The Best Cutting Boards for Chopping, Slicing and Dicing

Any cook will know the value of owning a good cutting board. It’s not like you’re going to cut directly on your kitchen counter, right? (Please let your answer be “Right.”) A good cutting board will keep your knives sharp, keep messes from ending up on your counter and keep still because you don’t want, or need, to cut off any fingertips. Cutting boards come in a bunch of shapes and sizes, and that’s before you start to get into cutting board materials. We tested a bunch of cutting boards to find the best one for every kind of cook, and we break down what it takes to be the best of the best.

What to Look For in a Cutting Board

Materials

A cutting board can come in one of many materials. Whether it’s wood or plastic, a cutting board’s construction can dictate what it does best. Here’s a breakdown of the most common cutting board materials.

Wood: Wood is an excellent material for a cutting board, providing both heft (to prevent slippage) and knife protection (it won’t damage the sharp edge of your blade). However, they may be hard to store if they’re on the large side, they’re expensive and they require extra care.

Plastic: The typical home cook will love plastic cutting board’s ability to be washed in a dishwasher. They’re also dirt cheap and lightweight. However, they dull blades faster than other materials, and they don’t last very long, so they’ll have to be replaced more often.

Rubber: Professional chefs praise rubber cutting boards for good reason. They’re heavy and good on knives, and all of the abuse it takes — those gashes and cuts — can be sanded down to be good as new. The only downside, if there is one, is that they can’t be cleaned in the dishwasher.

Bamboo: Bamboo, like wood, has a natural beauty to it, though requires just a little less care than wood. The material is naturally anti-microbial, though that doesn’t mean you should forego cleaning it. On the other hand, bamboo cutting boards are harder than wood, and can therefore be rough on your knife’s cutting edge.

Size

Which sized cutting board you buy will obviously depend on how much counter space you have and how much storage space you have. It’s also important to choose a size depending on how big your knife is because you wouldn’t want to chop food using a big chef’s knife when you’re using a tiny cutting board. A standard cutting board size will be about 12-by-18 inches, where bigger ones can go up to 24-by-36 inches. Smaller cutting boards can be excellent for the occasion when you just need to prep some garlic or slice some small produce.

Food52

Best Overall Cutting Board

Five Two Bamboo Double Sided Cutting Board

• $40.00 at Food52

Five Two’s cutting board was made using feedback from readers of the food website Food52. Therefore, it tries to combine all of the best features of different cutting board styles into one. The bamboo cutting board has a deep ridge surrounding the perimeter to catch juices, while a handy pour spout makes it easy to keep what you’ve lost. It has what feels to be the perfect thickness, and it won’t move around while you’re using it. Because everyone seems to be getting recipes on their phones these days, the cutting board has a notch to put your phone so you can follow along to your favorite recipes (or watch a Youtube video).

John Boos

Best Splurge Cutting Board

John Boos & Co. Maple Wood Chopping Block with Hand Grips

• $296.00 at webstaurantstore.com

Boos Blocks are arguably the most famous manufacturer of cutting boards. Our tester has had his for about seven years at this point, noting it remains a workhorse in the kitchen. “The ultra-hefty Boos Maple Chopping Block offers enough square footage to tackle several jobs,” he says. “Plus, the hand grips make carrying this beast across the kitchen pretty easy.” The end grain construction, in which you can see the grain of the wood, is good for knives because it’s a bit softer than edge grain cutting boards.

Amazon

Best Budget Cutting Board

Oxo Good Grips 2-Piece Cutting Board Set

• $24.00 at Amazon

For $24, you can get two excellent cutting boards — one small, one large — from Oxo. The dishwasher-safe plastic cutting boards feel like they can last practically forever. It has cute little non-slip feet because the last thing you need is to take off a finger while you’re cutting onions (that’ll produce a different kind of crying). Our tester says his Oxo cutting board has held up pretty much the same since he got it, and considering these boards are so cheap, that’s a huge plus.

Amazon

Best Wooden Cutting Board

John Boos Block Chop-N-Slice Maple Wood Edge Grain Reversible Cutting Board

• $49.00 at Amazon
  $69.00 (29% off)

For a cheaper alternative to our splurge pick, go for the Chop-N-Slice from John Boos. Because it’s an edge grain board, it’ll dull your knives a little faster than end grain, but it’ll also be less prone to cracking — and, it’s also cheaper. It’s not too heavy, but it has enough heft to keep it in place when you’re cutting on top of it.

Amazon

Best Rubber Cutting Board

No-Trax Sani-Tuff

• $80.00 at Amazon
  $89.00 (10% off)

No-Trax makes some of the most famous rubber cutting boards, favored by actual kitchen chefs for their durability and longevity. Like any good rubber cutting board, they’ll keep your knives sharp, and they’re also easy to clean (just no dishwasher please). Get one in practically any size and thickness, and find yourself turning into a collector of No-Trax cutting boards.

Amazon

Best Bamboo Cutting Board

Totally Bamboo 3-Piece Bamboo Cutting Board Set

• $18.00 at Amazon

Besides being an attractive material for cutting boards, it’s also sustainable. Totally Bamboo’s founders started making bamboo cutting boards as a hobby before turning it into a full-fledged business. This three-piece set includes small, medium and large cutting boards, and considering it costs under $20, that feels like a steal. These boards do require some extra care, but they’ll take care of you for years to come.

Material

Best Sustainable Cutting Board

Material The reBoard

• $35.00 at Material

Using recycled kitchen plastic scraps, Material created these cutting boards to reduce waste while making very attractive boards. The circular handle is placed in the corner, maximizing the cutting space, whereas other cutting boards will have long handles that cut into how much cutting space you have. The cutting board doesn’t have stabilizers in it, so if it slips when you’re using it, throw a damn towel underneath it to prevent slippage. Plus, cleanup is a breeze since it’s safe to put in the dishwasher.

Amazon

Best Cutting Board Set

Joseph Joseph Index Plastic Cutting Board Set

• $160.00 at Amazon

This four-pack of cutting boards is meant to help you prevent cross-contamination in the kitchen. Rather than just being color coordinated, these cutting boards have little tabs on them so you can quickly and easily remember which cutting board is for what, whether it’s raw meat, produce or cooked foods. The storage case is a nice touch for storage, and all together, the cutting boards take up very little space.

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