Kitchn Love Letters

I Bought This $6 IKEA Find on a Whim Almost a Year Ago — And I Still Use It Every Single Day

Lisa Freedman
Lisa FreedmanExecutive Lifestyle Director
Lisa Freedman is the Executive Lifestyle Director at The Kitchn. She has never met a cheese or a washi tape she didn't like. She lives in New York state with her husband and their pup, Millie.
published May 3, 2022
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Credit: Sarah Crowley/Apartment Therapy

The folks at IKEA know what they’re doing when it comes to impulse purchases. I buy way more not-on-the-list items at IKEA than any other store. Yes, even more than at Target. On the list of recent impulse buys: many fake plants, candle votives, dish towels, and more. I haven’t needed any of it, but guess what? I’m sure glad to have bought all of it. I never regret my IKEA impulse buys. I’m always able to put everything to good use and I love some of these buys so much, I end up writing about them when I’m back at work. And that, dear reader, brings me to these mini cutting boards from IKEA’s 365+ line.

I bought this three-pack of mini cutting boards last summer when I “popped in” to get some pillows. (If you suffer from migraines, try the SKOGSFRÄKEN pillow!) I promised to be fast while my very patient husband and pup waited in the car, but I had to stop by the kitchen section on my way to bedding. I really do think it’s the most underrated section — that’s for another story, though, and I need to stay on track about these cutting boards.

See, for dinner prep, I mostly rely on my collection of reBoards. I love these upcycled plastic cutting boards because they’re lightweight, resist scratches, and come out of the dishwasher in perfect condition. They’re also pretty to look at. But I often have small-ish jobs, throughout the day, that don’t call for such a large board. I grabbed these little cutting boards at IKEA, figuring I could use them for snacks, lunch prep, and such.

Turns out, Impulsive Lisa was right! I have used at least one board a day ever since I bought them. I pull them out any time I need to slice strawberries for my morning yogurt, cut up cheese cubes at snack time, wedge a lime during happy hour at home, halve grape tomatoes for a salad, dice a shallot for tuna salad … you get the idea. They’re the perfect size for little jobs, are incredibly easy to pull out, and don’t take up much room in the dishwasher. One side even has a well around the perimeter that helps to contain juice.

Apparently, this well is technically there to make the cutting boards compatible with IKEA’s 365+ containers. The idea is that you can use the boards to cut up ingredients and then store them in the containers, using the board as a makeshift lid. (Or you can, say, slice cheese and put the glass container over the board, like a cute cheese dome situation.) I don’t have these containers yet, but maybe I can stop in soon to pick them up … along with a few other things that catch my eye.

What are some of the best impulse purchases you’ve ever made at IKEA? Tell us in the comments below.