Perhaps already you've read my Expert Guide to Cutting Boards and are ready to choose a board? If so, this article is the perfect next step to broaden the scope of plastic boards and butcher’s blocks while offering new information on serving boards. Because each board style requires unique instructions and precautions, I’ll briefly cover maintenance and best practices to help you decide on the best cutting boards for your kitchen counter.

Butchers’ Blocks: Masterpieces of Functionality and Craftsmanship

The culinary history of the butcher’s block extends back centuries, thanks to its enduring function and durability. Originally used exclusively by chefs and butchers, the thick and elegant construction of these boards is now celebrated by passionate home cooks across the world. In this section, I’ll cover some of the main types of wood and the main features you can commonly find in high-quality butcher blocks.

Types of Wood Used

The use of premium hardwoods is what leads to the heft and density of any butcher’s block. Most commonly, blocks are made with walnut, but they can also be found in cherry, teak, and maple. Bamboo and acacia wood are likewise common and sometimes used in knife blocks, so this could be a good option if you want all the wood tones in your kitchen to match.

Maple cutting boards tend to offer the most strength (marginally better), Walnut offers rich color, cherry has warmer tones that suit any modern kitchen, and teak has some natural moisture resistance. Softwoods like pine and birch have large pores and aren’t great for use as cutting boards.

Advantages of Butchers’ Blocks

No matter what type of wood is used, the best butcher blocks today will be constructed using bonded sections of end-grain or edge-grain wood (most commonly resulting in an attractive checkerboard pattern). Typically, end grain will be more durable and easier on your knife blade when chopping, and it has a moisture-wicking ability that can draw harmful bacteria away from your food and into the cutting board, where it will go to die. Here’s a quick video to explain it in a little more detail.

Edge-grain boards, on the other hand, are lower in cost and will lack the durability (more knife marks and slices in the wood for sure), knife protection, and moisture-wicking features of an end-grain board, but they are still a great option overall.

Maintenance and Care

Butcher blocks and any wooden cutting board require regular care and maintenance to remain in an ideal condition. Between daily cleaning with mild soap and limiting their exposure to moisture, heat, and sunlight, there’s a handful of important tips to consider. Our Curated Kitchen Expert Clark G. wrote up an article that covers all these tips in full detail: How to Clean your Wooden Cutting Board.

Most Recommended Butcher Blocks and Wooden Cutting Boards

Below is a list of my five most recommended wooden cutting boards. Each of these hits a different niche and has unique features from the others, including storage trays, folding hinges, magnetic inlays, or included knives and sharpeners. From top-tier, end-grain walnut slabs to compact and lightweight bamboo starter sets, this list has a little bit of something for everyone.

Viking Acacia 20-Inch Reversible Butcher Block

This board is fun because it is large enough to handle big, juicy ingredients on one side and has trays on the other side that can help keep chopped ingredients separated. For some, this might be unnecessary. For others, it’s a simple and helpful design. Made with acacia hardwood, this design is perfect for passionate cooks who are maximizing space in a small kitchen.

Cangshan End-Grain Walnut Butcher Block

This butcher’s block features a beautiful end-grain construction and is available in a few different sizes, from medium to large. It is my absolute first choice in value, aesthetics, and quality.

Zwilling Four Star 5-Piece Knife & Cutting Board Set

Perfect for anyone with a smaller kitchen or just selecting their first kitchen tools, Zwilling Four Star knives are decently mid-range and, with the provided knife sharpener, can remain useful for a long while. The bamboo cutting board is durable and perfect for beginners while providing the wooden aesthetic that inspires the kitchen. This set also makes a great gift for enthusiastic new cooks!

Traeger Magnetic Bamboo Cutting Board

Perfect for folks with less counter space and a smaller budget, the Traeger board is made with durable, long-grain bamboo and has inset magnets that allow you to store it on any magnetic surface, like the side of a fridge.

Joseph Joseph Chop2Pot Large Bamboo Cutting Board

Innovative and affordable, this long-grain bamboo board is intended to go mobile in your kitchen, allowing easy delivery of freshly chopped ingredients straight to your cookware with a hinge in the center of the board that allows for partial folding into a convenient pour spout. The board uses a silicone hinge that is easy to sanitize and includes non-slip feet for stable cutting.

Plastic Cutting Boards: The Modern Blend of Practicality and Hygiene

While I’m not a fan of plastic cutting boards because of the known risk of introducing microplastics into your foods, I do still love keeping at least one with juice grooves and rubber handles for the messiest projects (mine is OXO). I’ll cover those reasons below.

Material Varieties

There are a couple of main types of plastic cutting boards, and they have unique benefits and drawbacks. Polyethylene and polypropylene are the most common options. Here are their main defining aspects:

• Polyethylene (HDPE): A high-density and durable plastic often used in lower-cost plastic cutting boards. It has a lower heat limit than HDPP but is typically safe for placing in a dishwasher. This cutting board material typically will scratch easier than HDPP.
• Polypropylene (HDPP): This material is slightly more durable than HDPE because of its higher heat resistance and is used in many types of food-safe packaging. It tends to be slightly more expensive, but overall any plastic cutting board is going to be cost-effective.

