Menu
Dr. Weil Logo Dr. Weil Logo Weil™ Andrew Weil, M.D.
  • Health & Wellness
    Health & Wellness
    Body, Mind & Spirit
    • Addiction
    • Allergy & Asthma
    • Autoimmune Disorders
    • Back Pain
    • Bone & Joint
    • Cancer
    • Colds & Flu
    • Dental & Oral
    • Diabetes
    • Disease & Disorders
    • Ears, Nose, & Throat
    • Feet
    • Gastrointestinal
    • Hair, Skin, & Nails
    • Headache
    • Heart
    • Insects & Parasites
    • Liver & Kidney
    • Mental Health
    • Pregnancy & Fertility
    • Respiratory
    • Sexual Health
    • Sleep Issues
    • Stress & Anxiety
    • Vision
    Balanced Living
    • Exercise & Fitness
    • Gardening
    • Healthy Home
    • Healthy Living
    • Meditation & Inspiration
    • Meet Dr. Weil
    • Pets & Pet Care
    • Technology
    • Wellness Therapies
    Health Centers
    • Aging Gracefully
    • Children
    • Condition Care Guide
    • Men
    • Women
  • Diet & Nutrition
    Diet & Nutrition
    Anti-Inflammatory Diet & Pyramid
    Anti-Inflammatory Diet Pyramid
    Cooking & Cookware
    Healthy Cooking & Cookware
    Diets & Weight Loss
    Diets & Weight Loss
    Food Safety
    Diets & Nutrition - Food Safety
    Nutrition
    healthy nutrition
    Recipes
    healthy recipes
  • Vitamins, Supplements & Herbs
    Vitamins, Supplements & Herbs
    Herbs
    herbal remedies - herbs
    Supplements & Remedies
    suppliments & remedies
    Vitamins
    ask-dr-weil_vitamins-supplements-herbs_vitamins-topnav
  • Ask Dr. Weil
  • Blogs
    Blogs
    Bulletins
    The Legacy Of Living Yes | Spontaneous Happiness | Andrew Weil, M.D.
    Health Tips
    Healthy Drinks To Start Sipping | Andrew Weil, M.D.
    Spontaneous Happiness
    blog_spontaneous-happiness_topnav
  • COVID-19
  • Dr. Weil Origins Skin Care
  • Marketplace
  • Healthy Aging
  • Podcasts
  • Meet Dr. Weil
  • Accessibility
  • Subscribe
Best Cutting Board?
Subscribe
Press "Enter" to search
  1. Home
  2. Diet & Nutrition
  3. Food Safety

Best Cutting Board?

I’ve been using a plastic cutting board for a long time, but a friend told me wood cutting boards are safer as they don’t harbor bacteria. I thought it was the other way around. What’s the truth?

Andrew Weil, M.D. |July 15, 2014

cutting board
2 min

Cutting board safety has been a topic of debate for some time. The main question has been which material is best – wood, plastic or, more recently, bamboo. Safety concerns focus on whether or not a board can be effectively cleaned after use so that few bacteria remain to contaminate whatever food you place on it next. Another consideration is which surface is more likely to dull the knives you use.

Research at the University of California, Davis (UCD), addressed these issues after investigators learned that the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) had no scientific evidence to back up its recommendation that plastic, rather than wood cutting boards, be used in home kitchens. However, at the time, the USDA’s Meat and Poultry Inspection Manual and the FDA’s 1999 Food Code, which set regulations for restaurants and retail food stores, permitted the use of cutting boards made of maple or other close-grained hardwood and didn’t authorize plastic boards or specify how plastic surfaces should be maintained.

The UCD researchers initially set out to find a way to disinfect wooden cutting boards so they would be as safe to use at home as plastic ones were said to be. They soon learned that disease-causing bacteria such as E. coli and Salmonella couldn’t be recovered from new wooden boards even shortly after they were put there. The bacteria were essentially unviable unless the researchers contaminated the boards with very large numbers of the bugs. Surprisingly, they also found that new plastic surfaces enabled the bacteria to persist.

