Product photos come from the original SARACEN gallery. The additional illustrative images in the text were created using AI.
In brief: A hardwood cutting board, such as walnut, maple, or beech, is gentlest on the edge. Plastic is the second-best choice and the only edge-friendly material that can go in the dishwasher. Bamboo is less gentle on the edge, while glass, stone, and marble damage it. Wood also stands up well in terms of hygiene: in a study by Dean Cliver at the University of Wisconsin (1994), bacteria applied to wood in ordinary amounts soaked into the fibers within minutes and could no longer be recovered from the surface, while they survived on new plastic.
Article contents
Why the cutting board matters
A knife gets dull mainly from the cutting board. With every cut, the edge reaches the board, and the thin edge presses against it with the full force of your hand. If the board is very hard, the edge gets slightly damaged with every impact. Softer steel bends, while hard steel is more likely to chip.
You’ll notice it sooner with hard knives. SARACEN® knives with a Damascus blade have a hardness of 60 ± 2 HRC and a 20° sharpened edge, so they stay sharp for a long time. But even their thin edge can quickly be damaged on glass or stone. Your choice of cutting board affects how often you’ll need to sharpen your knife (see the article How to sharpen a knife on a sharpening stone).
Material comparison
This last group also includes plates. The glaze is hard and has no give, so the thin edge takes the full impact. Cutting on a plate is one of the worst things you can do to a blade.
From left: wood, plastic, bamboo, and glass. Illustrative image created using AI.
Wood: type and cut
Hardwood boards with a fine grain are ideal: walnut, maple, beech, or cherry. They’re hard enough to keep the board from getting chopped up after a few weeks, while still being gentle on the edge. Soft conifers such as spruce or pine are too soft for a cutting board and release resin.
Wood hardness is measured using the Janka test, which measures the force needed to press a 11.28 mm-diameter steel ball halfway into the wood. According to The Wood Database, black walnut has a rating of 5,410 N and sugar maple 6,450 N. Both are moderately hard hardwoods, which is why they’re so popular for cutting boards.
The way the wood is cut also matters. With a lengthwise cut, the fibers lie flat and the blade leaves marks in them. With an end cut, known as end grain, the fibers point upward like brush bristles. The blade slips between them and the fibers close again behind it, making this the gentlest type of board on knives. End-grain boards are more expensive, though, and absorb more water, so they need more frequent oiling.
SARACEN® Cutting Board is made from 40 mm-thick solid walnut and manufactured in Slovakia. Solid wood can be sanded down after years of use, removing cutting marks. The board comes in two sizes: 350 × 250 mm for CZK 1,390 and 500 × 400 mm for CZK 2,390.
Is wood hygienic? What the studies say
For a long time, plastic was considered more hygienic because it doesn’t absorb liquids. The U.S. Department of Agriculture recommended it for home use, even though, according to microbiologist Dean O. Cliver, it had no scientific evidence to support the recommendation. Cliver, from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, originally just wanted to find out the best way to disinfect wooden cutting boards, but came across an unexpected result.
A study he published with colleagues in 1994 in the Journal of Food Protection showed that bacteria such as salmonella, listeria, or E. coli applied to wood in typical quantities soaked into the fibers within a few minutes and could no longer be recovered from the surface. On new plastic, they survived, even though the plastic was easy to wash and disinfect. Scratched plastic could not be reliably cleaned by hand, and the scientists recovered more bacteria from it than from used wood.
A 2016 review by Aviat and colleagues in the journal Comprehensive Reviews in Food Science and Food Safety reached a similar conclusion: wood’s porosity doesn’t compromise its hygiene. For home use, the takeaway is simple: a wooden cutting board is safe if you wash it after cutting, dry it, and let it air-dry. Wood left sitting in a puddle loses its advantage.
It makes sense to use two cutting boards: one for raw meat and one for vegetables that won’t be cooked. The reason is the risk of bacteria transferring from raw meat to food that won’t be heat-treated, and that risk applies to every material.
