The wood board worth leaving out on your counter for years, and the second board that should take the raw chicken.
By Nell Harlan · Updated Oct 9, 2026Updated Oct 9, 2026 · 21 boards compared21 boards compared
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Buy the Teakhaus. It's the biggest board here, 24 by 18 inches of teak for about $124, and at 15 pounds it doesn't go anywhere while you chop (you'll feel it on the walk to the sink, though). Break down a whole chicken at one end. The carrots can wait at the other.
Prefer maple? The Boos is the American standard at about $100. If your knives are the thing you care about most, the end grain walnut Sonder Alfred is the one to get. And whichever wood you choose, keep a second board for raw meat. The OXO does that job for about $21 and goes in the dishwasher.
The board you use every day should be big. Anything smaller than 20 by 15 inches fills up the moment you dice an onion and a bell pepper for the same pot of chili, and then half of it ends up on the counter. Go as big as your counter allows. You will rarely wish it were smaller.
Teak, maple and walnut are the woods you'll find on good boards. Maple is the hardest of the three, which matters more than you'd think: a hard surface takes knife marks slowly, and a board that stays smooth is kinder to an edge over the years than a soft one that gets chewed up. Teak is softer but full of natural oils, so water has a harder time getting in. Walnut is about as hard as teak, and much darker.
Most boards are edge grain, meaning long strips of wood glued side by side, with the grain running along the surface. End grain boards are made from short blocks stood on end like a checkerboard, so your knife slips between the wood fibers instead of slicing across them, and the cuts close back up. The catch is that end grain drinks oil and water. A typical end grain board takes about four times as much oil each time you treat it, and it needs drying the minute you've washed it.
Then there's raw meat. The USDA is fine with wood or plastic for it, but it suggests keeping one board for bread and vegetables and a separate one for raw meat, poultry and seafood. That way the salad you won't cook never touches the cutting board that just had the chicken on it.
The 5 boards, ranked
11 · Best overall
Teakhaus Edge Grain Cutting Board
The biggest board here, in a wood that carries its own oils, for about $124.
You have the counter space for a big board, you cook most nights, and you want a board handsome enough to leave out.
Skip it if
Your sink is small, or 15 pounds is more than you want to lift every night. Then get the 20 by 15 inch version: about $113, and 12 pounds.
Room for the whole meal
Size is what you're paying for. Trim a pork shoulder, then do the onions, and you never have to clear anything onto a plate. If the board shifts when you're really going at a pile of parsley, put a damp paper towel under it. It's reversible too, so one side can stay pretty for bread and cheese.
Teak is why I'd pick it over the maple. America's Test Kitchen made this board its favorite after months of use, and it came through without cracking, warping or staining. It isn't care-free. Teakhaus says to oil it two or three times a month, wash it by hand, towel it dry and never let it soak (skip the oil and the one-year warranty won't cover the crack).
I'd skip the juice-groove version unless you carve a lot of brisket. Flat is better.
What owners report
People love how it looks. Several also got one with fuzzy, raised grain or splinters after the first wash, and sanded it smooth before oiling. A few arrived warped or cracked; Teakhaus replaced or refunded two of them. Check yours the day it comes.
Flaws but not dealbreakers
Teak has tiny bits of silica in it. It wears an edge faster than other woods.
Plan on a light sanding before the first oiling, and some brown on your dish towel at first.
FSC-certified teakReversibleGrip handlesAlso in 20 x 15 in
2
Best maple
John Boos R-Board Maple Cutting Board
Hard rock maple from a company that has been building butcher blocks in the USA since 1887, for about $100.
You want a maple board made in the USA, and 20 by 15 inches is enough room.
Skip it if
You won't oil a board every month.
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John Boos has been making butcher blocks since 1887, and the R-Board is its everyday maple board: hard rock maple, edge grain, an inch and a half thick and about 12 pounds, with finger grips so you can actually pick it up. Maple is the hardest wood in this guide and the slowest to scar. The pale color looks great clean and shows beet juice for the same reason, though a scrub with coarse salt and lemon takes most of a stain out.
