
What's the best cutting board you can recommend?
Best Cutting Boards at a Glance
- Best Overall: San Jamar Saf-T-Grip Cutting Board
- Best Wood: John Boos Reversible Maple Wood Cutting Board with Juice Groove
- Best Bamboo: Totally Bamboo Kona Groove Cutting Board
- Best Teak: Teakhaus Edge Grain Carving Board with Hand Grip
- Best Large: OXO Good Grips Carving and Cutting Board
- Best Rated: Gorilla Grip Oversized Cutting Board 3-Piece Set
What cutting boards are the most sanitary?
What is the healthiest cutting board to use?
- John Boos Edge-grain Maple Cutting Board.
- John Boos End-grain Maple Wood Cutting Board.
- Sonder LA’s Walnut End-grain Cutting Board.
- Notrax Sani-Tuff Rubber Cutting Board.
- Greener Chef Organic Bamboo Cutting Board.
Are plastic cutting boards better than wood?
Yes, plastic cutting boards are easier to sanitize, but when you cut on them, you leave behind a lot of grooves that are perfect hiding places for bacteria. Wood is harder to sanitize, but it is also a tougher material and doesn’t take on as many deep grooves in its surface.
Should a cutting board be coated before using?
Like a cast-iron pan, a wood or bamboo cutting board needs to be seasoned before use. When you season a board, you are laying down a protective coating of oil or wax that will repel water and prevent it from being absorbed by the board. Some boards come preseasoned, allowing you to skip this step, but most come bare, with no layer of oil.

What kind of cutting board is healthiest?
HighlightsPlastic is said to be the most sanitary cutting board material.Wooden cutting board is a renewable resource and is more durable.More bacteria are recovered from a used plastic surface.
What is the best material for a cutting board?
The best cutting board material is one that can be easily cleaned, and doesn't damage or dull knives. Common options for cutting board material are wood, plastic, rubber, and bamboo. Wood cutting boards are superior for their hard-wearing and self-healing properties, and their ability to preserve a knife edge.
What type of cutting board is the most sanitary?
Bamboo cutting boards are harder and less porous than hardwoods. Bamboo absorbs very little moisture and resists scarring from knives, so they are more resistant to bacteria than other woods. Clean bamboo cutting boards with hot soapy water; sanitize if desired.
Is a wooden or plastic cutting board better?
Wood cutting boards are often considered better than plastic cutting boards because wood is much more durable and keeps knives sharper.
What is unacceptable material for cutting boards?
Glass Cutting Boards -- Avoid Glass cutting boards are nonporous and easy to clean -- you can wash them in the sink or the dishwasher. There's also no need to oil them obviously, so there's no upkeep. However, glass cutting boards are the worst for your knives. For this reason we don't recommend glass cutting boards.
What wood should not be used for cutting boards?
Avoid woods that are soft, porous, or toxic for cutting boards. Softwoods include balsa, cedar, juniper pine, redwood spruce, and Douglas fir. Porous wood includes mahogany, black walnut, butternut, oak, and ash. Toxic wood includes pine, birch, western red cedar, American mahogany, and rosewoods.
Is bamboo cutting board better than plastic?
Plastic vs wood cutting boards But plastic scars easily and the bacteria goes into hiding in those cuts and scratches where it can multiply in peace. Wood and bamboo, however, have naturally antimicrobial properties that kill bacteria, even those that penetrate the surface.
Is bamboo safe for a cutting board?
Bamboo cutting boards Bamboo boards are not recommended because they splinter easily and will require oiling. Over time, bamboo boards can also become somewhat fuzzy, making them an attractive home for bacteria. Finally, make sure that the hardwood board is in one solid piece.
Are stainless steel cutting boards safe to use?
As such a tough material, these boards can damage your knives significantly and also cause them to slip on the surface during use. The sound of a knife against stainless steel, particularly when chopping quickly, is not very pleasant.
Why do chefs use wooden cutting boards?
As a cutting board material, wood is soft enough to protect your chef's knife but still hard enough for smooth cuts, making it perfect for prepping everything except raw meat, Morocco says.
How do you disinfect a wooden cutting board?
Soak a clean, white cloth with either pure white vinegar or three percent hydrogen peroxide. Wipe down the board thoroughly and let sit for a few minutes. If there are stains or odors, sprinkle kosher salt or baking soda on to the board, and rub with the cut side of a lemon to clean and deodorize.
Can I cut raw meat on a wooden cutting board?
According to the experts, chopping raw meat on a wooden cutting board is perfectly fine, but it is important to watch out for liquids. In the case of raw meat, there could be liquids or blood that come from the meat when cut, which if left to pool for long periods can be absorbed into the wood.
