Plastic cutting boards are made of plastic, obviously, but not all plastics are the same. Most boards are made of safe, durable plastic meant to withstand knives' daily wear and tear.

For plastic cutting boards, we recommend the OXO cutting boards or the Yoshihiro as our high-end pick. For carving boards, we like The Boardsmith with an added juice groove.

A thick wood surface is great for heavy-duty cutting and chopping. I keep plastic ones on deck for proteins, raw or cooked, and bamboo boards are good for smaller knifework and citrus.

The plastic cutting boards are made from is soft enough that it won’t dull knives and other kitchen tools too quickly. It’s not quite as gentle on an edge as some types of wood cutting boards, but ...