The Best Cutting Boards
A cutting board is the surface your knife touches thousands of times. The wrong board dulls your knife. The right board helps it. Wood and end-grain wood are the answers. Plastic is acceptable. Glass is never acceptable. These are the boards worth owning.
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How to Choose
End-grain boards are gentler on knife edges because the blade slides between wood fibers rather than across them. Edge-grain boards are less expensive and still excellent. Hardwoods like maple, walnut, and cherry are the standard. Avoid bamboo if possible: it is hard enough to dull knives faster than hardwood. Size matters. Buy the largest board your counter and sink can accommodate. A board that is too small makes every task harder.
John Boos Maple Edge-Grain Board 20x15
If you only buy one, make it this one. Read the full guide below for alternatives at every price point.
Find on Amazon arrow_forwardWhat to Look For
Six things that separate the good from the rest.
Hard rock maple is the classic. Walnut is softer, darker, and self-healing. Cherry is somewhere between. All three are excellent. Avoid bamboo, teak, and acacia: they are harder than necessary and dull knives faster.
End-grain boards expose the cut ends of the wood fibers, which absorb the knife edge and self-heal. Edge-grain boards are cut along the length of the fibers, which is more affordable but slightly harder on knives. Both are excellent.
A cutting board should be at least 1.5 inches thick. Thin boards warp, slide, and feel unstable under the knife. A thick board stays flat, absorbs impact, and does not need rubber feet to stay put.
Buy the largest board your counter and sink can accommodate. A 20x15 board is the minimum for comfortable work. A board that is too small forces you to clear scraps constantly, which slows everything down.
Oil wood boards monthly with food-grade mineral oil. Never put a wood board in the dishwasher. Never soak it. Wipe it clean, dry it upright, and it will last 20 years or more.
The board should not slide on your counter. Weight helps. Rubber feet help. A damp towel underneath helps. A sliding board is a safety hazard with a sharp knife.
Good, Better, Best
What each price tier gets you. A $40 board from Boos will outperform a $200 board from a lifestyle brand.
Boos edge-grain maple or a quality plastic board. Both are workhorses. The maple needs oiling. The plastic goes in the dishwasher. Most kitchens need one of each.
Boos end-grain maple or walnut. The self-healing surface, the heft, the beauty of the wood. This is the board that sits on the counter and gets used every day.
Large-format end-grain walnut or custom butcher block. These are furniture-grade pieces that double as serving surfaces. Worth it if the board is the centerpiece of your kitchen.
The Picks
John Boos Maple Edge-Grain Board 20x15
Made in Effingham, Illinois from hard rock maple. John Boos has been making butcher blocks since 1887. This edge-grain board is thick, heavy, and will not slide on your counter. Oil it monthly with mineral oil and it will last decades.
The board that restaurant kitchens use. Heavy, stable, and made by people who have been doing this for over a century.
Find on Amazon arrow_forwardJohn Boos Walnut End-Grain Chopping Block
End-grain walnut is the gold standard of cutting surfaces. The blade drops between the wood fibers, which is gentler on the edge and self-heals the cut marks over time. Walnut is naturally antimicrobial and does not require as much oiling as maple. This is the board that sits on the counter permanently.
The last cutting board you will ever buy. End-grain walnut is the best surface for a knife.
Find on Amazon arrow_forwardOXO Good Grips Carving Board
A large plastic board with a juice groove and non-slip feet. Dishwasher safe, lightweight, and kind enough to knife edges. This is the board for raw meat, poultry, and anything you want to sanitize in a dishwasher. Every kitchen needs at least one plastic board alongside the wood.
The practical second board. Sanitizes in the dishwasher. Use it for raw protein.
Find on Amazon arrow_forwardBoos Block Maple Bar Board 12x8
A smaller board from the same Boos factory. The right size for a lime, an onion, or a quick mince. Thick enough to be stable. Small enough to fit beside the stove. Every kitchen needs a small board for the small jobs.
The prep board that lives beside the stove. Small, quick, and always in reach.
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