What is the best type of cutting board for meat?
Plastic: Plastic is generally considered the best option for raw meat because it's dishwasher safe and has a non-porous surface. Wood: Wood cutting boards (including bamboo) can be difficult to sanitize, as they can't go in the dishwasher.
What are the 3 types of cutting boards?
Believe it or not there are actually 3 different types of cutting boards. The End Grain, Edge Grain and Face Grain Boards all represent different types.
How thick should a cutting board be?
In terms of thickness, professional grade rubber boards are thinner and lighter, typically between ½- to 1-inch thick, while a well-crafted wooden board should be anywhere from 1 ¼- to 2-inches thick. Wessel says that for an end-grain cutting board he advocates for at least 2 inches of thickness.
What is the best type of cutting board for knives?
Stick with wood or plastic cutting boards to keep your knives in good condition. Our testers all agreed that wood boards felt better than plastic under a knife—and the professional chefs Wirecutter spoke with said they mostly used wood blocks over plastic boards.
What is the difference between sanitizing and cleaning?
The difference between cleaning and sanitizing. Cleaning removes all visible dirt, soil, chemical residues and allergens from your cutting boards and work surfaces. Sanitizing reduces the number of microorganisms to a safe level. Always perform sanitizing after cleaning to ensure its effectiveness.
Why are plastic cutting boards good for cleaning?
Plastic cutting boards. Plastic cutting boards make it easier to prevent cross-contamination. Unlike wood, plastic is not porous so bacteria can’t easily hide in cracks and crevices. Plastic boards are also dishwasher friendly, making the cleaning and sanitizing process extremely manageable. You also have the added bonus ...
Why is it important to clean cutting boards?
Frequent, effective cleaning and sanitizing of all surfaces and equipment is essential to minimize serious food safety risks, including food poisoning and severe allergic reactions.
How to prevent cross contamination?
To reduce (maybe even eliminate) cross-contamination from cutting boards you need to correctly: select your cutting board. clean and sanitize your board. know when to retire your board.
How often should cutting boards be replaced?
Cutting boards should be replaced on a monthly or quarterly basis , but it’s also important to keep an eye out for any obvious signs of wear and tear. Replace the boards when they crack or show signs of deep scores from knives even if it’s before your scheduled replacement date.
Why is glass hard on knives?
The difficulty with glass is that it’s hard on your knives. Your knives will have a shorter shelf life and require much more sharpening. If dropped, a glass board can shatter, opening you to the risk of physical contamination of food. No customer wants a glass shard embedded in the meal they’ve ordered.
What to use when manually sanitizing?
A word of caution, use cleaning gloves when manually sanitizing. Gloves will protect your hands from harsh chemicals and scalding hot water.
What is the best material for knives?
The main question has been which material is best – wood, plastic or, more recently, bamboo. Safety concerns focus on whether or not a board can be effectively cleaned after use so that few bacteria remain to contaminate whatever food you place on it next. Another consideration is which surface is more likely to dull the knives you use.
Can you clean knife-scarred plastic boards?
But here’s another surprise: the researchers quickly discovered that used, knife-scarred wooden cutting boards harbored no more bacteria than new boards, while knife-scarred plastic boards were "impossible to clean and disinfect manually." When the researchers scanned the plastic boards with electron micrographs, they saw "highly significant damage" to the surfaces from knife cuts. Bacteria inside wooden boards don’t multiply and gradually die. Comparing the bacteria found on wooden boards to those found lurking on plastic ones when both have been cleaned manually, the researchers found more bacteria on a used plastic surface than on a used wood one.
Can you use plastic cutting boards in a kitchen?
However, at the time, the USDA’s Meat and Poultry Inspection Manual and the FDA’s 1999 Food Code, which set regulations for restaurants and retail food stores, permitted the use of cutting boards made of maple or other close-grained hardwood and didn’t authorize plastic boards or specify how plastic surfaces should be maintained.
Do bacteria live on wooden boards?
Bacteria inside wooden boards don’t multiply and gradually die. Comparing the bacteria found on wooden boards to those found lurking on plastic ones when both have been cleaned manually, the researchers found more bacteria on a used plastic surface than on a used wood one.
Can plastic boards be cleaned in the dishwasher?
The good news from this study is that plastic boards can be successfully cleaned in the dishwasher, and that small wooden boards can be disinfected quickly in the microwave.
Can you put bamboo in the dishwasher?
I’m currently using a bamboo cutting board. It is low maintenance and the wood is hard enough to resist retaining water (but don’t put bamboo in the dishwasher). I wash my cutting board after use, rinse it and wipe it dry. Once a month, I rub it with mineral oil to protect the surface.
