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Credit: MytourIf your plastic cutting board is marred by deep knife grooves, stubborn food stains, or constantly slips during use, switching to a wooden board can transform your cooking routine. Wooden boards offer superior stability and longevity, with the added benefit of being free from microplastic contamination.
Although wooden cutting boards are generally superior to plastic ones, their performance varies widely, making it crucial to select the right one. Consider your cooking needs—whether you require ample space for meal prep or a compact board for easy storage.
To simplify your decision, we spent a month testing various wooden cutting boards, assessing their design, sturdiness, and performance across different tasks. Whether you need a butcher block for heavy-duty cooking or a versatile three-piece set for organized prep, our top recommendations ensure a reliable surface for all your culinary endeavors.
Top Pick
Epicurean Gourmet Series Groove Cutting Board
IMAGE: Sur La TableUnlike conventional wooden boards, it’s lightweight and dishwasher-safe thanks to its innovative design.
It emits a peculiar odor during initial washes.
The Epicurean Gourmet Series Groove Cutting Board stands out despite not being a traditional wooden board. Crafted from recycled paper combined with food-grade resin, it’s compressed into richlite, an eco-friendly paper composite. This material proved remarkably resistant to knife marks. Despite its durability, the board is impressively slim and lightweight, yet stable enough to stay firmly in place during use.
Since this cutting board isn’t made of traditional wood, it doesn’t need oiling and is dishwasher-safe. However, we noticed a noticeable chemical odor after washing it, though Epicurean states on its website that this is normal and fades after a few washes.
While the smell was unpleasant initially, it wasn’t a dealbreaker. The paper composite material is sourced from Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certified forests, and the manufacturing process neutralizes the resin’s volatile organic compounds, making it safe.
This board features a perimeter groove, similar to many wooden boards, but its wider design is unique. It effectively captures juices, food scraps, and trimmings. Additionally, Epicurean offers customization options on their website, allowing you to add engraved text or graphics for a personalized touch.
Dimensions: 17.5 by 13 by 0.38 inches | Material: Paper composite | Grain: N/A
IMAGE: Mytour / Libby Nichols
IMAGE: Mytour / Libby Nichols
IMAGE: Mytour / Libby NicholsTop Budget Pick
Totally Bamboo 3-Piece Bamboo Cutting Board Set
IMAGE: AmazonThe wood is surprisingly durable and high-quality for the price.
It lacks grooves to collect liquids or juices.
For home cooks seeking an affordable upgrade from plastic, the Totally Bamboo 3-Piece Cutting Board Set offers excellent value, providing three boards for under $20. Despite its budget-friendly price, the quality impressed us. After weeks of use, the boards showed minimal signs of wear, likely because they’re crafted from the strongest section of the moso bamboo stalk.
While this set lacks some premium features due to its cost, such as juice grooves, we appreciated the practicality of the handles on the medium and large boards, which made moving ingredients and storage effortless. The smallest board, though handleless, proved handy for quick tasks, eliminating the need to use a larger board for small jobs.
Dimensions: 13 by 9.5 by 0.38 inches, 11 by 8.5 by 0.38 inches, and 8 by 6 by 0.38 inches | Material: Moso bamboo | Grain: Not specified
IMAGE: Mytour / Kelly Meehan Brown
IMAGE: Mytour / Kelly Meehan Brown
IMAGE: Mytour / Kelly Meehan BrownTop Non-Slip Pick
Farberware Nonslip Bamboo Cutting Board with Juice Groove
IMAGE: AmazonThe non-slip corner grips and substantial weight ensure the board stays firmly in place.
It tends to stain more easily compared to other wooden boards.
If you often use a kitchen towel to stabilize your cutting board, you’ll appreciate the Farberware Thick Non-Slip Bamboo Cutting Board. Its corners are reinforced with a durable, slip-resistant material that effectively prevents movement. The board’s heavier weight also contributes to its stability, keeping it securely anchored during use.
This cutting board includes a juice groove to collect liquids that might otherwise cause slipping. However, the non-slip grips and the board itself are susceptible to staining, especially if not cleaned promptly after use. Fortunately, it’s dishwasher-safe, and the grips can be removed to prevent food buildup underneath.
Dimensions: 14 by 11 by 0.6 inches | Material: Bamboo | Grain: Not specified
IMAGE: Mytour / Awa Dia
IMAGE: Mytour / Awa DiaTop Large Pick
John Boos Chop-N-Slice Maple Cutting Board
IMAGE: AmazonIts generous size and robust build make it ideal for handling large volumes of ingredients.
Cutting juicy meats can be messy since it lacks a juice groove.
The John Boos Chop-N-Slice Board offers ample space for preparing multiple ingredients at once without overcrowding. Measuring 20 by 15 inches, it provided more than enough room for us to chop and slice large items like bread loaves and watermelons without needing to clear space. The edge grain maple surface has a slight texture that keeps produce like carrots and tomatoes from sliding off.
At over an inch thick, this cutting board is both sturdy and durable, making it perfect for heavy-duty tasks without slipping. Despite its robust build, the wood is gentle on knives, showing no signs of dulling during our tests. The only challenge we faced was cutting juicy meats, as the absence of a juice groove made the process messier.
Dimensions: 20 by 15 by 1.25 inches | Material: NSF-certified northern hard rock maple | Grain: Closed, edge
IMAGE: Mytour / Katherine Gallagher
IMAGE: Mytour / Katherine Gallagher
IMAGE: Mytour / Katherine GallagherTop Butcher Block Pick
The Boardsmith Maple End-Grain Cutting Board
IMAGE: The BoardsmithIt’s handcrafted and constructed from premium-quality wood.
