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Let's face it: a cutting board is not the sexiest utensil in your kitchen. It's not shiny, it doesn't turn, flash, or beep. In fact, it doesn't perform any high-tech hijinks at all. It just sits there. Still, a high-quality cutting board is an essential culinary tool. The preparation of many foods and meals requires that you use one. In addition, a high-quality cutting board can help keep you and your family healthy by preventing foodborne illness. Some of them are even beautiful to display on your kitchen counter.
Most experts agree that you should have a minimum of two cutting boards: one for cutting raw meats and one for chopping raw vegetables and everything else. There are cutting boards made from a variety of materials, but according to experts, including those at Good Housekeeping and The Sweethome, plastic and wood are best for most kitchens. You can also get glass ones, but they are prone to shattering and they dull your knives quickly.
Pros and cons: Plastic cutting boards
One of the main benefits of using a plastic cutting board is that it is easier to clean. In most cases, it can be run through the dishwasher. That said, all plastic boards scar over time and deep knife gouges can eventually become home to dangerous bacteria that is difficult to remove.
A study from the University of Wisconsin, found that plastic cutting boards actually had more bacteria than their wooden counterparts. In addition, wooden cutting boards fared better than plastic ones when exposed to toxic bacteria strains like Salmonella, E.coli, and Listeria.
Plastic also tends to be rougher on your knives than wood. Still, plastic is very durable, affordable, requires almost no maintenance, and if you throw out your plastic boards after two years of use, plastic can be an excellent option.
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Most plastic cutting boards are made of polyethylene or polypropylene. Cutting mats are also a popular option. They are made of flexible silicone or other softer plastics and they typically come in sets of three or four in a variety of bright colors. The idea is that you use one color for meat, one for veggies, and so on.
Pros and cons: Wooden cutting boards
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Wooden cutting boards look gorgeous and you can get them in tons of different styles, shapes, and wood grains. Cutting boards are made from pecan, walnut, teak, and cherry, but by far the most popular type of wood is maple. Why? Maple is a beautiful light wood, it is strong, sustainable, and abundant in North America.
Wood boards are also heavier and feel good to use. They also won't dull your knives much, either. Still, wooden cutting boards require much more maintenance than plastic ones. They must be washed and dried carefully after each use and oiled regularly.
Wooden cutting boards come in two versions: end grain boards and edge grain boards. End grain boards are the more expensive option of the two. They're made of several board ends glued together. They tend to be more gentle on knives, but more susceptible to drying out, staining, and cracking. Meanwhile, edge grain boards are easier to clean, but they tend to be harder on knife edges than end grain boards. However, they withstand moisture-based cracking and splitting better.
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Pros and cons: Bamboo and composite cutting boards
Bamboo cutting boards are another popular option. Many people think bamboo is a wood, but it's actually a grass. Like wood, it has a porous surface, but it's even harder than wood. Bamboo cutting boards are attractive, lightweight, and affordable. This good-looking material is also an excellent choice for eco-conscious consumers because bamboo is a highly renewable resource - a typical bamboo shoot can become fully mature within three to six years - and is often raised organically due to the ease of farming it. Bamboo cutting boards also need to be oiled on a regular basis, according to Cuttingboard.com
You can also opt for a composite cutting board, which is made from a combination of wood fibers and phenolic resins. Epicurean is the most popular brand name in composite cutting boards. Food-safe, long-lasting, and incredibly durable, composite cutting boards, unfortunately, do a number on your knives.
Other things to look for in a cutting board
According to Bed, Bath, and Beyond, you should also consider the size of cutting board you need, how you're going to use it, and whether you need more than one to do the job.
Some cutting boards have features that make it easier to cut and serve meat. For instance, some models have raised pyramid points that puncture that meat to hold it securely, while others have an indentation in the center of the board where the meat can sit securely. A board with handles can also make it easier to transport the meat to the table.
If you'll be using the board for cutting meat, you may opt for a model with a generous juice trench around the board's perimeter. The trench should be deep and wide enough to catch the juice without having it drain onto the countertop. Some juice trenches feature a notch on the rim that serves as a pouring spout.
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Many cutting boards are reversible, allowing you to use both sides and to prevent cross contamination. Some experts claim this is the best reason to select a board without feet, although others like the extra stability that feet provide. But there's an easy way to ensure that your board doesn't slip around the counter: simply wet a paper towel and insert it under the board.
With all that in mind, here are our picks for the best cutting boards. We've included a plastic option, a high-end solid wood one, a pack of cutting mats, a bamboo board set, and a stunning teak wood cutting board.
The OXO Good Grips Cutting And Carving Board plastic board is the darling of kitchen appliance and utensil reviewers everywhere. The 14.5 x 21-inch double-sided cutting board helps prevent cross contamination. Use the side with a juice groove for carving meat, and then simply flip it over to chop vegetables on the other side. Soft, tapered handles make the board easy to maneuver, and non-slip edges keep the board from shifting during use.
Made of durable polypropylene, the non-porous surface is odor-resistant and doesn't scratch as easily as other plastic materials. It won't dull sharp knives quickly, either. To top it all off, this cutting board is dishwasher safe.
The OXO cutting board gets consistent praise on Amazon for being durable and not absorbing odors or colors from pungent foods like onions and garlic.
"I love this cutting board. It doesn't slide around or bounce during use. It's very durable, gentle on my knives, and easy to clean. It's nicely weighted — heavy enough to stay in place, but light enough to lift and maneuver easily (when tipping ingredients into a bowl or hand washing in small sinks)" wrote one verified Amazon buyer on February 12, 2017.
Some Amazon users complain that the board warps in the dishwasher. Other users say they want to avoid this fate so they happily hand-wash the board with warm, soapy water. Other negative reviewers remark that the surface gets gouged too easily by any kind of knife, but that is a common occurrence for plastic cutting boards.
