What type of cutting board do you recommend?

I did a search on the forum, and surprisingly I didnt receive a hit on this one. I finally bought myself a proper knife, and I need a cutting board to go with it. I have tried doing internet searches looking for recommendations. Most say to stay away from bamboo, or end grain as they can soak up water. Im not sure on the different makers and what I should be looking for in a board. I am kinda looking to you all to help me out. Any type of wood or brands that you all prefer?

end grain wood is generally considered the best for your knives and in terms of overall longevity. This is because the wood fibers will press back together instead of dulling your edge or being cut off and making 'scars' in the surface.


Now, there is a lot of argument over whether wood or plastic is more/less "sanitary" - your conclusion depends entirely on which sources you pick. Generally the arguments look something like this:

"Wood Fans": wood wicks moisture away from the surface, drying out (and thereby killing) bacteria whereas plastic acquires scrapes and scars where water can linger and harbour bacteria.
"Plastic Fans": bacteria sinks into the wood and/or wood takes a while to dry out, providing a nice wet environment for bacteria to grow whereas plastic is nonporous and sheds water.

However, all of those "which is more sanitary" arguments are pretty much a waste of time as long as you actually a) wash your cutting board after each meal and b) cut the meat last. Unless you live in the rainforest or are operating a commerical kitchen, your board will have plenty of time to dry off before the next use.

Go end grain if you want to look after your knives - it won't soak up water if you're not leaving it to soak. As far as wood vs plastic goes - I grew up eating food prepared on one wooden board and I've used a wooden board myself for years. The same board for meat, fish and veggies and I've never given myself or anyone else food poisoning.

I would love to have an end grain board. For now I have a cheap wooden one and a couple of plastic ones. I flip the wooden one when doing meats and have never had an issue. I use the plastic for stuff that stains and sometimes for meats. I would buy a nice wooden board. End grain if you have and have a cheap plastic board for messy things.

Do not for any reason buy glass or marble. If you know someone who has them take them away and trash them!

Kazeryu said:

However, all of those "which is more sanitary" arguments are pretty much a waste of time as long as you actually a) wash your cutting board after each meal and b) cut the meat last. Unless you live in the rainforest or are operating a commerical kitchen, your board will have plenty of time to dry off before the next use.

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Hear, hear! At last, a voice of reason! Just was the bloody things with soap and something that scrubs, and all will be hunky dory. If you want to store them in a cabinet, be sure to dry them first (especially if you are pressing them up against each other).

I have a couple of plastic cutting boards. I've had one for over 10 years and the other for over 20. Both are a little warped, but they still perform like a champ. Yes, we wash them with soap after each use, and they've performed marvelously. What I like about the plastic is that I can run them through the dishwasher every now and then, when they get especially stained, or I just want to throw EVERYTHING in there. Another advantage is that they are light and on the thinner side, i.e., easy to handle and store. My knives seem perfectly content with them, as well.

I also have a large bamboo cutting board. It's fine for cutting, but I use it more for serving and display (placing plates or platters on it). It is a fine board for cutting on, but my plastic ones do the job just fine and are an easier size to wash and handle. I would rather wash two cutting boards that both fit easily into my sink that one large one that does not. Another lesson, there.

I've nothing at all against wooden boards, but cheap ones can go south on you pretty quickly. Better ones will last, but they tend to be more expensive, thicker, and heavier. A nice end grain one sounds wonderful, but I don't know where I would put it.

Is this something you would like:

A good end grain board will be the most beautiful and expensive.

For ease of cleaning, sanitation, kindness to edges, and overall performance in all aspects except looks, I have been using Teknor Apex Sani-Tuff boards for over thirty years.

Teknor Apex Sani-Tuff boards for the win.. make sure you get the 1 inch thick one to avoid it taking a set when you store it on its edge.
Here is one in action,


Here is a Boardsmith board which is also a great option.

Nice boards. Looks like yet another opportunity to indulge one's AD's!

ouch said:

A good end grain board will be the most beautiful and expensive.

For ease of cleaning, sanitation, kindness to edges, and overall performance in all aspects except looks, I have been using Teknor Apex Sani-Tuff boards for over thirty years.

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A Rubber cutting board!

Ouch always has the neatest kitchen stuff.

I've got a small (10" x 10") Boos wood board. I live and cook alone, so it's plenty big enough for me. A few well-placed burn marks from my overheated Moka pot, but that's another story.

Kazeryu said:

A Rubber cutting board!

Ouch always has the neatest kitchen stuff.

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Embarrassing confession: I bought my first one in 1984. For five years, I didn't even know it was rubber. You'll find them in every Chinese restaurant or sushi joint.

My opinion is those cheap cutting mats that you can get a walmart are the best, most useful cutting surface you can buy. They're cheap, easily moved, easily cleaned, 2 packs will let you turn about about 9 square feet of counter surface into a cutting area, and they're easily replaced when worn out.

IMHO cutting boards should be works of art. They give respect to the hand forged knives of Japan.

I like Boos boards, but don't have one as I really don't have room to store one properly, at least a decent sized one. I've purchased a very nice one for my in laws a few years back and it's really awesome.

I have an Epicurean Composite board that I really like, it has a thumb hole, drain hole that is very handy. The board also doubles nicely as a pizza peel as they can handle some heat.
I also have a few plastic boards that I generally replace every few years as they get too cut up. My knife shop has a very inexpensive supply of them and can even cut them to custom sizes for me so that I can get the biggest size to fit into my dishwasher.

Can't help out with makers since mine were custom made at a local shop when we redid our kitchen. As for wood species, they are red alder and are face grained. Fairly common wood for cutting. The board is about 0.75" thick and slides into the cabinet slot when not in use. We do a lot of work on them, mainly veg slicing. They are light weight and easy on the knives.

Costco online has Boos boards (at least the Canadian site does, you y'all tend to get more than we do so worth looking). I got a good size board for under $100 Canadian (it was on sale though).

great board, bit have to move around but worth it IMO

Great thread. I learned a few things and now have some options for when I need a new cutting board.

DoctorShavegood said:

Is this something you would like:
View attachment 585399

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This is gorgeous!!!

My dad made me, my brother, my mom, and my gf ones that are similar to that. Thinner and with wider slats joined together. They are all well oiled and beautiful. The real beauty is that he threw each of them together with about a half hour of work! I hope to have mine for as long as possible!

As far as the OP... I use my board, similar to ^ for everything except for fish and poultry. I haven't had a problem since. If you do get a wooden board, you should look into getting some oil to keep the wood healthy. When you wash with soap it sucks the oil right out of it. I would guess that this also will aid in keeping moisture and bacteria out to some degree.

One thing to consider is that the wood boards can be easily stored on their edge against the back splash in most kitchens. This frees up a lot of room/options.
Hard plastic boards are not satisfactory for use in high performance knives.....Unless you like to sharpen them!

Here is a old photo of the idea. I have two thick endgrain boards stashed on the counter.