Plastic and microplastics
Plastic cutting boards have another drawback that was discovered recently. In 2023, a team led by Syeed Md Iskander of North Dakota State University estimated in the journal Environmental Science & Technology that cutting on a polyethylene board could expose a person to 14 to 71 million microplastic particles per year, and around 79 million for polypropylene.
For completeness: wooden cutting boards in the same study released 4× to 22× more microparticles, but these were wood fibers, not plastic. In tests on mouse cells, moreover, the released particles had no significant effect on cell survival. Microplastics are therefore more of an additional reason than the main argument for wood.
Bacteria collect in the grooves, and tiny particles are released from the plastic during cutting. Illustrative image generated using AI.
How large a cutting board should be
A cutting board should be larger than most people think. For everyday cooking, at least 35 × 25 cm is a good size, so there is room for chopped vegetables and still space to cut. For larger cuts of meat, cutting pumpkin, or cooking for more people, 50 × 40 cm is better.
A thickness of around 3–4 cm gives the board enough weight to stay put on the counter and resist warping. If it still slips, place a damp cloth underneath.
Caring for a wooden cutting board
- Wash it by hand with warm water and a little dish soap, then dry it immediately. A dishwasher dries out the wood, causing it to crack and warp.
- Do not leave it sitting in water or in the sink.
- Dry it upright so air can reach both sides. If it dries on only one side, it warps.
- Every few weeks, or when the wood looks dry, coat it with food-safe oil and let the oil soak in overnight. Oil keeps the wood from drying out and cracking. Do not use olive or sunflower oil; they go rancid over time.
- Remove onion or garlic odors with a lemon sprinkled with salt. Rub it over the surface, leave it for a while, then rinse.
When to replace a cutting board
A cutting board should be replaced when it has deep grooves that cannot be cleaned, cracks, a lingering odor, or has warped and wobbles on the counter. Always replace a plastic cutting board with deep grooves. A solid wood cutting board can be sanded and oiled again.
Frequently asked questions
What cutting board is best for knives?
A board made of hardwood, such as walnut, maple, or beech. It’s the gentlest on knife edges and hygienic. Plastic is the next-best choice and the only knife-friendly material that can go in the dishwasher.
Is a wooden cutting board hygienic?
Yes, if you wash it after use and let it dry. In a 1994 study by Dean Cliver, bacteria applied to wood in ordinary amounts soaked into the fibers within a few minutes and could no longer be recovered from the surface, while they survived on new plastic.
Why shouldn’t you use a glass cutting board?
Because glass is hard and doesn’t give at all, the thin blade edge takes the full impact. It bends or chips against the glass, making the knife dull much faster. The same applies to stone, marble, and plates.
Is a bamboo cutting board good for knives?
It’s a compromise. Bamboo is inexpensive and durable, but bamboo boards are made by gluing together many strips and are less gentle on knife edges than walnut or maple. If your main concern is your knives, choose a hardwood board.
Do plastic cutting boards release microplastics?
Yes. A 2023 study published in Environmental Science & Technology estimated that chopping on a polyethylene cutting board could expose a person to 14 to 71 million microplastic particles a year, and around 79 million with polypropylene.
How often should I oil a wooden cutting board?
About once every few weeks, or when the wood looks dry. Use food-safe oil and let it soak in overnight. Cooking oils like olive oil go rancid over time.
What kind of cutting board should I use for raw meat?
Use a separate board that you don’t use to chop vegetables or bread. Plastic is practical because it’s dishwasher-safe, but well-washed and dried wood works just as well.
What size cutting board do I need?
At least 35 × 25 cm for everyday cooking, and 50 × 40 cm for meat, squash, or cooking for several people. A smaller board feels cramped, and chopped ingredients quickly take up all the space.
The blade mainly gets dull against the cutting board, so your choice of board affects how often you’ll need to sharpen it. A solid hardwood board about 4 cm thick, washed and dried after chopping and oiled occasionally, will last for years and is the gentlest on knives of all common materials.