Almost everyone owns a cutting board. And if you don’t then you really should get one. Cutting boards make all sorts of food prep easier.
Instead of cutting on your kitchen table, or cutting vegetables and fruits on plates, you can use a stable and solid cutting board.
(a quick note…cutting on a plate is dangerous as it can result in a knife slip).
Cutting boards come in all sorts of shapes, and a few different materials. The sheer number of cutting boards that you can find online make it very difficult to choose which is the best, and more importantly, which cutting board is the healthiest.
And this is an important thing to remember. There are cutting boards that aren’t healthy. There are cutting boards that are made from toxic materials and sold online and sadly people buy them because they are so cheap.
What I’ve set out to do here is give you the information on how to choose the healthiest cutting board for your home.
We’ll look at:
- Material: Wood vs Plastic
- Country : China vs USA Made
- Type of Wood
- Cutting Board Care
Why Wood is Better than Plastic
The first question of course that you’re likely to run into is which type of material your cutting board should be. And there are really only two choices: wood or plastic.
As a general rule, wood is better. But there’s a catch. If you buy a cheaply made wood cutting boards, then it’ll be worse in many cases that a well made plastic board.
The reason has to do with the way in which wooden boards are made. They are glued. And if the company who made wooden cutting boards skimped on the production and ended up using either a toxic glue, or didn’t use high grade wood, then you’re going to have that toxic glue seeping into your food.
So, while it sounds good to say, always buy a wood cutting board, it’s simply not true. You can’t do this and rest easy.
Plastic cutting boards are not as good as well made wooden cutting boards, but a good plastic cutting board is better than a sloppy and cheaply made wooden cutting board.
Why? Because not all plastics are as toxic as you’d think. There are some high grade plastics that are resistant to scratches, don’t leach toxic chemicals, and are simply pretty durable.
The problem comes when you buy a cheap plastic cutting board. They will leach chemicals, they will get scratched up, and overall they are going to be a mess.
I’m going to discuss the best cutting boards later in this article. They’re the healthiest as well. The only issue is that they are a bit pricey. So, if it’s not possible to buy one of them, sometimes I would suggest to get the best plastic board or a well made foreign wood board.
Why Material Matters—Cutting Board Material Basics
Here’s the deal. Plastic is never going to be as good or as healthy as wood. But not all wood is healthy.
When you are buying a cutting board, and you want one that’s healthy, then wood should be your first go to search.
The problem is that this is sort of well known in the advertising world, so almost all manufacturers who want to target health conscious consumers. So, you’re going to see a ton of wooden cutting boards.
And anytime there is profit in the mix, you need to be clear that you’re not always going to get a good product.
So, not all wooden cutting boards are top notch. Again, I caution against buying a cheap wooden cutting boards because they are most likely poorly made. They are not going to have the craftsmanship necessary to keep the board from falling apart.
Cheap wooden cutting boards are simply a risk to use. The wood might be treated with chemicals, the glue and the joinery might be sloppy, causing a leakage, and all other sorts of problems might arise.
So, in order of best to worst, here’s my thoughts:
- High Quality USA Made Wooden Cutting Board
- Certified Chemical Free Cutting Board (non- USA made)
- BPA Free Cutting Board
Avoid Cutting Boards Made in China
The main tip I have for everyone is to avoid, if possible, cutting boards made in China. It’s the same reasoning that I suggest people get protein powders made in the USA and only buy vitamins from suppliers who make their products in the USA.
China has a history of making toxic products. Everything from cat food and dog good (and thousands of animals were sickened and died because of it) to toxic levels of lead in baby food and baby formula, and toxic levels of lead in vitamins.
So, stay clear of anything made in China.
This is why I suggest everyone goes ahead and buys American made cutting boards.
The problem is that most cutting boards are made in China (the labor is cheap —and most people who turn a circle eye towards it suggest forced or slave labor). Even large brands are using Chinese sweatshops to produce their products.
There are some stellar brands of USA made goods (I’ll discuss them in details below). And the price isn’t too much more than a safe Chinese made cutting board. When you realize that a Chinese made cutting board that is properly monitored and reviewed for safety is going to cost you like 50 bucks, you might as well get a well made American cutting board by a company that doesn’t have any red flags and you can trust.
Where To Find American Made USA Cutting Boards
Sadly, there are only a few locations and independent companies that make cutting boards. But, they are established and well made.
The main companies that I like to suggest people look at are:
- Virginia Boys
- John Boo
- Sonder
- Hess Woodworks
These are all American made wood cutting boards that are excellent choices for anyone looking for a healthy cutting board.
They are also really good for the simple act of cutting fruits and vegetables— even if they are marketed as cutting boards for steaks. As a vegetarian, I’m not a fan of cutting meat obviously, but these boards do double time for vegans and vegetarians who are looking for solid cutting boards.
Wood. And more precisely, wood that has not been chemically treated to prevent it’s warping.
When you buy a good cutting board, it’s important to not just buy a “wood cutting board”. That’s not going to land you anything besides a cutting board that is just a wooden board.
You’re going to want to choose a wooden cutting board that is American made, or at least one that is highly regulated and supervised if it’s coming from somewhere like China.
Also, there are decent plastic (synthetic) cutting boards, and I’ll list the ones I think are the best.
But as a rule, just follow this dictum:
America Made Wood Cutting Boards are the Best and Healthiest Cutting Boards