies, brownies, pastries, and other baked treats.
Cracker Well™ vs. Built-In Compartments: What's the Difference?
While the terms are sometimes used interchangeably, the Cracker Well™ and built-in compartments serve slightly different purposes.
The Signature Cracker Well™ is a larger recessed area designed to hold crackers, bread, ingredients, scraps, and other small foods.
Built-in compartments provide additional designated spaces for separating ingredients, dips, garnishes, snacks, or accompaniments.
Together, these features make a cutting board more versatile by giving you additional functional space without requiring extra bowls and serving dishes.
Can You Use Both Sides of a Cutting Board with a Cracker Well™?
Yes. Many of our reversible boards are designed to give you different ways to use the same piece.
Use the flat cutting surface for everyday food preparation, then turn the board over when you're ready to serve. Depending on the design, the opposite side may feature a Cracker Well™, juice groove, or other built-in features.
For example, the Sonder LA Winsome is designed with a cutting surface and built-in features that allow it to transition easily between food preparation and serving.
That versatility is exactly what we had in mind when we designed our boards.
7 Ways to Use Your Sonder LA Cutting Board
Sometimes the best way to understand a versatile cutting board is to see it in action. Here are a few of our favorite ways our customers and friends have used Sonder LA boards for entertaining, breakfast, snacks, and everyday meals.
A Charcuterie Board with a Built-In Cracker Well™
A crowd-pleasing charcuterie board featuring Winsome from none other than the cheese board queen herself, Meg Quinn.
The built-in Cracker Well™ provides a natural place for crackers while the rest of the board is filled with cheese, fruit, and other charcuterie favorites.
Cheese, Oysters, and Champagne
Take a quick trip to France with fromage, Champagne, and oysters, featuring Motley.
With built-in compartments, Motley makes it easy to create an abundant appetizer spread while keeping smaller accompaniments organized.
Turn Your Cutting Board Into a Serving Platter
Food plating is an art form, and a versatile cutting board can make it surprisingly easy.
This beautiful spread features our former Artisan design. While the teak version is no longer available, the same versatile board design is available today in walnut as Alfred.
Make a DIY Pancake Board
Breakfast is better when everyone gets to build their own plate.
This DIY pancake board featuring Winsome turns breakfast into a fun and beautiful spread. Fill the built-in space with berries, nuts, syrup, or other toppings and let everyone create their perfect stack.
Create a Campfire S'mores Board
Take your cutting board outside and create the ultimate campfire s'mores board.
This spread also features our former Artisan design. While the teak version is no longer available, you can find the same board design today in walnut as Alfred.
Use the compartments or recessed areas for chocolate, marshmallows, graham crackers, and other s'mores toppings.
Build a Lox and Bagel Board
Breakfast, brunch, or lunch? We'll take all three.
This DIY lox and bagel board featuring our American-made walnut Alfred shows just how easily a cutting board can double as a serving board.
Use the compartments for smaller toppings such as capers, sliced onions, herbs, or other bagel favorites, while the main surface holds your bagels and larger ingredients.
Make a Hot Cocoa and Cookie Board
A cutting board can be just as much fun for dessert as it is for dinner.
This hot cocoa and cookies board, featuring our former Artisan design, is filled with cookies, marshmallows, chocolate chips, rock candy, and other sweet treats.
The teak Artisan is no longer available, but this same versatile design is now available in walnut as Alfred.
Why We Created the Signature Cracker Well™
Traditional cutting boards are designed primarily for food preparation. We wanted our boards to be more versatile.
Sonder LA introduced the Signature Cracker Well™ in 2017 as a way to give our cutting boards another purpose beyond chopping. The idea was to create a feature that could be useful while preparing a meal and equally useful once it was time to serve it.
During meal prep, the Cracker Well™ can hold ingredients, scraps, herbs, and other small items. When entertaining, it can become a dedicated space for crackers, bread, nuts, olives, fruit, and other accompaniments.
It's one small feature, but it can make a cutting board much more useful.
Frequently Asked Questions About Cracker Wells™ and Cutting Boards
What is the difference between a Cracker Well™ and a juice groove?
A juice groove catches liquids released when cutting foods such as meat, fruit, and vegetables. A Cracker Well™ contains small foods, ingredients, and accompaniments.
Can a cutting board with compartments be used as a serving board?
Yes. Its compartments can separate smaller appetizers, snacks, or garnishes while the main surface holds the rest of the spread.
What should you look for in a cutting board for charcuterie?
Choose a board with enough surface area for cheese, meats, and fruit. A built-in Cracker Well™ or compartments can help keep crackers, nuts, and olives organized.
How do you use a reversible cutting board?
Use its cutting surface for food preparation, then turn it over to serve if the other side is designed for serving. Check your board's design: features such as a Cracker Well™, juice groove, or compartments vary by model.
Discover the Sonder LA Signature Cracker Well™
From everyday meal prep to elaborate charcuterie spreads, a cutting board with a Signature Cracker Well™ and built-in compartments can do much more than chop vegetables.
It's a prep surface, serving board, appetizer platter, breakfast board, snack tray, and entertaining piece all in one.
Explore our charcuterie and serving boards to discover Sonder LA boards designed to make the most of every meal, gathering, and culinary adventure.
