There’s not a household in the land that doesn’t use a cutting board. It’s a kitchen essential.
The best cutting boards keep your work surfaces protected, help reduce the risks of cutting yourself when slicing food and look good in the kitchen.
So, we turned our attention to finding the best cutting boards in America and while we couldn’t pick a single winner, we did find several worth candidates as you will soon see.
Best Cutting Board (Plastic): OXO Good Grips Utility Cutting Board
You won’t be surprised to learn that OXO make the best plastic cutting board. This model is non-porous and completely odor-resistant.
It scars less easily than most plastic boards that we tested and that speaks well for its potential longevity in your kitchen.
It also has a non-slip design and that’s important unless you want to accidentally cut yourself and we’d guess that you don’t.
The juice groove is essential for cutting meat effectively and the handles are just, well, nice to use.
You owe it to yourself to check out the OXO Good Grips Utility Cutting Board if you’re looking for a plastic cutting board.
Best Cutting Board (s) (Bamboo): The Totally Bamboo 3-Piece Serving And Cutting Board Set
Bamboo is our favorite material for cutting boards (except when cutting meat), and this is the best bamboo cutting board.
It’s good for the environment and it looks fantastic. Our kitchen may not always be tidy but we like everything in it to have a special aesthetic appeal. This set has that in spades.
This is a gentle bamboo and won’t dull your knives as quickly as some other bamboo cutting boards are known to.
Just remember never soak bamboo and never, ever stick it in the dishwasher or you’ll soon need to buy more.
We love The Totally Bamboo 3-Piece Serving And Cutting Board Set for almost every use.
Best Wood Cutting Board: The Maple End Grain Chopping Block
This is a beautiful wood cutting board which is perfect for those special occasions when you’re cutting something in front of guests.
It does, however, cost a small fortune. This is simply not going to be the every day choice of most people for their cutting needs.
However, we really like The Maple End Grain Chopping Block and if you’ve got the budget, you’re never going to regret owning it.
What You Need To Know About Buying The Best Cutting Board
You’ve got several materials you can choose from:
- Plastic (usually polypropylene): They were once the big deal of the cutting board world and people thought they were much more hygienic than wood or bamboo. The trouble is that the surfaces tend to cut easily and make room for bacteria to grow. You might want to choose a board with an anti-microbial layer if plastic is the way you go.
- Bamboo: This is a very eco-friendly material. Bamboo grows quickly and is very sustainable. It lasts well, though cuts can be a problem too – bamboo contains a natural anti-microbial agent and thus, it shouldn’t harbor bacteria. Just one thing to watch out for – some are glued with formaldehyde, try to avoid this toxic chemical.
- Wood: wood can still be great. Maple and beech are popular choices as they “self-heal” (to some extent) and that can reduce cut marks on the board. Knives used over wood keep their edge longer too. You may want to oil a wooden board if you spent a lot on it, to prevent it from warping or splitting.
You ought to have separate cutting boards for meat and vegetables. Meat is best cut on plastic boards with a juice groove (which stops the juices from running all over your feet or your kitchen).
You should also replace cutting boards with large numbers of scars to reduce the risks of bacterial infection.
Using soap and water or a dishwasher to clean a plastic cutting board is fine. For wood or bamboo, this can actually damage the board and over time cause warping and cracking. Vinegar, lemons, baking soda, salt and even bleach (used with care) can all be better cleaning agents than soap and water for these boards.
You should find guidelines for cleaning your cutting boards on the manufacturer’s website and that’s normally the best place to get your information from when it comes to cutting boards.
Choosing a cutting board’s size is simply a matter of looking at what you’re going to be using it for and then picking the appropriate board. We often use a very small board for chopping veggies (and then quickly place the sliced vegetable in a cooking dish) and a very large one for turkey. No surprises there, right?
Final Thoughts on the Best Cutting Board
There is no single best cutting board for any given task.
However, if you choose the best cutting board for your use – it’s going to do a great job.
You don’t need to spend a fortune on these products but we’d recommend steering clear of bargain basement stuff too.
