I only use my wooden ones for putting hot pots on now, I use plastic ones for cutting meat and veggies on. I keep mine tucked beside the toaster oven, standing on end.

Are you sure a handmade one won't cost more than storebought? I haven't shopped for a cutting board in a while, but I know I've seen them in a wide range of prices.

I have two, a round and a square. The square is 12", and 1.25" thick. Somehow one or the other is always sitting out on the counter.

I also have a real butcher block, an old one from a deli, which serves as my kitchen island. I never cut on it. :-)

I meant to add that I use plastic ones for cutting meat. I'm not crazy about cutting on plastic, but I like getting them clean in the dishwasher.

There's a restaurant outlet here that we love browsing/shopping in. They have good wooden boards but are $75.

I threw a request out on my local Freecycle for anyone who is a woodworker. A guy contacted me, and said he can definitely make one cheaper than the restaurant stores; and out of maple (hardwood, which is what I would want).

I'll never use it for meat, just veggies, and I want a good size, so that I have lots of room to cut my veggies on.

Wood boards involve a great deal of care--they should be bleached after each use, oiled regulary with food-grade mineral oil, and periodically need to be sanded.

Just because you use it for vegetables doesn't mean it doesn't have to be disinfected properly--how many serious cases of food-poisoning have been caused by produce in the past few years?

A much better choice is bamboo. It is naturally anti-bacterial. Bamboo is a little pricey, but you won't have to spend nearly as much as 75 on a good sized one.

Don't forget, if you do have one made, be certain that the adhesive the woodworker uses (and he WILL have to glue strips of wood together to make a larger one) is food safe.

Like some have mentioned above, I prefer plastic for most uses, because it can go into the dishwasher and be disinfected by the high heat there. For meat, I use the disposable cutting sheets, one use only, and I toss them and the bacteria left on them.

I like the plastic ones. I have one for meat and one for everything else. Works most of the time ;-) I also have one huge wooden one that will only fit on top of the refrigerator. I get that one down for large things like turkey. If we lived closer you'd find it on your doorstep!!

I have a really thick really big wooden one. It's too cumbersome and warped so I never use it. I prefer the plastic which can be soaked in bleach. Either way, wood or plastic, try TJ Maxx. Their prices are very good.

I am not going to repeat what Alisande said, but I also use a Bamboo cutting board and her same description of proper care of it.

However...I will not use plastic. Cutting with any knife leaves small scratches that permeate plastic over time. Dishwashers also create scratches if any of the utensils move against it. I always cut raw meat on parchment paper, and toss away.

I do love the Bamboo.

Azzalea posted about the bamboo, but thanks for giving me credit for more than I know, Monica. :-)

Actually, the bamboo cutting boards I've seen (at Macy's and on Amazon) often cost less than the hardwood.

I prefer plastic because they can be sanitized in the dishwasher. Own three-one big that stays out next to my stove and two small for snacks, vegetables,etc.

I have 2, 1 is plastic and the other was made by a friend, in the shape of a pig...I used that wooden thing for years, washing it good after each use and never thinking about all those bad germs, This of course was before seat belts, too.....
But, it's gotten to be a big joke between the kids as to who gets the "pig" when I'm gone....So, when writing my will, to add a little humor, I did add a clause, our only daughter will get the pig but all the boys will have visiting rights.....

Interesting subject. I have been wondering what kind of cutting board to buy. I had two plastic thin ones I used for years and years. But they both crack in the same week. I use them both for veggies and meats. I did put them in the dishwasher to clean, so maybe that's why we never got sick. I assumed wood retained bacteria more than plastic maybe I am wrong...... I am now pretty sure I will be buying plastic ones again, thanks for the information.

That's funny, irishdancersgram. I have an old pig cutting board too! My late FIL made one for all of us and we never use it, but it's sentimental.

Plastic vs. wood for cutting boards is one of the big discussions I often see on the Kitchens forum. People seem to think that plastic is safer than wood, but the two (I think) research studies that have been conducted don't support that.

