Microbiologist here.

Ha. I have a bamboo one with grain parallel to the surface - "the worst", something cheap that's more than 10 years old. I hand scrub it with dish soap and air dry it. It's held up for 10+ years and never made us sick. I do plan ahead and cut ingredients made to eat raw first, before cooked fruits/veggies, before meat/fish. I never re-use a dirty board to cut something to eat raw without first washing it. If I forget, I just wash the board.

We have a plastic board somewhere, that I never use because of microplastic concerns. And I have a lovely decorated glass cutting board that I use to display cakes on.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Epicurean. Light, dishwasher safe. Made in USA. Wont destroy your knives

OP, if you are trying to avoid plastic, keep in mind that Epicurean boards are made of plastic and paper. "Resin" is just another name for plastic. They also contain phenol-formaldehydes. It has all been tested to be food safe and dishwasher safe, but I think they are not totally forthcoming on the fact that they contain plastic.

Ugh, I didn’t realize this and have them.
Thanks for clarifying

Anonymous wrote:Epicurean. Light, dishwasher safe. Made in USA. Wont destroy your knives

OP, if you are trying to avoid plastic, keep in mind that Epicurean boards are made of plastic and paper. "Resin" is just another name for plastic. They also contain phenol-formaldehydes. It has all been tested to be food safe and dishwasher safe, but I think they are not totally forthcoming on the fact that they contain plastic.

I also used the ones from IKEA. I like them.

Anonymous wrote:For those scared of germs, use a wax board. That's what many fast food places use, such as Subway. Cheap and when it gets worm, you just re-melt it in a cookie sheet or square pan, and you have a brand new clean board when it cools.

Worn* What a crazy autocorrect.

For those scared of germs, use a wax board. That's what many fast food places use, such as Subway. Cheap and when it gets worm, you just re-melt it in a cookie sheet or square pan, and you have a brand new clean board when it cools.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Bamboo is terrible. Get a maple one.

Wash with soapy water and dry. There's no need to sanitize after meat or anything else.

Mineral oil to condition new wood boards.
I just rinse mine with water and wipe dry. Never gotten sick. Have the same end grain wood board for 20 years and use it daily.
I don't do soap unless it's pretty dirty because soap will dry out the wood.

Ewww

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Since you’re going to wash it, anyway, what is the point of having separate boards for meat vs. other?

Because in both wood and plastic cutting boards it's possible for contamination to remain in the fine or microscopic cuts in the boards. This is why people moved away from wood back in the day. You can hit plastic with a bleach product or vinegar to disinfect but the same treatment will damage the wood. The we learned we were adding plastic into our food by using the plastic boards.

People moved away from wood cutting boards to plastic because they thought plastic was neato and the future. It turns out, plastic is just dead dinosaurs that are destroying out planet and our bodies.

No we moved because of chicken - wood cutting boards brees salmonela

I have two large boos maple end grain boards and several smaller maple paddle boards. I keep one large board for meat which gets washed with soap and water. I rinse the other ones with water after vegetables and fruits. I sporadically apply food safe mineral oil when I remember.

I hate the epicurean style boards- they feel like a cross between plastic and wood, are made with amounts of resin and formaldehyde that are safe for food, but still off-gas for quite a while. Think anatomy class flashbacks.

Not being able to put the boards in the dishwasher is not bothersome for me. The big boards would take up too much space in the dishwasher, and my smaller boards are used so frequently, that I wouldn't want to have them sit in the dishwasher for more than a day. Also, the wooden boards are really to look at and touch. You can also serve charcuterie straight from the board.

Anonymous wrote:Do you have one you like? And how do you wash it?
I got a bamboo one from Amazon but it broke within a month. (I was putting it in the dishwasher which maybe was a bad idea).
How do you sanitize them if you’ve used them for things like garlic, onion, meat? Do you use a different one for garlic versus sweet things like apples?

I have two ikea cutting boards, both used for meat, chicken, veg and fruits etc. No contamination issues. Just wash with soap and water. You can also use vinegar to sanitize.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Epicurean. Light, dishwasher safe. Made in USA. Wont destroy your knives

This is the brand I have. They hold up really well. I hand wash.

This! I have a large end grain wood cutting board I use primarily and wash multiple times per day. However, wood is porous and retains odors and bacteria. So when I cut onions, garlic, meat, mince herbs, I use one of the Epicurean boards. They can go in the dishwasher and are thin and easily stored. I suppose you could also use a second regular wood board as well…but they don’t store away easily and take a long time to air dry after washing and you can’t put away until totally dry. Seems impractical

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Always hardwood. One of mine is 20 over years old and still going. As long as you maintain them they will be fine. Never had an illness from them.

Can you please describe how you use it? It’s a dumb question, but how do you clean it between meats and everything else?

Soap and water and making sure it completely dries are sufficient. Wood naturally sucks moisture in as it dries which kills bacteria on the surface.

That’s easy enough. It’s exactly what I do with my plastic cutting board. I want to move away from plastic so I was very interested when somebody created this thread. Thanks for the information.

Plastic actually is more likely to trap moisture because it doesn't dry the same way as wood does. So plastic you do actually have to be more aggressive about cleaning.

It is funny how stuff they sold us on being more hygienic in the past turned out to be the opposite.

I ordered these last year -- they are pine fiber and resin. They go in the dishwasher and seem to be holding up well. They were recommended somewhere as a plastic alternative, but I guess I'm not sure if there's different issues with the resin.

https://www.amazon.com/Barenthal-cutting-boards-kitchen-dishwasher/dp/B08L5MHTMY?pd_rd_w=K9TvK&content-id=amzn1.sym.c059d191-c5ca-4dcf-9149-1b498928668e&pf_rd_p=c059d191-c5ca-4dcf-9149-1b498928668e&pf_rd_r=SEBSAVTEKTFB6XM38WA3&pd_rd_wg=RAEnX&pd_rd_r=0da3907e-3cc5-439e-a6f2-693e76075e37&pd_rd_i=B08L5MHTMY&ref_=pd_bap_d_grid_rp_0_1_ec_cp_pd_rhf_ee_s_rp_c_d_sccl_1_2_t&th=1

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Always hardwood. One of mine is 20 over years old and still going. As long as you maintain them they will be fine. Never had an illness from them.

Can you please describe how you use it? It’s a dumb question, but how do you clean it between meats and everything else?

Soap and water and making sure it completely dries are sufficient. Wood naturally sucks moisture in as it dries which kills bacteria on the surface.

That’s easy enough. It’s exactly what I do with my plastic cutting board. I want to move away from plastic so I was very interested when somebody created this thread. Thanks for the information.

Honestly, the hardwood boards from ikea are really durable and under $25.
Handwash with soap and water, or bleach after raw meat and use the cutting board oil they sell alongside the boards occasionally.