What it asks for is oil. Boos wants it oiled at least once a month and left overnight, kept out of the dishwasher and out of puddles. Boos says the cracks at the ends come from a board drying out. Buy the oil the same day; it isn't in the box.
What owners report
One owner still likes theirs after more than ten years. Another has used it every day for two. But two owners had a board crack soon after it arrived (one came out of the box bone dry), and two people with other Boos boards saw cracks too, one at the very first oiling.
Flaws but not dealbreakers
Smaller and lighter than the Teakhaus, so it slides more when you chop hard.
The warranty doesn't cover cracks from skipped oiling.
Made in the USAReversibleFinger gripsAlso in 18 x 12 in
3
Best end grain
Sonder Los Angeles Alfred Cutting Board
End grain walnut on rubber feet, with a juice groove and three wells for whatever you've already chopped.
You own a knife you're proud of, and you want a board that's easy on its edge and nice enough to carry to the table.
Skip it if
You won't keep up with the oil, or you need a big surface for carving roasts.
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This is the board I'd buy for someone who just got a good Japanese knife. It's end grain walnut, which is what you want under a good edge. Handmade in the USA, 17 by 13 inches, 7.5 pounds. Easy to carry around. That size makes it a great second board for knife work and serving, or the main board in a small kitchen.
One side is flat. The other has a deep groove that holds about 3.5 ounces of juice and three shallow wells along the edge, so the garlic, the shallots and the jalapeño each have a spot while you finish the onion. The wells take some room from that side, so I'd chop on the flat side and flip it for carving or serving. Removable rubber feet keep it from moving.
End grain wants care, and Sonder says so plainly: hand wash with mild soap, oil every two to three weeks, and keep it away from the stove and the dishwasher. The warranty is a year if you register the board and bought it from Sonder or its Amazon store.
What owners report
Only a handful of owners have written about this one. All of them are happy. Two use the wells for diced vegetables while they cook, and one catches the tomato juice from pico de gallo in the groove. None mention a crack or a warp.
Flaws but not dealbreakers
About $180 for a 17 by 13 inch board.
It's the thirstiest board here.
Handmade in the USA3.5 oz juice grooveRemovable rubber feetThree sorting wells
4
Best for raw meat and fish
Hasegawa Polyethylene Cutting Board
Polyethylene over a sealed wood core. Lighter than solid plastic, and it can take the dishwasher.
You want a raw meat and fish board that goes in a hot dishwasher without warping, and you'll pay more than plastic usually costs.
Skip it if
You want one big board for everything. At 16 by 9 inches, this is a prep board.
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A plastic board that doesn't warp
Plain plastic boards can warp, especially when they're washed hot. Hasegawa gets around that by sealing a wood core inside a thick layer of polyethylene, so the board stays rigid and weighs about 30 percent less than solid plastic. This one is 2.9 pounds. You can also boil it for up to five minutes to sanitize it. No oil, ever.
This is Hasegawa's standard board, with a harder surface than its soft version, and Hasegawa says it resists staining and deep gouges better. It's made for everyday vegetables, meat and fish, so I'd keep it for raw chicken thighs and salmon fillets. It isn't meant for hacking through bones.
What owners report
Most of what owners have written is about Hasegawa's softer yellow board, which stains easily. Owners of both kinds call them light and easy to wash, and one calls it the board they use most.
Flaws but not dealbreakers
About $94 for 16 by 9 inches. That's a lot.
Sealed wood coreDishwasher safeCan be boiled up to 5 minutesAlso in 19.7 x 9.8 in
5
Best under $25
OXO Good Grips Plastic Utility Cutting Board
The cheap second board. Raw chicken on it, then into the dishwasher.
You need a second board for raw meat and want it to go straight into the dishwasher.
Skip it if
You want this to be your only board. Plastic scratches fast and is harder on knives than wood.
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For about $21, this is the board I'd keep in the cupboard for chicken thighs, pork chops and salmon. At 10.4 by 14.8 inches it fits a pack of chicken with room to trim. It sits on non-slip feet, and a drip catcher holds the juices until you tip them into the sink.
