So for years I’ve used thin plastic cutting boards. Light, easy to use, you can bend them to make a channel to pour the diced stuff in a bowl, easy to clean.
Then my younger son comes home from college this past Summer, and he likes to cook. He tells me “dad, you shouldn’t use plastic cutting boards because the cutting action creates microplastics that end up in your food”. I say, “eh, not too worried”. He says, “at least don’t scrape food off across the board with the knife edge-- use the back of the knife” which I did start doing. He bought a wooden cutting board for himself, but he only used it for vegetables-- he’d cut meat on a paper plate or something similar, since he said it’s hard to clean raw meat contamination out of a wood board. So it seems wood is not ideal either.
I continued using my plastic boards, which I cut meat on only after cutting up all vegetables first, to avoid contamination. But I do think about the microplastics, and wondering if there’s a better material than plastic or wood. I saw a YT ad for titanium cutting boards, but that seems like an expensive gimmick that will quickly dull knife blades.
Some think it’s a bit snobbish (not me), but I use an (actually two different sizes) end grain maple from Boardsmith. The end grain is supposedly much better for the knives.
I have lots of plastic boards, so I never use one for meat and then vegetables. They all get well cleaned. Ikea used to have excellent ones, but that was years ago. The ones they had the last few times I went, also years ago, were terrible.
We also have a thicker plastic one with a canal around the edges for cutting meat that has juices, but that is not for everyday. The only wooden one is for bread only.
I use a giant, round, chinese cutting board made of synthetic rubber.
Similar to this one:
Note it wasn’t nearly that expensive for me - I got it from the restaurant supply section of my local Chinese grocery store for around $80, IIRC. It’s large, heavy, and easy on knife blades. Since it’s rubber, no microplastic concerns, and also easy to clean and disinfect without worrying about eventual water damage as you would for wood.
I have several wooden boards. I’ve never had one damaged by washing, and I oil them occasionally. If my knives dull, I sharpen them. One board is for cutting alliums.
We have a couple of plastic boards. I don’t use them, but my.lovely wife likes to keep them around for her occasional use. We generally reduce plastic use in the kitchen and don’t heat plastics.
I recently replaced our well used Epicurean wood-composite cutting boards with some quality plastic ones. I also have a bamboo board that doubles as a charcuterie board, and a large wooden carving board.
This.
I saw an episcope of Shark Tank one time where a gentleman was promoting a wood cutting board. The Sharks passed. Lori said plastic was more sanitary. The gentleman said studies proved otherwise, to which Lori replied, “I don’t believe you”.
So I looked it up, “Wood cutting boards are generally considered safer than plastic because they have natural antibacterial properties that kill bacteria over time, while plastic boards can develop grooves where bacteria can thrive and multiply. However, proper cleaning is essential for both types.”
Regardless, I have used my favorite wooden board for an untold number of years with no issues. I would not be afraid of microplastics (especially at my age) but I don’t like the feel of plastic and I do like the feel of wood.
I have a plastic one that I use a lot because it’s small, and some wood ones that I rarely use because they’re a bit warped. But for doing some serious cooking, our main cutting board is glass. I don’t know of any drawbacks, except that it breaks if you drop it.
I use plastic. I know what the studies say about wood cutting boards being safe, but I’m not comfortable with it. The mental image of raw bacteria-laden chicken liquids soaking in and hopefully becoming disinfected before I use it for cutting something else is not something I can ignore. And I spent too many years working in restaurant kitchens to ever want to bleach a cutting board again. I can run the plastic ones through the dishwasher if needed. They’re inexpensive enough that when the scratches get too deep, I can easily replace them.
While it is true that using plastic (typically UHMW polyethylene) surfaces for cutting and chopping food generates microplastic residues, you are also getting this in any meat that you consume (especially seafood) because of how pervasive they are in the environment. Unless you are growing all of your own food which is being watered with RO filtered water, you are getting a dose of microplastics and phthalates in your diet.
Both wood and plastic cutting boards can harbor pathogenic bacteria in scratches and gouges in the material. Wood (and bamboo) has natural tannins and oxalates that will help to limit growth of small amounts of microorganisms while bacteria can survive on most plastics indefinitely. Removing all food residue, washing in soapy water, and an optional rinse with dish disinfectant will reduce most non-spore bacteriopathogens and any viruses to a background environment level. You obviously don’t want to use bleach on wood (because it will impart flavor) or run them through the dishwasher so UHMW boards are required in commercial cooking facilities to meet health & sanitation requirements but they are perfectly fine for home cooking use including with meat and fish. Also, it should be noted that most wooden cutting boards are actually composites, and the waterproof adhesive which durably binds them together is some form of polymer, so cutting on a composite wood or bamboo cutting board is also releasing ‘microplastics’ and curatives.
Because tempered glass is as hard or harder than the steel used in kitchen knives, it will quickly dull the blade if the edge is pressed into it with any force. Tempered glass is fine as a working surface because it is easily cleaned (although as you note, it can shatter which would require clearing and cleaning the entire work area) but for actually chopping a compliant (soft) hygienic surface to protect the edge of the knife from excessive dulling or blunting.
Understood. I’m thinking that maybe I should try avoiding microplastics where I can, since I’m already most likely already getting plenty of microplastics in my environment as it is.
About 35 years ago (yikes, has it been that long?), I invested in a free standing, well constructed maple butcher block. It was expensive, but it has been the focal point of 2 kitchens in that time. I use it daily and I can’t imagine meal prep without it.
I kind of use different quadrants of the block for different chopping tasks, veg in one part, meat in another. I clean it well each day with hot soapy water and oil it periodically. That’s it. Never made anyone sick. I am a hearty endorser of wood.
I used to use plastics but have been reducing microplastics in my diet, so the board needed to go. I have a collection of wood and bamboo boards now to chose from. I chose them based on size, and if the channel is needed.
I live where it’s so dry not even Jeeps will rust. All my wooden boards split after too short of time. So, I get the plastic ones and put them next to the 5 3” x 18” wooden ones. They rock for cutting single stalks of celery.
I have a number of cutting/charcuterie boards. The one I seem to use the most is a small wooden one that has a map of Oregon etched into one side. Our realtor gave it to us as a housewarming gift. The counter space in this kitchen is very small, so it works well for a lot of chores. I have a very large wooden board for large tasks. I often end up using it at the table because of the aforementioned counter deficit. I have a black plastic one that gets some use, though not as much as it used to. Then there is a very nice handmade charcuterie board which gets used rarely. I had a large board that I made, but gave it to my daughter. There is also a very small board that I find useless, but the wife uses it sometimes. Lastly, there is the Giant Charcuterie Board (GCB) that I made that is the same size as the ottoman. We use it rarely when we have guests and snacks to serve.
