What should you cut your food on? Here's how wood, plastic, titanium, glass, and silicone compare
ASK A RESEARCHER: Plastic cutting boards should be replaced regularly, says researcher.
Every day we chop vegetables, meat, and bread on chopping boards – but have you ever thought about what those boards might be doing to your food?(Photo: Marte Dæhlen)
Vilde Snekkevik is a researcher at the Norwegian Institute for Water Research (NIVA). She is an expert on microplastics.
Snekkevik explains that new plastic boards generally don't release microplastics.
"But as the board gets older and more worn, especially if you're cutting hard ingredients, small pieces of plastic can come loose and potentially end up in your food," she says.
How quickly this happens depends on the quality, type of plastic, and how much the board is used.
"That's why it's wise to replace cutting boards that are scratched or worn," she says.
Vilde Snekkevik researches microplastics and prefers wooden boards and kitchen utensils.(Photo: Ida Irene Bergstrøm)
Utensils that get hot
This also applies to other plastic kitchen tools – ladles, spatulas, bowls, and lunch boxes.
Not all of them release microplastics during regular use. But over time, especially with repeated heating, washing, and wear, tiny fragments can come loose.
Annonse
That doesn’t mean you need to throw out all your existing plastic items, Snekkevik points out.
"But when you buy new ones, you can choose alternatives made of wood, metal, or glass – for example, cutting boards, ladles, and spatulas in wood, and storage containers in glass or stainless steel," she says. "The older and more used an item is, the greater the risk."
Snekkevik herself prefers using wooden boards and kitchen utensils. But she still has some plastic tools that she continues to use as long as they are intact and in good condition.
"The most important thing is to take care of what you have and choose more durable options the next time you need to replace something," she says.
When your cutting board looks like this, it might be time for a replacement.(Photo: Marte Dæhlen)
No clear advantage for silicone
Silicone is also a type of plastic.
It's known for being more durable, which could mean it releases less microplastic over time, according to Snekkevik.
"But so far, there’s no research showing that silicone is a significantly better choice," she says.
Comfortable to work with
So, what about wooden boards?
Bjørn Christian Schirmer is a chemist and toxicologist at the Norwegian Veterinary Institute. He has previously studied bacterial growth in wood, including in cutting boards.
"Wood has good qualities because it's comfortable to work with, especially for long periods. It's more pleasant than using plastic or metal boards," he says.
But when it comes to safety and hygiene, the research gives mixed results.
Bacteria can survive in the wood
On one hand, studies have shown that bacteria can more easily penetrate wood, survive there over time, and later be released when the board becomes wet, according to Schirmer.
"But other studies suggest that certain types of wood have natural antibacterial properties and can actually kill bacteria," he says.
The direction in which the wood is cut – whether with or against the grain – also affects how easily bacteria penetrate the board.
"The main drawback of wood is that it’s harder to clean since it shouldn’t really go in the dishwasher," says Schirmer. "Plastic is practical and easy to wash, but once it becomes scratched and worn, it’s harder to keep clean."
Like Snekkevik, he recommends replacing plastic boards regularly.
Different boards for different foods
Schirmer's best tip is to have separate cutting boards for different types of food.
Bjørn Schirmer uses boards in different colours so he can easily tell which is for meat, fish, and vegetables.(Photo: Norwegian Veterinary Institute)
"I mostly use plastic myself. I have one board for fruit and vegetables, and a separate one for meat and fish. I wash them in the dishwasher and replace them when they start getting scratched," he says.
Ideally, this should be done once or twice a year, according to Schirmer.
"And I have a wooden board I use for bread," he says.
He reminds us of the usual hygiene rules: rinse vegetables thoroughly and always wash your hands after handling raw meat.
Is titanium a safe alternative?
There's no clear answer on what the perfect chopping board material is – whether plastic or wood.
But what about other materials that cutting boards are made of these days?
Titanium has been marketed as a bacteria-free option. It's easy to clean and relatively soft, according to the advertisements.
Or is it?
We asked Ola Nilsen, professor of chemistry at the University of Oslo, about using titanium as a cutting board material.
Like sandpaper
"Poor knives," is the first thing he says.
Titanium is harder than plastic and wood, which means it will dull knives quickly.
Ola Nilsen feels sorry for the knives used on titanium chopping boards.(Photo: University of Oslo)
Like other metal surfaces, it's relatively rough and will act like sandpaper over time, according to Nilsen, who actually keeps a few titanium sheets in his office.
"You can do a lot of fun things with a piece of titanium," he says.
But he definitely wouldn't use a sharp knife on any of them.
"With UV light, titanium can react with bacteria and kill them," says Nilsen.
But that only works in theory, he notes.
After all, who uses UV light when cleaning their chopping boards?
Like plastic boards, titanium can also get scratched. According to Nilsen, that means small bits of titanium could, in theory, end up in your food.
Titanium dioxide in food
Titanium dioxide was used as a food additive not long ago, says Nilsen. It was added to dressings and toothpaste to make them white. The substance is also found in paint.
"We've been surrounded by it for years," says Nilsen.
But the use of titanium dioxide in food and cosmetics has been banned due to concerns about possible negative effects. Nilsen points out that researchers have never found a proven link between titanium dioxide and poor health.
"But there are no studies showing that it's good for you either," he says.
So, as a precaution, authorities decided to ban it in food. It's still used in some sunscreens and paints.
One clear advantage of titanium chopping boards is that they can be washed in the dishwasher.
Cutting on glass
You can also find glass cutting boards in some stores.
"Unlike titanium, tempered glass can have a very smooth and strong surface that's hard enough not to get scratched by knives," says Nilsen.
This means knives stay sharp longer, and the glass is easy to clean.
"But if the board breaks or gets chipped, the cleanup job becomes much, much worse," he says.
Summary:
There is no clear answer for which type of chopping board is best for the environment, health, and hygiene. Much depends on what you use it for.
Plastic boards can release microplastics over time:
New plastic boards release little, but once they become scratched and worn, small plastic pieces can come loose and end up in food. Worn plastic boards should therefore be replaced.
Wooden boards require more care:
Wood is pleasant to work with and may have natural antibacterial properties, but
bacteria can also penetrate the wood. They can't go in the dishwasher and need to be cleaned thoroughly by hand.
Durability matters for the environment:
The key is choosing products that last a long time and don't need to be replaced too often.
Titanium
can damage knives, and glass can break. Silicone may release microplastics and has not been studied enough.
Use different boards for different foods for better
hygiene: Keep separate boards for meat, fish, and vegetables, and wash them thoroughly – preferably in
the dishwasher if possible.
