Best Cutting Boards: Wood vs Plastic

From the kitchen: A beaver is, professionally speaking, a wood expert. So when a delivery of brand-new wooden boards arrived, Gerzsi inspected each one very closely. Very closely. By lunchtime one of them had a suspicious half-moon bite out of the corner, and the kitchen had a new rule: “Apprentices do not taste the equipment.” He still says it was quality control.

Your cutting board decides how safe and comfortable your prep is, and how long your knife stays sharp. Yet most home kitchens have a board that’s too small, slides around, or quietly dulls the knife. Sometimes all three. Here’s what matters, what Chef Tamás uses, and which boards independent testers rate best.

The three boards at a glance

Board	Price range	Tested by	Size and weight (ATK)
Teakhaus Edge Grain XL (wood) · Check on Amazon	$100–200	ATK winner, wood boards	18 × 24 × 1.5 in, 15 lb, reversible
Winco Statik Board (plastic) · Check on Amazon	$25–50	ATK winner, large plastic boards	15 × 20 × ½ in, 4 lb 14 oz, rubber grips
OXO Good Grips Carving and Cutting Board (plastic) · Check on Amazon	Under $25	ATK Best Buy (lightweight)	15 × 20 in, 3 lb 1 oz, juice groove

ATK = America’s Test Kitchen. Prices change often; tap “Check on Amazon” for today’s price. Teakhaus calls this 24 × 18 in size “L” on its own site; ATK calls it XL.

What matters in a cutting board

Chef Tamás’s note: Three things, in this order. It must not slip. It must be kind to your knife. And it must be big, bigger than you think you need.

Wood vs plastic: what Chef Tamás has learned in professional kitchens

Tamás’s kitchen uses both: color-coded plastic boards and wooden end-grain and edge-grain boards. Each has a clear job.

Plastic

• The good: hygienic and dishwasher-safe. In professional kitchens, color coding means raw meat never shares a board with salad, which prevents cross-contamination.
• The bad: it scores over time, and deeply scored boards need replacing. Thin boards warp.

Wood

• The good: kind to your knife edge, and a good heavy board is rock-stable.
• The bad: it needs care. You have to oil it, and the dishwasher will ruin it. (Also, beavers may try to eat it.)

Chef Tamás’s note: If you only have room for one board at home, get one big wooden board.

Best wooden board: Teakhaus Edge Grain (XL)

What the testers say: America’s Test Kitchen named it the winner of its wood and bamboo board test. At 18 × 24 inches it gives plenty of workspace, and at about 15 lb it’s heavy enough to stay stable without being too hard to lift. Teak’s natural oils help it resist stains and warping. It needed the least oil of any board they tested, and it’s reversible (America’s Test Kitchen).

One caveat from the testers: teak contains tiny silica particles that may dull knives slightly faster than softer woods, though the effect is minimal in everyday home use (America’s Test Kitchen). Gerzsi’s professional opinion as a beaver: teak is also far too hard to nibble, which is probably for the best.

• Good for: anyone who cooks most days and has the counter space.
• Skip if: you need to lift it into a small sink often, or want something dishwasher-safe.

Best plastic board: Winco Statik Board 15″ × 20″

What the testers say: It won America’s Test Kitchen’s large plastic board test. Four rubberized grips kept it rock-solid, its half-inch thickness resisted warping even after 50 dishwasher cycles, and stains and odors washed out (America’s Test Kitchen).

Chef Tamás’s note: This is the kind of heavy-duty restaurant plastic board Tamás works with every day. Thickness matters, because thin plastic boards warp.

Lightweight plastic pick: OXO Good Grips Carving and Cutting Board

What the testers say: America’s Test Kitchen’s Best Buy in the same test. At just over 3 lb it’s the easiest to handle, and it has a juice groove for carving. The trade-off is that it’s thinner, so it bounced slightly during vigorous chopping, could slip occasionally, and temporarily bowed under hot water before returning to shape (America’s Test Kitchen).

Good for: anyone who wants a light board that’s easy to lift, with a juice groove for carving. Not for: vigorous chopping, since the thinner board can bounce and slip.

3 tricks Chef Tamás passes on to every home cook

1. Put a damp towel underneath. A board that slides is dangerous. Gerzsi once chased a runaway board and half an onion across the whole prep table. A damp cloth or paper towel under it fixes that instantly.
2. Buy bigger than you think. A cramped board slows you down and pushes food onto the counter. Beavers build big. So should your board.
3. Replace deeply scored boards. Deep cuts are hard to clean properly. (Bite marks count too.)

Caring for a wooden board

America’s Test Kitchen’s advice: wash by hand, never in the dishwasher; stand the board on its edge to dry evenly; and rub it with mineral oil regularly to keep it water-resistant (America’s Test Kitchen).

A good board deserves a good knife. See Chef Tamás’s picks for the best chef’s knives under $100 and how to keep a knife sharp.

The bottom line

For most home cooks, one big wooden board is the best buy, and the Teakhaus Edge Grain XL is the tested winner. If you want something you can put in the dishwasher, the thick Winco plastic board is the one that stayed flat and stable in testing. Chop on it and oil it now and then. Just don’t bite it.

Chef-picked. Beaver-approved.

Sources

• America’s Test Kitchen: The Best Wood and Bamboo Cutting Boards
• America’s Test Kitchen: The Best Large Plastic Cutting Boards
• Teakhaus: Edge Grain 24 × 18 board
• RestaurantSupply: Winco CBN-1520WT price
• Home Depot: OXO Good Grips Carving and Cutting Board