1. Wooden cutting board

Structure and material of wooden cutting board

Wooden cutting boards are usually made of bamboo, rosewood, longan wood, plywood,... with many different shapes such as round, rectangular for you to choose from. Wooden cutting boards are the type of cutting board that many housewives trust because of their high durability and safety for health.

- Advantages of wooden cutting boards

High elasticity, heavy, not slippery when cutting, suitable for chopping bones, chopping meat.

Protects the blade well.

Antibacterial as well as protects the environment because the wood will easily decompose completely over time.

High durability, good heat resistance.

Safe for health because it is made of natural wood.

Reasonable price, suitable for many users.

- Disadvantages of wooden cutting boards

Easily warped, cracked, moldy and creates sawdust on the surface, making preservation quite difficult.

Wooden cutting boards with cracks are susceptible to water absorption, creating conditions for harmful microorganisms to grow.

Wooden cutting boards cannot be used in dishwashers.

Wooden cutting boards are heavier than other types of cutting boards.

2. Plastic cutting boards

Structure and material of plastic cutting boards

Plastic cutting boards are also a popular type of cutting board, which can be easily purchased in supermarkets and household stores. Plastic cutting boards are usually made from virgin plastic LDPE, PP or PE. Plastic cutting boards come in many different colors such as white, yellow, blue, ... and have quite high durability. When they were born, plastic cutting boards were said to overcome most of the disadvantages of wooden cutting boards.

- Advantages of plastic cutting boards

Eye-catching colors, diverse designs, modern designs.

Plastic cutting boards overcome the disadvantages of wooden cutting boards.

Very light, not susceptible to water or mold, limiting damage after a long time of use.

Easy to hang on hooks and shelves.

Suitable for cutting cooked, processed foods that do not require much force.

Plastic cutting boards can be safely used in dishwashers.

- Disadvantages of plastic cutting boards

Cannot withstand large impacts. Easily deformed when exposed to high temperatures.

Easily slippery when used for cutting and slicing.

Not suitable for cutting some foods that are high in fat and grease because they will be very difficult to clean.

Bacteria are more likely to stick to used plastic surfaces.

3. Should you buy a wooden or plastic cutting board?

Even though plastic cutting boards have been cleaned and disinfected many times, bacteria still remain on the surface in the cuts, chopping or cutting marks on the cutting board surface. Meanwhile, bacteria will be limited to reappear on the surface of wooden cutting boards, even when food is chopped many times with a sharp blade.

Based on the properties of each material, you should use a wooden cutting board to cut raw meat and fish because it has good antibacterial properties, limiting bacteria from entering from raw food. Plastic cutting boards should be used to cut fruits and vegetables because they are easy to clean and in fact, plastic cutting boards contain more bacteria than wooden cutting boards.

Not only that, plastic cutting boards have a shorter lifespan than wooden cutting boards, so you have to replace them regularly. This inadvertently pollutes the environment because used plastic cutting boards cannot be recycled.

Additionally, a plastic cutting board will usually be thrown away as soon as it breaks, while a hardwood cutting board can last for decades, even a lifetime, although it may cost more initially. Bamboo cutting boards have the advantage of being flexible and lightweight. They are often easy to carry and clean, and are less likely to damage the blade. However, bamboo cutting boards can become warped or damaged more quickly than wooden cutting boards, requiring careful care to maintain their durability.