Food
The Best Cutting Boards Reviewed by Our Experts
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Other cutting boards we tested
Material Kitchen’s new MK Free Board is bigger than our top pick from the brand, the Grippy reBoard (17.5″ x 12″ versus 14.75″ x 10.75″). It also has a juice groove (something the reBoard lacks), and it’s made entirely of plant-based materials (“100% plant-based biocomposite of natural clay minerals and biodegradable biopolymers,” according to Material’s website). That last part is important—especially if you’re concerned about microplastics—because this board has none, hence the name. Like the reBoard, it’s also dishwasher safe and has a loop that makes it easy to pull out of a cabinet or hang from a hook. Overall, it’s a totally fine cutting board you can feel very good about using, but until Material finds a way to give it some plant-based bumpers, it won’t be bumping the Grippy reBoard out of its top spot anytime soon. While the microplastic-free material is wonderful in theory, it feels a bit harder than the reBoard’s recycled-plastic composition, and because it doesn’t have silicone corners, it’s more prone to sliding around on a quartz countertop when I’m chopping vigorously. And without anything to soften its landing, the thinner, harder material also fairly loud when I set it on the counter (or even slide it into the cabinet with my sheet pans).
The All Aboard cutting board from colorful cookware brand Great Jones is like the original Material reBoard’s bigger, curvier cousin. At 12″ x 16″ it’s big for a plastic board and it has a nice loop/handle for hanging. It’s made of BPA-free recycled plastic and the textured surface is nice to cut on. It doesn’t have any sort of silicone grip to keep it in place on the counter when cutting like the Material (grippy) reBoard does, but it does have a juice groove.
Lifticon Silicone Cutting Mat Set
Liflicon Silicone Cutting Boards Mats, Set of 3
If you’re looking for a nonporous alternative to plastic, we recommend rubber. But both natural and synthetic cutting boards are pricey, so you might want to consider a silicone cutting board. It’s important to note that these are mats, not actual boards. But even at ⅛” thick, the material provided a reasonable barrier between the knife and counter. Silicone is flexible so it’s easy to fold into a U-she to transfer ingredients to a pot or scrs to the trash. They’re also dishwasher-safe even though they’re very easy to hand-wash. And since the entire mat is silicone, it’s very nonslip. These also have a built-in grooves around the entire perimeter and a hole in the corner for hanging and so far, they haven’t held on to any stains (even from steamed beets) or shown any knife marks (even when we tried to make some). That said, some users on Amazon have reported knife damage to their mats, which could be a result of the silicone degrading. Though silicone is durable and heat tolerant, repeated exposure to high heat or sudden temperature changes can weaken its structural integrity, and it can hold onto stains.
These double-sided boards come in three sizes; one side has a juice groove and the other has an indentation along the top intended to hold Caraway’s tiny Dot & Dash containers. The boards are made from eco-friendly birch, which is lightweight compared to other woods and feels a lot like mle when cutting. These boards are also pretty thin, so we have concerns about warping, though limiting exposure to moisture can help with that. The board also comes oiled, though it did hold on to some strawberry and beet stains—as we’d expect any wood board to do.
Architec Gripper Polypropylene BPA Free Cutting Board
This 11″ x 14″ polypropylene (plastic) cutting board is fine but nothing special. It comes in a variety of fun colors, it has a handle hole you can use to hang it, and it is dishwasher-safe. One side has small rubber feet (a.k.a. the nonslip gripper base), which does keep the board stationary, but also makes it so you can only use one side for chopping.
TeakHaus Heavy-Duty Reversible Board
Teakhaus Heavy-Duty Reversible Board
If you’re looking for a large teak board, this 15″ x 20″ option from TeakHaus is a good choice. The high-quality edge-grain teak looks great, and the darker wood won’t show stains like lighter-colored wood boards do. Cutting felt comfortable and one side of this reversible board features a juice groove. It’s an inch-and-a-half tall, and that combined with the size makes it pretty bulky. Also, the smell of ginger lingered on this one a bit after we hand-washed it.
At 14.9″ x 19.6″, this versatile bamboo carving board from Meater (the wireless thermometer brand) is a great option if you want a board for big cuts of meat. One side is solid and free from embellishments while the other features a sizable juice grove and pouring spout. But the light-colored wood stained fairly easily in testing and required intense scrubbing after we cut beets on it. So if you’re worried about staining and plan to cut a lot of highly saturated foods on it, you might want to stick to a darker wood, like teak.
Steelport Steelcore Cutting Board
Steelport Steelcore Cutting Board
I’m still on the fence about the new Steelport Steelcore cutting board. It’s a thin, sexy board from the maker of the also sexy Steelport knives. It’s a dual-sided board; one side is thin, perfectly smooth end-grain walnut, and the other is a durable recycled per composite material. Embedded between the two is a steel core to prevent the board from warping—something I’d definitely otherwise worry about for such a large (12″ x 18″) but thin (.75″) wood board. The surfaces are incredibly smooth, and the composite side has a juice groove, which maintains the modern look of the end-grain side. Unfortunately, the board I received had hairline cracks which, without the steel core, would have probably knocked three corners off of this board. For such a pricey piece of gear, it wasn’t well-packaged for cross-country transit. I haven’t yet attempted to replace it (I’m sure the company would make a return easy since it offers a lifetime warranty on its knives), but the fact that the board stayed fully intact even with three cracked corners is a testament to the strength of the steel core.
JK Adams Mle Wood Kitchen Basic Cutting Board
JK Adams Mle Wood Kitchen Basic Cutting Board
The JK Adams Mle Wood Basic Cutting Board is made of durable mle. It has a minimal design with no embellishments and won’t add too much height to your prep zone. At just ¾” thick, it’s the thinnest wood board we tested. The 17″ x 14″ footprint also offers a decent amount of space for cutting and chopping but is compact enough to keep in a small kitchen.
JK Adams Pour Spout Cutting Board
JK Adams Pour Spout Cutting Board
The JK Adams Pour Spout Cutting Board stands out because it has a juice groove and a pouring spout on both sides, making it truly reversible for cutting meat. Though this is a sizable board at 20″ x 14″, the groove and spout do take up a significant portion of the surface area available for cutting, so keep that in mind if you’re looking for something to use for really large cuts of meat. The wood is light-colored and will show stains from something like beets, but keeping it treated with beeswax and mineral oil will provide some stain resistance.