Treat it as something you replace. Plastic scores quickly under a chef's knife, and once the grooves are deep enough to be hard to clean, the USDA's advice is to throw a board out. At this price that's easy. If you roast whole chickens or a turkey, OXO also sells a 14 by 21 inch carving board for about $38.
What owners report
It stays where you put it, owners say. A few got one that rocked on the counter, and OXO replaced at least one under warranty. Others had deep knife marks within the first few uses.
Flaws but not dealbreakers
Hard and noisy under the knife.
Non-slip feetDrip catcherTwo usable sidesLarger carving size sold too
Who this is for
If you're buying the wood board you'll chop on every night, start with the Teakhaus or the Boos. If you want a smaller, prettier board for your good knives, or your kitchen is short on counter, the Sonder Alfred. And if you already own a wood board you love, all you may be missing is the second board for raw meat.
How to choose
Pick the size first
Measure the counter where the board will live and buy the biggest one that fits and that you can lift. For an everyday board, 20 by 15 inches or more.
Teak, maple or walnut
I'd go teak. Maple if you want the classic American board, walnut if you like a dark one. They all need oil on a schedule.
End grain or edge grain
Edge grain is cheaper and less thirsty. End grain is kinder to a good knife, if you'll oil it every few weeks. Not sure you will? Edge grain.
A second board for raw meat
Wood is fine for raw meat. But a board you can put in the dishwasher is easier to get clean, and both plastic boards here can go in.
The end grain version of the Boos, two and a quarter inches thick, at about $237 for 20 by 15 inches. It's a beautiful block, but for about the same money Sonder's Welton gives you end grain walnut at the same size, with rubber feet and a juice groove.
Hinoki is a soft Japanese cypress with a light, pleasant scent, and it gives a little under the blade. That softness is the problem for an everyday board: hinoki scars deeper than the woods above, and Shun asks you to wet it before each use so it doesn't stain. Lovely for a sushi knife, fussy as a main board.
American walnut and nice to look at, but the version on Amazon is 10 by 16 inches and three quarters of an inch thick, more of a serving board with a handle than a board to cook on.
A soft board in the same spirit as the Hasegawa, at about $125 for the medium. It's hand wash only, though, and the Hasegawa costs less and goes in the dishwasher.
A wood fiber board at about $33 that goes in the dishwasher and never needs oil. It makes a fine second board, but the OXO does the raw meat job for less, and it isn't solid wood.
How I picked
20 x 15 in or larger for an everyday boardTeak, maple or walnutEdge grain or end grainOwner reports on warping and cracksIn stock on Amazon US
These five boards came out of 21, on size, wood, how they're built, and how they hold up for owners after months of use. Prices are Amazon's on October 9, 2026.
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Common questions
What type of wood is best for a cutting board?+−
Teak, maple or walnut. I'd start with teak for its natural oils; maple is the hardest and most traditional. Skip very soft woods for a board you'll use every day, since they scar quickly.
Is walnut or maple better for a cutting board?+−
Maple is harder (1,439 on the Janka hardness scale, against 1,010 for black walnut), so it takes knife marks more slowly and stays smoother, which also helps your knife over time. Walnut is darker. For maple, get the Boos; for walnut, the end grain Sonder Alfred.
Is end grain better than edge grain?+−
Better for your knives, yes. Easier to live with, no. End grain soaks up far more oil and water than edge grain, so it needs oil every few weeks and drying right after you wash it.
What is the best cutting board for raw meat?+−
A separate one, as the USDA suggests, and ideally one that goes in the dishwasher. The OXO does it for about $21. The Hasegawa costs more, and its wood core keeps it rigid.
What is the healthiest material for a cutting board?+−
Wood and plastic are both safe as long as you keep them clean and replace them once they're deeply grooved. Some research links plastic boards to microplastics in food, though the long-term health effects aren't known, so if that worries you, use wood for everything except raw meat. The USDA says either kind can be sanitized with a tablespoon of unscented bleach in a gallon of water.
The verdict
The Teakhaus for every day, plus a board for raw meat
Get the Teakhaus Edge Grain board for every day and the OXO for raw meat, about $145 for the pair. If your knives come first and you'll keep up with the oil, spend more on the Sonder Alfred.
