A high-quality cutting board is an essential culinary tool. The preparation of most 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 most experts, 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. We’ve selected the best cutting boards in a variety of materials. For a full breakdown of the advantage of plastic vs. wood, check out the full explainer at the end of this guide.

Here are the best cutting boards:

Updated on 7/7/2020. We updated prices and links and added more relevant buying guides.

The best overall

The OXO Good Grips Cutting And Carving Board is affordable, light, and easy to maintain.

The OXO Good Grips Cutting And Carving Board plastic board is the darling of kitchen appliance and utensil reviewers everywhere. The 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.

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 best high-end wood

Foto: Source: John Boos/Business Insider

The John Boos Maple Wood Edge Grain Reversible Cutting Board is a work of art made out of solid wood.

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 even 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.

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, which may be too high-maintenance for some home cooks.

Pros: FDA-approved, constructed with beautiful and strong maple wood, reversible, heavy and thick

Cons: Expensive, heavy, requires weekly oil treatments

The best bamboo

Foto: Source: Totally bamboo

Versatile and affordable, the Totally Bamboo Cutting Board Set is perfect for eco-minded consumers.

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.

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.

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

The best teak wood

Foto: Source: TeakHaus

The sturdy Teak Haus Edge Grain Cutting Board is beautiful, long-lasting, and won't dull your knives.

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 20 x 15 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.

Pros: Composed of beautiful, durable teak wood from Latin America

Cons: Very heavy, some users noted that the wood split or warped quickly

The best cutting mat

Foto: Source: Imperial Kitchen/Business Insider

The Imperial Kitchen Cutting Mat Set will cover all your cutting needs and eliminate the possibility of cross-contamination.

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 BPA-free, high-grade plastic, the lightweight mats are dishwasher safe. The low price, ease and flexibility of use, and the fun colors make them especially attractive.

Of course, there are some issues with thin, flexible mats. Some Amazon users said the mats slid around the counter, while others noted that the dishwasher quickly warped the plastic.

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

What type of cutting board should I buy?

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Pros and cons of 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.

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 of wooden cutting boards

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 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.

Pros and cons of 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.

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

You should always 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.

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.

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