Knives are arguably the most important tool in the kitchen. I talked to chefs and knife experts about what habits ruin your kitchen knives, and they all said the same thing: cutting boards made of the wrong material. “All knives have a thin, wire-like edge on them that is not visible to the human eye. When you are slicing on a hard surface such as stainless, marble, or ceramic, those hard surfaces actually roll the wire edge on your knife, and the result is a dull knife,” says Robbie Shoults, chef and owner of Bear Creek Smokehouse and Marshall Mercantile in Texas.
Surfaces that are too hard can dull your knives and cause irreparable damage to the blade. ”I use ceramic abrasives to get the knives sharp. Using ceramic, glass, or stone cutting boards effectively reverses the work and dulls your knives,,” says Ryan Fogarty, blacksmith and founder of Leechtown Blacksmith in Vancouver, British Columbia. A good honing steel or knife sharpener can help repair minor nicks or burrs in the edge, but continued use can eventually destroy your knives. We got the inside scoop from our experts on which boards you should actually use to prevent ruining your knives.
Best Chef-Approved Cutting Boards to Protect Your Knives
John Boos R-Board Series Rectangular Wooden Walnut Cutting Board
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Wood was overwhelmingly the top material recommendation from all the chefs and experts we spoke to. Chef Chuck Hayworth, private chef at Take a Chef, loves walnut boards the most, though. “It is virtually indestructible and does not contaminate food. When it is chipped, simply sand it down and use mineral oil or coconut oil to return it to a full shine,” he says.
Chef Robert Hale, corporate executive chef and brand ambassador at Cangshan Cutlery Company, calls end-grain hardwood boards like this one “the gold standard” because “their wood fibers separate gently as the blade enters and then ‘self-heal,’ making them exceptionally forgiving and protective of the edge.” Hayworth even goes so far as to say if he were just starting, he would replace all other cutting boards with this walnut board.
Yoshihiro Hi Soft High Performance Professional Grade Cutting Board
Amazon
These types of boards are sometimes called rubber boards, but they’re actually made of a springy, low-density plastic that is easy on knives. Chef Ron McKinlay, a Toronto-based chef and culinary consultant, always recommends this board, which was one of our favorite cutting boards after rigorous testing. “They don’t warp like traditional plastic or wood, they stay put, and they’re much nicer to cut on, which makes the whole experience more enjoyable,” he says.
OXO Good Grips Plastic Carving and Cutting Board
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Wooden cutting boards are a favorite among chefs, but thick plastic boards were a close second. They tend to be more affordable, and this OXO model made our list of the best plastic cutting boards. Shoults operates a meat-packing facility where he always reaches for hard plastic cutting boards like this one. “I think it is even better than wood and always allows for a sanitary cleanup,” he says.
John Boos Chop-N-Slice Series Rectangular Wooden Maple Cutting Board
Amazon
Another favorite wooden cutting board; several of the experts we spoke to called out this board by name, and it was our favorite wooden cutting board in testing. Bobby Griggs, vice president at Hammer Stahl, loves John Boos boards like this maple version because they’re “gentle on knives, allow for fast, precise cutting, and are easy to clean and maintain.” Our testing insights echoed this: This board felt durable and easy to use. It’s heavy enough to stay in place while cutting, and we loved that it was reversible, so we didn’t have to stop and clean it multiple times while prepping — we could simply flip it over and keep going.
