Credit:
Reviewed / Timothy Renzi
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Credit:
Reviewed / Timothy Renzi
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Sonder LA's Winsome Cutting Board is an all-around winner, with several clever design features that make us want to pull it out for use every day. Read More
This cutting board is the perfect size for most everyday tasks, and it features reliably non-slip edges and a convenient juice canal. Read More
This board is spacious yet light, with unique design features like an iPhone slot and a deep drip canal that make it great for everyday use. Read More
The Teakhaus’ size and heft makes it more of a specialty board than a catch-all winner. Read More
With small, medium, and large sizes for a variety of kitchen tasks, this set comes at a fantastic value with plenty of handy features. Read More
A good cutting board is a kitchen essential for home cooks. It might not be as flashy as a chef’s knife, and you can’t use it to cook a meal like your favorite cast iron skillet, but you also can’t get started without one. You'll want a sturdy, durable surface as you practice your chop, slice, and dice—like our top pick, the Sonder LA Winsome Cutting Board (available at Amazon) . That means it should last a long time, keep your knife intact, and not slide dangerously around the counter as you slice.
There are thousands of cutting boards on the market. Some are gigantic wooden carving boards that require hand-washing and regular maintenance with mineral oil to keep them at their best. Others are smaller, dishwasher-safe models made from plastic, glass, or composite material. There's so much variety in this category that it can be hard to know the good ones from the not-so-much.
We selected several top-rated products of all styles and sizes and ran them through some pretty rigorous testing. Our picks include a bamboo cutting board that was a pleasure to work with, a beautiful teak block that adds functional style to your kitchen, and an easy-to-clean, plastic option for working with raw meats.
Sonder LA's Winsome cutting board is great for prepping and serving.
The OXO Utility Plastic Cutting Board is the best plastic cutting board we've tested.
Food52's The Big Deal Bamboo Cutting Board is sustainable and comfortable to use.
The Marine Collection from Teakhaus sources sustainable teak for high quality cutting boards.
This set of three Gorilla Grip plastic cutting boards comes at a fantastic value.
Doesn't slip
Chops fine
Slightly difficult to clean because of weight
Maple wood requires high maintenance
Nice grip
Minimal scratching
Juice grooves too shallow
Board texture is rough
Rubber edge holds to the surface
Reversible board
Can't fit in dishwashers
The surface is too slick
Juice grooves can't retain juice
Gorgeous
Stays in place while using
Heavy
Scratches easily
We chopped onions on each board to see if it stayed put while we worked.
We tried over a dozen products of various sizes and materials in our test kitchen and in our home kitchens. Each one was different, but the top cutting boards needed to share three important characteristics: sturdiness & balance, ease of use, and durability.
It’s important that your cutting board stays put as you chop. Boards that shift or slide during use create an unsafe situation for you and that very sharp knife you're wielding. We assessed sturdiness & balance by mincing garlic and chopping onions, checking to see if the board sat flat and still on the counter.
A heavy cutting board may stay put during use, but no one wants a board that's too heavy to carry to the sink for cleaning! We determined ease of use by weighing each board to see if it was easy to pick up and put away. Then we checked if it had enough surface area to handle everyday tasks. Finally, we measured its ability to handle juicy foods by calculating liquid absorption and how much liquid the grooves (if present) could hold.
Cutting boards aren't typically pricey, but like anything you spend money on, you're going to want your board to last as long as possible. The outliers here are massive butcher blocks, but smaller boards are better for everyday cooking. Boos Block is one such popular board.
We test durability by running boards that were marked as "dishwasher safe" through the dishwasher, checking afterward for warping. We examined how the surface stood up to our sharp knives, foods that tend to stain, and foods that tend to leave unpleasant odors.
We also sharpened our knives before using each cutting board but found that none of the materials had a noticeable effect on dulling the knives. We didn’t, however, test any glass, marble, or ceramic boards, which are notorious for destroying your knife's edge.
Lindsay is a professional chef, recipe developer, writer, and developmental editor. After years of working in restaurant kitchens, she turned to writing to share her passion for local, organic, and seasonal ingredients with home cooks and food enthusiasts.
Monica is Reviewed's Kitchen & Cooking editor and an avid home cook; she's been testing a wide range of kitchen products at Reviewed for three years. Previously the Digital Editor at Culture Cheese Magazine (and a former barista), she's also had her work published in The Boston Globe, Modern Luxury, Boston Magazine, and more.
Managing Editor, Kitchen & Appliances. Danielle has a B.S. from Syracuse University and a AAS in Culinary Arts from Newbury College. Previously, Danielle was a Test Cook and Associate Editor at America's Test Kitchen, as well as a freelance recipe developer and food writer. She’s the mom of two boys and loves making pizza on Friday nights.
Our team is here for one purpose: to help you buy the best stuff and love what you own. Our writers, editors, and lab technicians obsess over the products we cover to make sure you're confident and satisfied. Have a different opinion about something we recommend? Email us and we'll compare notes.
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