Hygiene and Safety

The primary reason to get a plastic cutting board is the ease of maintenance and sanitization. Below I’ll make a couple recommendations that check all these boxes:

• Nonporous Surface: While the surface of plastic cutting boards will degrade with time and become covered in gouges from knives, when new, they have low porosity and a reduced risk of taking on bacterial contamination or permanent stains.
• Easy Cleaning: Because they are typically dishwasher-safe, you can leave them in your sink for later and hit them with all the Dawn soap you want. You shouldn’t have to worry about the board warping or taking damage this way.
• Color-Coded Options: In the kitchens I used to work for, we’d have multiple colored boards for different types of ingredients to help avoid cross-contamination of flavors or even harmful bacteria. It’s not a requirement, but it can be helpful if you’re inclined to need that organization.

Most Recommended Plastic Cutting Boards

Here are four different plastic cutting board options that hit all the marks. The top three in the list are multi-piece sets — each features slightly different dimensions and storage options (and one set includes knives), while the last option is an extra-large carving board.

Joseph Joseph Folio Steel 4-Piece Cutting Board Set

This large four-piece set has a unique trim color for each board to help you avoid cross-contamination. It also features an easy-to clean and nonporous textured surface with rubberized feet. These boards are simple, affordable, and store compactly into the included metal folio (available in four different colors).

Joseph Joseph Nest Boards With Knife Set

This set is perfect for new cooks (first-time college students?) who need an easy, compact cutting board and knife storage situation. While the knives themselves are fairly low end, they are durable and can remain sharp with proper care. The cutting boards are color coded and nonporous to prevent cross contamination, and all of it fits together in the storage stand.

Joseph Joseph Nest Chop Set of 3 Cutting Boards

What might appear for some as an odd design will for others feel simple and practical. The asymmetrical design of these cutting boards encourages easy transfer of ingredients from the board to skillet or stockpot. This rolled edge also makes for easy nesting of the boards to vertically store them against a wall on the back of the kitchen counter.

Joseph Joseph Cut & Carve Plus Extra Large

Large, lightweight, and feature-rich, this carving board is thoughtfully designed with an angled cutting surface that collects juices next to easy-pour corners. Reversible with non-slip edges, one side features a gripped cutting area for secure carving, while the other side is smooth for regular chopping.

Serving Boards: Where Style Meets Substance

Serving boards are intended for visual appeal and function like a serving platter at the table. Typically, they are not used in the actual process of cutting and preparing raw and uncooked ingredients. It’s actually the case with some serving boards that you could damage a chef’s knife on the surface, but I’ll go more into that below.

Design and Aesthetics

Intended to enhance visual appeal in the presentation of tasty ingredients, serving boards have a few more material options than what you might find in a standard meal-prep cutting board. With that comes some unique benefits and drawbacks:

• Wood: A full wooden serving board is often very similar to any regular wood cutting board and could potentially be used in that way, but what might differ is the shape. Typically, there’s a handle or large grip for easy transportation between the kitchen and dining table.
• Marble: Full marble serving boards are elegant, heavy, intended exclusively for presentation, and should not be used with any kitchen knife as the marble will rapidly dull the blade. Marble is a nonporous surface, and this helps with cleaning as well as providing a nonstick quality, which can be great for prepping baked goods or when serving sticky items like soft cheese. Note: Marble is relatively fragile and needs to be handled with care.
• Mixed Materials: Many serving boards offer a blend of these two materials because the contrast between the two enhances the texture of a meal and complements the different ingredients placed on the board. For example, bread might be placed on the wooden side, while charcuterie meats and cheeses could be placed on the marble.

Cleaning and Maintenance

Maintenance for wooden or marble serving boards follows the same list as the wooden cutting boards. Remember that marble will chip or crack when dropped or impacted on other hard surfaces.

Most Recommended Serving Boards

From elegant wood and marble slabs perfect for charcuterie to long-handled pizza boards that go from oven to table, the four options below are my top choices for serving meals on a board to give that open and inviting “help-yourself” vibe to the dinner table.

Anolon Teak and Marble Cutting Board

The combination of long-grain teak and marble with the paddle-style handle makes this a fun and eye-catching serving board. The counter-friendly design makes it suitable for some prep tasks as well (just make sure not to cut on the marble!)

Anolon Marble and Teakwood Round Serving Board

Strictly for serving, this elegant 10-inch, round marble board has a strip of wood to offer visual contrast to any plating. The nonstick marble is perfect for sticky cheeses and oily cured meats. Plus, it’s easy to wipe clean with warm, soapy water.

Viking 22-Inch Olive Wood Serving Paddle Board with Bark Edge

Versatile from the kitchen to the table, this olive wood board has a large area suitable for preparing foods and, when you’re ready, offers ease of use with the large handle and aesthetic appeal with the exposed bark edge. Perfect for single-plate charcuterie!

Ooni Bamboo Pizza Peel and Serving Board

If you love cooking pizza at home, then there’s nothing more simple and fun than a pizza serving board to make the experience safe, easy, and presentable. With a tapered edge, the board slides under the pizza crust, making for an easy retrieval or rotation within the oven. When you’re ready to serve, the board is available in 12- and 14-inch variations that are welcome right on the dinner table.

Choosing the Perfect Cutting Board for You

I hope this article gave you some additional direction and understanding about what kind of cutting and serving boards are most suitable for your countertops or dinner table. In case you’re still looking, please feel free to reach out to have a chat with me or one of the other Curated Kitchen Experts. We will put together a short list of recommendations based on your needs and preferences.