what sort of cutting board do you use?

[chocolate-chip chooky]

I'm in the market for a new cutting board. 

What do you use and why did it choose it?

 

 

[Melissa in Australia]

heavy plastic. 3  different  colours. red for cutting meat, White for veggies and a small yellow one for cheese. I also have a wooden one that I use to use for bread when I made bread

[Eos]

Wood, I prefer the way the knife ends the cut on wood. I like how they look. I'm in need of a new one now, thanks for the nudge!

I've read different things about wood vs plastic for harboring bacteria, but ultimately that argument comes down to user behavior: vigilant washing and making sure there's no cross-contamination.

I have one that's just for fruit and nuts so my garlic and onions don't make their way into sweets.

[Pawz4me]

Plastic. I have several of different sizes and thicknesses. I like plastic versus wood because it's less fussy and less heavy, and the thinner ones take up less space. I can put them in the dishwasher so I know they're getting thoroughly clean, and the lighter weight is easier on my arthritic hands and wrists. I don't like using plastic, but for this it's the better choice for me.

[regentrude]

Wood. The smaller ones are hardwood, the large one bamboo, so not heavy.

[73349]

Plastic. I bought it from a restaurant supply store. My #1 requirement was size--I wanted it to fit in the dishwasher.

[maize]

6 minutes ago, 73349 said:

Plastic. I bought it from a restaurant supply store. My #1 requirement was size--I wanted it to fit in the dishwasher.

This is me as well!

[HomeAgain]

We use 3:

Wood for "dry" things or cooked things (bread, pizza, etc.)

Red plastic for meats

Green plastic for produce and cheese

I don't mind the plastic ones, but they do tend to warp just a bit in the dishwasher.  Putting a towel underneath helps with keeping them stable on the counter, though.

 

[KungFuPanda]

I have a medium (14” x 12”?) and a smaller plastic cutting board that goes in the dishwasher. I have a larger wooden one with metal handles and a rim around it that’s good for catching any juices. I also put butcher block on my island and a small kitchen table. I love my giant “cutting board” surfaces. I like to knead bread at the table and spread out for bigger projects on the island. Today I’m going scones and pastry dough so I’ll use the biggest surface. 

[Katy]

I switched to a large wood board from Target a few months back when I read an article suggesting plastic cutting boards are a significant source of microplastic in human food consumption. I thought about a fancy Boos board, but decided cheap & replaceable is better due to my kids ages. 

[PeterPan]

Bamboo—everyday things, I have several medium and a couple small, always my top choice

large wood Boos block-when I need LARGE

silicone-when I want to chop and pour onions , grate carrots, etc. it’s maybe ¼” thick and bends

ikea cheap thin plastic boards- grating things I want to pour

Raw meat I usually do on bamboo because of the tight grain and good washing. My thick silicone can go in the dishwasher so sometimes I use that, especially with say frozen bacon where I don’t want my knife slipping. The research seems to bop back and forth for raw meat boards lol.
 

if I only were going to have ONE, probably the thick silicone so it can go in the dishwasher. Easy on the knives, easy to wash, heat resistant, a winner. I have that and my bamboo out everyday.

Edited February 24 by PeterPan

[PeterPan]

Size matters. If you’re going with a very LARGE board you need thick not to warp . Medium wood like a 10” square at 1” thick won’t warp and isn’t so heavy. That’s probably Boos also. I’ve never had bamboos warp but mine are all medium and small. 
 

im seeing the silicone for under $30 on amazon btw.

[Annie G]

Large Boos block that lives on the counter, a small bamboo cutting board, and a dense plastic Pampered Chef one from many years ago. I have had cheap plastic ones but seeing all the gouges and marks after just a few months made me wonder if all that plastic was ending up in our food. So while I still have the Pampered Chef one it’s mostly used as a base to pound and slice chicken or other raw meat.

The small bamboo one is what I usually use for garlic and onions and other pungent things. 

[Laura Corin]

Plastic - a bunch that I put in the dishwasher. We also have a slatted wood bread board.

[catz]

I have a large wooden one two sided one that fits across my sink that I hand wash and 3 smaller plastic ones that will go in the dishwasher.  

[Clarita]

I like the plastic ones and DH likes the heavy wood ones. So we have both at our house. 

Plastic is great because it's light and I can shove them in the dishwasher. Wood is nicer to cut on and looks better, but I hate washing them.

[Lori D.]

polyethylene, that is restaurant thickness --> meats/poultry
large-size bamboo --> processing a larger amount of fruits, veggies, or  chopping nuts
small-size wood --> slicing cheese, cutting up a small amount of fruit or veggies

Wood is better for the knife blades. The polyethylene can go in the dishwasher.

Edited February 24 by Lori D.