Many features are optional add-ons, which come at an additional cost.
Butcher blocks are built from multiple layers of hardwood, making them more durable and longer-lasting than standard wooden cutting boards.
The Boardsmith Maple End Grain Cutting Board is handcrafted using sustainably sourced, high-quality maple hardwood. We opted for all available customizations, including juice grooves, finger grooves, and feet. The feet were particularly useful, providing stability and preventing moisture buildup.
While this butcher block is heavy, the hand holds make it easier to maneuver when cleaning or transferring ingredients. Although customizations increase the cost, the exceptional craftsmanship and durability justify the investment.
Dimensions: 18 by 12 by 2 inches | Material: FSC-certified maple | Grain: Closed, end
IMAGE: Mytour / Riddley Schirm
IMAGE: Mytour / Riddley SchirmFinal Verdict
The Epicurean Gourmet Series Groove Cutting Board earns our top spot due to its innovative and functional design. While not traditional wood, it’s crafted from a durable, eco-friendly alternative that resists knife marks while staying lightweight. For a budget-friendly option, the Totally Bamboo 3-Piece Bamboo Cutting Board Set is an excellent choice, offering three high-quality boards with a premium feel.
Our Testing Process
We rigorously tested 10 wood cutting boards to evaluate their quality, feature utility, and overall value.
Our testing involved incorporating the boards into daily cooking routines, assessing their performance with diverse ingredients and knives. For instance, we minced garlic to check for odor retention after 30 minutes and evaluated whether odors remained post-washing, either by hand or in the dishwasher.
To test material durability, we sliced a loaf of bread with a serrated knife and inspected the boards for damage. Throughout the testing period, we ensured proper maintenance and drying to prevent warping, maintaining a consistent testing environment.
Mytour / Elise WangHow to Shop for Wood Cutting Boards Like a Pro
Size and Thickness
The perfect cutting board size depends on your cooking style. Larger boards are great for prepping multiple ingredients without needing to clear space, while smaller ones are easier to handle and clean, especially when transferring food to a pan.
Regarding thickness, Ashton recommends thicker boards for better durability against knife cuts. “Thinner boards are easier to handle and store,” he explains, “but they can warp or split if too thin.” If you choose a thinner board, ensure it’s made from a sturdy wood type to avoid these issues.
Wood Type
When selecting cutting boards, you’ll encounter options made from hardwood or softwood, which refers to the wood’s natural texture and density. Hardwoods like maple, walnut, and birch are ideal due to their durability and resistance to moisture. Softwoods such as cedar and spruce are more prone to deep knife marks, which can trap food particles.
Grain
Wood grain can be either closed or open. Think of grain like skin pores. “Closed-grained woods have small pores, making them better at preventing liquids from penetrating,” Ashton explains.
The terms edge grain and end grain describe how the cutting board is constructed, specifically which part of the wood forms the surface. End grain boards are made from the part of the wood where the tree trunk’s rings are visible, known as the end grain.
Edge grain cutting boards are constructed using the edge grain side, identifiable by its long, parallel lines. While end grain boards are more knife-friendly and durable, edge grain boards are less likely to warp and are more affordable.
Juice Canal
A juice canal is a groove around the edge of a cutting board designed to catch juices from ingredients, preventing spills on the board or counter. This feature is handy for juicy foods but may be unnecessary if you mainly cut dry items like bread or cheese.
Mytour / Elise WangMore to Consider
Epicurean Kitchen Series Cutting and Chopping Board: We appreciated this board for the same reasons as the Gourmet Series—its paper composite construction makes it lightweight, durable, and dishwasher-safe. However, the lack of additional features beyond a thumb hole made it feel overpriced for what it offers.
Our Place Walnut Cutting Board: This board’s standout feature is its stylish design, making it perfect for both cutting and serving. Walnut’s resistance to moisture and bacteria is another plus. However, the juice groove’s limited design (only on three edges) caused spills, making other options more appealing.
Questions You Might Ask
Which wood is the best for a cutting board?
Closed-grain hardwoods are the top choice for cutting boards due to their resistance to moisture absorption and bacteria buildup. Bamboo, though technically a grass, shares a dense texture with hardwood, making it another excellent option. While no single wood is definitively the best, our testing highlighted maple and bamboo, both of which appeared twice on our list.
Are wood cutting boards better than plastic?
Plastic cutting boards are popular for their affordability and dishwasher compatibility. However, wood outperforms plastic in several areas.
Wood’s natural texture is gentler on knife blades, preserving their sharpness longer. Plastic boards, in contrast, dull knives faster and can shed microplastics into food, making wood a safer option for food preparation.
How long do wood cutting boards last?
Wood cutting boards typically last between five to 10 years, but improper washing, drying, or oiling can shorten their lifespan. Exposure to heat and moisture can damage them over time, so hand washing is recommended, even for dishwasher-safe models.
Prompt drying is crucial, as prolonged moisture leads to warping and cracking. Oiling the wood is essential to maintain its moisture and protection. Ashton suggests oiling once or twice a month to maximize the board’s longevity.
Mytour / Katherine GallagherTake Our Word for It
This article was authored by Kalea Martin, a contributor to Mytour. To curate these recommendations, we rigorously tested and evaluated multiple wood cutting boards. For expert insights, we consulted Kevin Ashton, a seasoned chef with extensive experience in cooking and using wood cutting boards.