But here’s another surprise: the researchers quickly discovered that used, knife-scarred wooden cutting boards harbored no more bacteria than new boards, while knife-scarred plastic boards were "impossible to clean and disinfect manually." When the researchers scanned the plastic boards with electron micrographs, they saw "highly significant damage" to the surfaces from knife cuts. Bacteria inside wooden boards don’t multiply and gradually die. Comparing the bacteria found on wooden boards to those found lurking on plastic ones when both have been cleaned manually, the researchers found more bacteria on a used plastic surface than on a used wood one.

The good news from this study is that plastic boards can be successfully cleaned in the dishwasher, and that small wooden boards can be disinfected quickly in the microwave.

The UCD team noted that a study from another group of researchers examining salmonella infection found that people using wooden cutting boards at home were less likely to contract these infections, while those using plastic (or glass) cutting boards were more likely to become infected.

I’m currently using a bamboo cutting board. It is low maintenance and the wood is hard enough to resist retaining water (but don’t put bamboo in the dishwasher). I wash my cutting board after use, rinse it and wipe it dry. Once a month, I rub it with mineral oil to protect the surface.

Andrew Weil, M.D.

Sources:
Dean O. Cliver, "Plastic and Wooden Cutting Boards," University of California, Davis, http://faculty.vetmed.ucdavis.edu/faculty/docliver/Research/cuttingboard.htm, accessed May 29, 2014

P.H. Kass et al, "Disease Determinants of Sporadic Salmonellosis in four northern California counties. A case control study of older children and adults," Annals of Epidemiology, September 1992, http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/1342320, accessed May 29, 2014

Advertisement
Related Weil Products

Dr. Weil on Healthy Aging - Your Anti-Inflammatory Diet Source

Want to promote overall health and help minimize the risk of inflammatory diseases? Join Dr. Weil on Healthy Aging, your online guide to the anti-inflammatory diet. Start your 14-day free trial now for access to shopping and eating guides, hundreds of recipes, an exclusive version of Dr. Weil’s Anti-Inflammatory Food Pyramid and more!
Get Started
Dr. Weil on Healthy Aging

Start Your 14-Day Free Trial

Free Newsletters

Stay Connected With Dr. Weil

Anti-Inflammatory Diet

Follow Dr. Weil’s Food Pyramid

Get Dr Weils Newsletter Updates

Exclusive Lifestyle, Nutrition & Health Advice

Dr. Weil's FREE health living advice delivered to you!

By clicking "Subscribe," you agree to the DrWeil.com Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy. You also agree to receive emails from DrWeil.com, and you may opt out of DrWeil.com subscriptions at any time.

Trending Now

bread loaves
Food Safety

A Carcinogen in Your Bread?

Raw salmon fish steaks with fresh herbs on cutting board
Food Safety

Alaskan Salmon From China?

Buyer chooses minced meat in a store
Food Safety

Ammonia in Ground Beef?

Free range chicken on an organic farm in Austria; Freilandhühner auf einem Bauernhof in Oberösterreich
Food Safety

Antibiotics and Arsenic in Chickens?

Get Dr Weils Newsletter Updates

Stay Connected With Dr. Weil - Get Free Newsletters Right In Your Inbox

Exclusive Lifestyle, Nutrition & Health Advice

Dr. Weil Logo Weil™ Andrew Weil, M.D.
Information
  • About Us
  • Press Information
  • Advertising
  • Contact Us
  • Terms of Use
  • Privacy Policy
  • Manage Email Subscription
Trending Articles
bread loaves
Food Safety

A Carcinogen in Your Bread?

Raw salmon fish steaks with fresh herbs on cutting board
Food Safety

Alaskan Salmon From China?

Daily Tips
HA_Asian-Mushrooms_1x1_663893996
Health Tips

Concerned About Cancer? 6 Asian Mushrooms To Consider

3 Tasty Ways To Cook Culinary Mushrooms | Andrew Weil, M.D.
Health Tips

3 Tasty Ways To Cook Culinary Mushrooms

  • Flickr
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Youtube
  • Pinterest
  • Instagram

Terms of Use | Privacy Policy

Information on this website is provided for informational purposes only and is not intended as a substitute for the advice provided by your physician or other healthcare professional. You should not use the information on this website for diagnosing or treating a health problem or disease, or prescribing any medication or other treatment. Any third party offering or advertising on this website does not constitute an endorsement by Andrew Weil, M.D. or Healthy Lifestyle Brands.

©Copyright2023 Healthy Lifestyle Brands, LLC. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part without permission is prohibited. www.drweil.com