Apparently, if you clean (with soap and hot water, not bleach) the wooden cutting board after use and it dries thoroughly, you can't even recover enough bacteria from the surface to test it. There *are* bacteria that remain inside the wood, but they do not reach the food, even accounting for knife cuts.

Plastic retains more bacteria after a basic soap-and-water wash, but a new plastic board can be successfully sanitized in the dishwasher. Once a plastic board gets older and has knife cuts, though, you can't really get rid of the bacteria, even in the dishwasher.

I use a big round hardwood cutting board for everything (it's about 18" round and 2" thick). I start with produce and cut meat last, then wash and let it dry.

Here's a cite to the UC-Davis study, which mentions the other study.

Here is a link that might be useful: U.C. Davis study on cutting boards

I buy the plastic ones from dollar tree

suites my need

I had one made. I found him on Ebay. He makes custom furniture and makes these GORGEOUS fancy cutting boards with the left over exotic woods. :0) Yes.........they are works of art. Mine is 1.25" thick, about 22" long by 14" wide. It fits/straddles over my Franke sink. Shipped to me.....$48. It took him a month to get around to making it and another week to ship......but Whoaaaaaaaaaaaa! NICE!

Here is a link that might be useful: Mines all swirly and has a red stripe down it like this one....

I have several wooden cutting boards and never use bleach to sanitize them.. The health inspector told me when I had my cafe, that the best thing to use was peroxide.. bleach is okay, but peroxide was better and non toxic.. I just put a spray attachment to my bottle of peroxide and spray it, let it set for a bit, and then rinse..

easy peasy..

I have a lot of antique wooden ones( used to collect them) but I only use plastic and a separate one for cutting chicken. They go in the dishwasher immediately.

another plastic user, now...

ruined one wooden board with spikes (for turkeys)yes, it got washed (one of the kids, sigh, didn't know better)

I have 2 wooden ones. DH made them both when he was in school, they were handed down to us when his mom passed away. I love them and use both of them daily. They are both oblong, medium size. I do bleach them often (I keep a spray bleach bottle under my sink for daily sink bleaching)
I keep mine in a drawer where they are handy.
So wood is my answer, I threw my plastic one out when I started using these.

I only have wooden ones, most of which are homemade. I have one that is 10" x 24", and the rest are smaller down to two that are 5" wide by 12" long for cutting cheese. I have used them for 45 years and not poisoned anyone yet. They are no harder to maintain than any other surface. I wash them with hot soapy water let them dry standing on end before putting them away. A swipe of mineral oil once a quarter and they are good to go. They are made of various materials including maple, pine, redwood and Texas mesquite. The redwood and pine ones are soft and a little worse for the wear, so I am more apt to use them for trivets.

We use plastic for chicken and wood for everything else. I've invested too much money buying quality knives to ruin them on plastic.

I used wooden until they came out with an article in the newspaper that they were unsanitary unless cleaned properly. I replaced it with plastic, a few years later I heard something dangerous about plastic, probably the same thing about germs in the cracks. I wouldn't worry about using either one. If someone gets sick in this country because of a dirty wooden cutting board, everyone throws theirs away and uses something else. In my opinion it is 6 one way half a dozen the other way. My sisters worry so much about salmonella on chicken and eggs. There was probably a salmonella problem on the first chicken ever hatched. I just keep my kitchen clean without using to many chemicals and don't worry about it. My family still makes homemade ice cream with raw eggs, it's never hurt any of us.

Bamboo all the way. I like my knives to stay sharp and the sharper my knives stay, the less I have to press. Less scratches to the board means less stuff in it. I wash with super hot water and dish soap. Air dry.
Used plastic for quite a while. Heck on my knives.

I found these cutting boards a few years ago and I really like them. They are lighter weight than the good wooden boards, but are still easy on your knife's edges. I have one large black one that I use for prep on my island.

Here is a link that might be useful: Epicurean

Interesting. They're made from wood-sourced cellulose fiber derived from paper, and the bonding agent for laminating the multiple layers is Phenolic resin.