Pros: Great value, double-sided board prevents cross-contamination, juice groove, easy to clean, durable plastic, lightweight and easy to maneuver, doesn't dull knives
Cons: Users note that it sometimes warps in the dishwasher
The name John Boos is synonymous with high-quality wood cutting boards and butcher blocks. In fact, by the 1940s, John Boos butcher blocks were found in almost every restaurant and butcher shop in the country. Rumor has it that John Boos cutting boards are the standard in the White House.
This reversible cutting board is part of the esteemed Boos RA collection, which is known for its beautiful edge grain construction. The John Boos board is much thicker than many other cutting boards on the market, coming in at 2.25-inches thick. This heavy board weighs in at 27.5 pounds, so it won't slip or slide around the kitchen counter as you chop away. It's so gorgeous that you can even leave it on your kitchen counter permanently.
The RA03 features a hard maple edge grain construction with a cream finish, two flat sides, and slightly rounded edges. In addition, inset handles make it easy to move and rotate the board or to flip it to the reverse side. The cutting board comes with a one year warranty.
After using, this cutting board should be washed by hand in warm soapy water and dried immediately. It requires oil treatment as frequently as once a week.
There are more than 380 user reviews on Amazon with an average rating of 4 out of 5 stars. "One of the best purchases I have ever made," wrote Tonya N. Phillips on July 23, 2016. "Love my cutting board. I use it pretty much every day."
"I have waited months to buy my first John Boos board and I am not disappointed … This is very well constructed and it came to me smooth as silk. No rough spots, very clean edges, and the hand slots are perfect for flipping the board over for a clean, sanitized spot … I love that it is made right here in the U.S.A.," wrote Donna S in February 2015.
Some Amazon users complain that the board started to crack very shortly after receiving it. Other reviewers jump in and remind everyone that you really do have to oil it on a weekly basis.
Across the web, professional reviewers, including those from The Spruce and The Chicago Tribune, recommend John Boos maple wood cutting boards.
Pros: FDA-approved, constructed with beautiful and strong maple wood, reversible, heavy and thick
Totally Bamboo introduced the world's first bamboo cutting board in 2000, and the company remains the leader in producing innovative bamboo houseware products.
The Totally Bamboo Cutting Board Set includes three different sized boards to accommodate a wide range of chopping and carving needs. The boards measure 6 x 8 inches, 8 ½ x 11 inches, and 9 ½ x 13 inches, respectively. All three boards are just 3/8-inch thick, which makes them easy to maneuver and also to store.
These simple but attractive boards are made from organically-grown Moso bamboo in a tri-ply, cross laminate construction with a specially formulated high temperature adhesive. The boards are strong, and sustainably made. Giant Panda lovers can take comfort in the fact that the beloved bears do not eat Moso bamboo. Just like other wooden cutting boards, the Totally Bamboo boards need to be hand-washed with warm water and oiled on an occasional basis. The company offers a 100% satisfaction replacement warranty.
These boards are Amazon's best-selling cutting boards, and there are more than 3,000 user reviews on the site, with an average 3.8 out of 5 stars. Negative comments mainly focus on users who claim the boards break easily. You can always contact the seller or Amazon if you believe you have a defective product.
Across the web professional reviewers, including those from The Spruce and The Kitchn recommended these and similar styles of cutting boards from Totally Bamboo.
Pros: Affordable, sustainably-made, hard bamboo surface varying sizes, easy to maneuver and to store, attractive set for cutting and serving
Cons: Some users report that the boards break very easily
Teak is the hottest new wood for high-quality cutting boards like the Teak Haus Edge Grain Cutting Board. The main reason why it's so popular is that teak is a tropical wood that is very resistant to moisture. Teak's natural oils help it repel water and resist warping. Teak is also absolutely gorgeous.
This board measures 24 x 12 x 1.5 inches, and it has built-in hand grips for portability. Proteak's wood comes from Latin America and is cultivated without the use of irrigation or fertilizer, thereby producing top-quality teak with minimal impact on the environment. This board needs to be hand-washed, dried, and oiled regularly.
There are nearly 300 user reviews on reviews on Amazon, with an average of 3.8 out of 5 stars. "Excellent quality, perfect size for my use as a home cook. Nice thickness and heft, definitely a solid piece. Only drawback? My sink is too small to fit it in to wash! A minor issue," wrote one verified customer on March 11, 2017.
Each of the four flexible, non-stick, anti-microbial Imperial Kitchen Cutting Mats measure 15 x 12 inches, giving you plenty of room to handle a variety of chopping jobs. Smooth on the top and gripped on the bottom, each mat is reserved for a different use. With one for chicken, one for meat, one for fish, and one for vegetables, the chance of cross-contamination drops to almost zero.
Made of a BPA-free, high-grade plastic, the lightweight mats are dishwasher safe. There are almost 400 user reviews on Amazon, with an average score of 4.1 out of 5 stars. Fans tout the low price, the ease and flexibility of use, and the fun colors.
"The material is super strong. The flexibility makes it really easy to put whatever you've chopped or sliced or diced into the pot, the blender — or for that matter a cup or glass … The color coded designs are great for germaphobes," wrote one reviewer on June 26, 2015.
Of course, there are some reports of issues with the thin, flexible mats. Some Amazon users said the mats slid around the counter, while others noted that the dishwasher quickly warped the plastic. However, most reviews are positive.
Professional reviewers like these cutting mats, including Kitchen Little Helpers which named them one of the top 20 mats on the market.
Pros: Affordable, colorful and fun, easy to maintain and store, cut down on the possibility of cross-contamination
Cons: Some users complain that the mats slip around the counter
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