The Best Cutting Boards
Verified by
Ryan V. Editor-in-Chief
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The Teakhaus Extra-Large Professional is the board to buy if you only buy one. America's Test Kitchen has named this edge-grain teak board its best wood pick every year since 2013, and in Prudent Reviews' head-to-head of nine top boards it was the clear winner for a one-board kitchen.
The testing explains why. In Prudent Reviews' BESS sharpness test it took 2nd place, so it treats your knives gently, and it also placed 2nd for chopping noise because the thick teak dampens sound and feels soft under the blade. Teak's natural oil content makes it shrug off moisture and stains: it came through the beet and chipotle test without a mark.
There is real substance here too. At 24 by 18 inches and roughly 15 pounds, it gives you a huge, heavy work surface that stays planted, and it costs among the least per square inch of any premium wood board. For a serious cook who wants a quiet, knife-friendly, microplastic-free surface that lasts for decades, nothing else in the test made a stronger case.
What It Won't Do
It asks for care and it is heavy. There are no rubber feet, so despite the weight it can slide a little on a bare counter. It held a noticeable garlic odor even after washing. And like every hardwood board it cannot go in the dishwasher and needs routine mineral-oil treatment to keep it from drying out and cracking, which is a real commitment if you would rather not think about board maintenance.
The OXO Good Grips Utility board proves you do not need to spend much to protect your knives. It usually costs under 25 dollars, yet it took 1st place in Prudent Reviews' sharpness test, with the smallest edge loss of any board after 600 heavy cuts (the knife went from 407 to 425 on the BESS scale, a tiny drop). Major culinary authorities including America's Test Kitchen, Serious Eats, and The New York Times all recommend it.
It is also the easiest board to live with. It is light, has non-slip rubber feet on both sides plus a juice groove, and it stayed free of both beet stains and garlic odor. Best of all it is fully dishwasher safe, which turns out to matter for more than convenience.
That dishwasher matters for safety. The Home Admin's raw-chicken test found that a hand-washed plastic board harbored the most bacteria of any board after a week, because germs survive deep in plastic knife scars. A hot dishwasher cycle solves that completely, so the OXO is genuinely hygienic as long as you own a dishwasher.
What It Won't Do
Plastic sheds. Heavy chopping shaves off microplastic dust that ends up in your food, and researchers estimate heavy plastic-board users can ingest up to 50 grams of plastic a year. It is also one of the louder boards, ranking 7th of 9 for noise, and the thin plastic can warp in a hot dishwasher over time. If you hand-wash instead of running a sanitizing cycle, it is also the worst board for trapped bacteria.
Who Should Buy Which
Teakhaus Extra-Large Professional Cutting Board
The edge-grain teak board America's Test Kitchen has picked since 2013
- Serious home cooks who want one lifetime board and have the counter space for it
- Anyone who wants to keep microplastics out of their food
- Owners of Western or hybrid knives who prioritize edge retention
- Cooks who hate chopping clatter and want a quiet surface
- People happy to hand-wash, air-dry, and occasionally oil a wood board
OXO Good Grips Utility Cutting Board
A dishwasher-safe plastic board that won the knife-edge test outright
- Budget shoppers who want maximum knife protection for under 25 dollars
- Apartment and small-kitchen cooks who need a light, thin, easy-to-store board
- Households that own a dishwasher for sanitizing raw-meat prep
- Owners of standard Western utility knives
- Anyone who refuses to oil or hand-dry their kitchen gear