[MEmama]

2 ancient bamboo boards from IKEA about a thousand years ago, and a small recycled plastic one nearly that old.

I put them all in the dishwasher.

[bolt.]

I have 4 small white plastic ones, that go in my dishwasher, no bigger than a plate. Then I have a couple of larger ones (also white plastic) that I use rarely if I'm cutting something particularly large. They can go in the dishwasher too, but only if it's not too full.

[chocolate-chip chooky]

Thanks everyone. It's helpful to hear what you choose and why.

I don't have a dishwasher, so that eliminates that factor. I would like something thin enough to wash in the sink and dry in my drying rack. I don't know how I'd properly clean a big heavy butcher-block-style wooden board.

I've had plastic, but I don't like the thought of all the microplastics in our food. All those gouges and scratches - that plastic must have gone somewhere, right?

I've been reading about bamboo -  apparently the fibres are all glued together, so who knows if the glue is any better than flecks of plastic? I've found some that say 'food safe adhesive', but I still feel a bit iffy on it. 

Wood is my current top choice - maybe acacia or beechwood. Acacia seems to be a common material in wooden boards here in Australia. No idea about other parts of the world. 

My one concern with wood is what it has been treated with. A lot of them say 'mineral oil', which is a pretty non-specific label. I'd like to think that they are all food-grade, but it seems some are petroleum-based.

[Melissa in Australia]

I forgot to add I have a marble board, for pastry making

[chocolate-chip chooky]

I've never seen silicone ones here in Australia, but maybe I haven't looked far enough.

There is also glass or marble to consider, but I understand that those are too hard on the knife blades.

[Melissa in Australia]

You could sand off the surface off a Wooden board and use olive oil to resurface.

 Mine is native  Blackwood. But I live in the bush where that type of wood is available.

[chocolate-chip chooky]

5 minutes ago, Melissa in Australia said:

You could sand off the surface off a Wooden board and use olive oil to resurface.

 Mine is native  Blackwood. But I live in the bush where that type of wood is available.

Blackwood is another name for Acacia isn't it?

[MEmama]

1 hour ago, chocolate-chip chooky said:

Thanks everyone. It's helpful to hear what you choose and why.

I don't have a dishwasher, so that eliminates that factor. I would like something thin enough to wash in the sink and dry in my drying rack. I don't know how I'd properly clean a big heavy butcher-block-style wooden board.

I've had plastic, but I don't like the thought of all the microplastics in our food. All those gouges and scratches - that plastic must have gone somewhere, right?

I've been reading about bamboo -  apparently the fibres are all glued together, so who knows if the glue is any better than flecks of plastic? I've found some that say 'food safe adhesive', but I still feel a bit iffy on it. 

Wood is my current top choice - maybe acacia or beechwood. Acacia seems to be a common material in wooden boards here in Australia. No idea about other parts of the world. 

My one concern with wood is what it has been treated with. A lot of them say 'mineral oil', which is a pretty non-specific label. I'd like to think that they are all food-grade, but it seems some are petroleum-based.

I've stopped worrying about this kind of thing, honestly. Whatever might come off my cutting board isn't even a tiny fraction of the pollutants we are all marinating in and ingesting every day. Nothing we do at home will change the metrics in our favor.

Sorry, not trying to minimize concerns, I'm just tired of pretending we as individuals can make any sort of meaningful difference.

[chocolate-chip chooky]

13 minutes ago, MEmama said:

I've stopped worrying about this kind of thing, honestly. Whatever might come off my cutting board isn't even a tiny fraction of the pollutants we are all marinating in and ingesting every day. Nothing we do at home will change the metrics in our favor.

Sorry, not trying to minimize concerns, I'm just tired of pretending we as individuals can make any sort of meaningful difference.

Yep. I sit in traffic breathing in car fumes. Nearly all our food products come in plastic. There's so much we can't avoid.

I just want to minimise things I can control.

[MEmama]

53 minutes ago, chocolate-chip chooky said:

Yep. I sit in traffic breathing in car fumes. Nearly all our food products come in plastic. There's so much we can't avoid.

I just want to minimise things I can control.

I get it. I'm sorry I sounded jaded and snarky, truly. I do a lot to minimize my impact too, I think I'm just less hopeful these days.

[Indigo Blue]

I never cut raw meat. So, I have two bamboo cutting boards. One is super small for strawberries and such. The larger one is for everything else. I rinse with warm, soapy water and let all sides air dry before storing.

I also have a decorative cutting board on my counter that is used as a tea station. I have an air tight container of loose herbal tea, maple syrup, a glass tea pot, and a mug on it. 

[kathyl]

My favorite knives are:

Shun VBS0200 Sora 2-Piece Knife Set

 

So I use these cutting boards because they are supposed to keep the knives sharper.

Shun Cutlery Small Hinoki Cutting Board, 10.75" x 8.25" Small Wood Cutting Board, Medium-Soft Wood Preserves Knife Edges, Authentic, Japanese Kitchen Cutting Board

 

JNE Hinoki Cypress Wood Cutting Board, 19.75" x 12" x1.2", Reversible Chopping Board, Butcher Board, Serving Board, Solid Single Piece, No Joint, No Glue

 

I use kitchen scissors to cut meat, so not on a cutting board.

[Tap]

My absolute go to board

rolled edges

wide handle

plastic

non-slip

Dexas Chop & Scoop Cutting Board

[Corraleno]

I have 5 wood cutting boards in various shapes and sizes: a tiny one I use if I just need to slice a tomato or apple or something, a large rectangular one I use if I'm cutting up a watermelon or chopping lots of veg, two others I mostly use for homemade bread (long skinny one for long loaves and a round one for round loaves), and the 5th is an oddly shaped one that was cut from a solid slab of beautiful olive wood that I use more as a serving board. The other four are acacia and also have really nice wood grain, and they all live on the counter leaning against the wall so they're also decorative. I just wash and dry the cutting surface after use and lean them back against the wall, and once in a while I oil them. (I don't eat meat, so I don't keep separate boards for different foods.) 

Edited February 25 by Corraleno

[Ausmumof3]

I have a couple of large wood ones, one small bamboo one and a pack of about ten plastic cutting mats which are great for small stuff.

The wood ones are the nicest to cut on but they often sit waiting to get cleaned because they don’t get in the dishwasher. The bamboo is nearly as nice to cut on and dish washable which is fabulous. The mini plastic ones are great because my kids like to chop up an apple or something for a snack multiple times a day. They can be chucked in the dishwasher and take up next to no space in the cupboard. They are too small for cutting bread or a large batch of food. They’re really handy when you want to do something like onion, garlic, or herbs and don’t want to flavour the rest of the food with it as well.

[Ausmumof3]

https://www.bunnings.com.au/avanti-flexible-cutting-mat-4pc-set_p0155338
 

they aren’t these but similar 

[chocolate-chip chooky]

Thanks everyone. I appreciate your input. 

[elegantlion]

We have a small granite slab for a cutting board. It's about about 12 x 12 and has finished edges, so it's not just a leftover slab. I don't know where SO got it as he had it before I moved in. We have a small kitchen, so it's perfect for us. 

[Clarita]

1 hour ago, elegantlion said:

We have a small granite slab for a cutting board.

Wouldn't that ruin your knives?

[chocolate-chip chooky]

2 minutes ago, Clarita said:

Wouldn't that ruin your knives?

Glass, ceramic, marble, granite - anything like that would eliminate my concerns about plastics, glues, resins, polishes, wood oils etc.

BUT I've read that all of these destroy your knifes and sound horrible 🤷‍♀️

I'm beginning to realise that there is no perfect product.

[elegantlion]

4 minutes ago, Clarita said:

Wouldn't that ruin your knives?

We haven't had issues but then again, we don't have high end knives that I'd be more concerned about ruining. 

[Clarita]

1 minute ago, chocolate-chip chooky said:

Glass, ceramic, marble, granite - anything like that would eliminate my concerns about plastics, glues, resins, polishes, wood oils etc.

You could see if there's a local wood crafter in your area who can make you an unfinished board. Then you can apply your own "coating" to the board. There are food safe options out there. I bought beeswax from a local maker. 

[Melissa in Australia]

What about buying a piece of hardwood. Getting one of your kids to sand it and oil it with olive oil.

I made a hardwood chopping board at high school . We finished it with olive oil. Easy to re apply when needed 

I got my kids to make one  each as part of their woodwork for homeschooling 

[HazelAnne]

On 2/24/2024 at 2:54 PM, chocolate-chip chooky said:

I've had plastic, but I don't like the thought of all the microplastics in our food. All those gouges and scratches - that plastic must have gone somewhere, right?

 

This is why I switched from plastic to wood. I have  found solid boards (without glue) at HomeGoods, and also on Amazon. 

[Faith-manor]

Wood. I have been concerned about plastics breaking off into the food as the boards get pitted and scratched. I didn't enjoy the sound of cutting on glass. I season my boards with beeswax oil.

[chocolate-chip chooky]

On 2/25/2024 at 8:29 AM, MEmama said:

I get it. I'm sorry I sounded jaded and snarky, truly. I do a lot to minimize my impact too, I think I'm just less hopeful these days.

I meant to come back and respond to this earlier.  I detected no snark in your comment, and I appreciate your honesty and input.