Are you looking for that perfect carving board to carve a turkey for Thanksgiving or slice a juicy ham for Christmas? Or maybe you need a board that can cope with carving meat and vegetables all year round. While chopping boards all serve as a place for you to safely work with a knife, a carving board has special features that make working with meat less messy. Their juice grooves and stabilizing features all work together to give you a hassle-free meal.
We've researched the best carving boards available and chose the Bambüsi Bamboo Carving Cutting Board as our favorite. It's made from eco-friendly bamboo, and it has juice grooves and grips to keep your meat in place. We have also picked our 10 best and have a buying guide reviewed by a professional chef to help you make your own choice.
To choose our 10 best carving boards, we considered the following criteria:
Keep these criteria in mind as you look through our choices, and for further information check out our buying guide.
Image | ![]() Ironwood Gourmet | ![]() Bambüsi | ![]() Teakhaus | ![]() Joseph Joseph | ![]() J. K. Adams | ![]() Ziruma | ![]() Royal Craft Wood | ![]() Thirteen Chefs | ![]() Thirteen Chefs | ![]() Key To Our Home |
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Name | Kansas City Carving Board | Bamboo Carving Cutting Board | End-Grain Cutting Board | Cut & Carve Plus | Large Reversible Carving Board | End Grain Teak Wood Cutting Board | Wood Cutting Boards for Kitchen | Acacia Wood Carving Board | Commercial Plastic Carving Board | Personalized Bamboo Cutting Board |
Features | Best for Draining Juices From Meat | Best Meat Carving Board | Best Deep Juice Canal | Best Plastic Board for Catching Juices | Best for Carving Poultry | Best Board With Wax | Best Set of Bamboo Boards | Best for a Unique Look | Best Extra-Large Plastic Board | Best Personalizable Carving Board |
Price | $76.99 | $44.99 | $169.95 | $23.35 | $99.95 | $87.95 | $21.97 | $68.95 | $42.99 | $38.99 |
Dimensions | 22 x 15 x 2.5 in. | 17 x 13 x 1.5 in. | 24 x 18 x 1.5 in. | 11.5 x 1 x 14.5 in. | 20 x 14 x 1.25 in. | 17 x 11 x 1.5 in. | 15 x 10 x 0.6 in., 12 x 8 x 0.6 in., and 9 x 6 x 0.6. in. | 20 x 15 x 1.5 in. | 30 x 18 x 0.5 in. | 14 x 10 x 1 in. |
Material | Acacia | Bamboo | Teak | Plastic | Maple | Teak | Bamboo | Acacia wood | Plastic | Bamboo |
Grooves | Yes, pool and channels | Yes, plus 4 channels | Yes | No | Yes, both sides | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No |
Stability | Neoprene-coated feet | - | - | Non-slip feet | - | - | - | - | - | - |
Extra features | Slanted | Pyramid ridges, double-sided | Inset grips | Double-sided, dishwasher-safe, slanted | Reversible, poultry hole | Wax, inset grips | Set of 3, colored edges | Reversible | Restaurant quality, dishwasher-safe | Personalization available |
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Here are our 10 best picks for carving boards. We made our choices based on the points listed in the buying guide below, as well as reviewer comments when available.
*Please note that these products were chosen after extensive research by mybest writers. The choices are not necessarily affiliated with or recommended by Jim Quast.
$76.99
Dimensions | 22 x 15 x 2.5 in. |
---|---|
Material | Acacia |
Grooves | Yes, pool and channels |
Stability | Neoprene-coated feet |
Extra features | Slanted |
$44.99
Dimensions | 17 x 13 x 1.5 in. |
---|---|
Material | Bamboo |
Grooves | Yes, plus 4 channels |
Stability | - |
Extra features | Pyramid ridges, double-sided |
$169.95
Dimensions | 24 x 18 x 1.5 in. |
---|---|
Material | Teak |
Grooves | Yes |
Stability | - |
Extra features | Inset grips |
$23.35
Dimensions | 11.5 x 1 x 14.5 in. |
---|---|
Material | Plastic |
Grooves | No |
Stability | Non-slip feet |
Extra features | Double-sided, dishwasher-safe, slanted |
$99.95
Dimensions | 20 x 14 x 1.25 in. |
---|---|
Material | Maple |
Grooves | Yes, both sides |
Stability | - |
Extra features | Reversible, poultry hole |
$87.95
Dimensions | 17 x 11 x 1.5 in. |
---|---|
Material | Teak |
Grooves | Yes |
Stability | - |
Extra features | Wax, inset grips |
$21.97
Dimensions | 15 x 10 x 0.6 in., 12 x 8 x 0.6 in., and 9 x 6 x 0.6. in. |
---|---|
Material | Bamboo |
Grooves | Yes |
Stability | - |
Extra features | Set of 3, colored edges |
$68.95
Dimensions | 20 x 15 x 1.5 in. |
---|---|
Material | Acacia wood |
Grooves | Yes |
Stability | - |
Extra features | Reversible |
$42.99
Dimensions | 30 x 18 x 0.5 in. |
---|---|
Material | Plastic |
Grooves | Yes |
Stability | - |
Extra features | Restaurant quality, dishwasher-safe |
$38.99
Dimensions | 14 x 10 x 1 in. |
---|---|
Material | Bamboo |
Grooves | No |
Stability | - |
Extra features | Personalization available |
There are several factors you should take into account before choosing the best carving board for your needs.
Whether it’s a whole turkey, a slab of ham, or roast beef, you want to make sure that you get a carving board that is the right size. If you plan on carving a whole turkey, then you’ll need a much bigger board than you would need for slicing portions of roast beef.
A carving board that’s too big will take up an unnecessary amount of space. On the other hand, a carving board that’s too small will most likely cause a much bigger mess, as meat, oil, and juice are likely to fall and drip from the board.
A board with enough space to hold the meat and give you enough room to maneuver a knife will help you limit the amount of mess you make.
Carving boards are available in a few different materials and each material has its own benefits and disadvantages.
Most carving boards are made of wood because wood is generally hard, heavy, stable, and durable. Wood boards are gentle on knife edges and are less likely to blunt them than plastic boards do. Although wood can get scratched by knives, with the proper care these scratches will eventually close up.
Wood is a porous material, but it does have some naturally occurring antibacterial properties that mean it isn't as unhygienic as first thought. However, great care still needs to be taken when cleaning. Wood also needs maintenance to keep it at its best. It can split after heavy use or if too much liquid sinks in.
Wherever possible, do not allow any liquids, whether it be meat juices or water from cleaning, to remain on a wooden board for more than a couple of minutes. When you clean a wooden board, do not fully submerge it in water and instead just wipe it down with warm, soapy water. You should also oil the board once a month to replenish moisture in a safe way.
Various types of woods are used for carving boards. One of the best is teak, as moisture doesn't soak into it as easily as most other woods. It also requires less oiling. Many teak carving boards are made from end-grain teak, which gives the board an interesting mosiac effect. This type of grain is easier on your knives as instead of hitting solid wood, your knife will often find the slight edges between the grains instead.
Bamboo is a very eco-friendly wood due to how quickly it grows, but it can be too hard on knives. Maple is another common choice for carving boards, but this requires more maintenance than teak. Acacia is another popular wood as it is durable and softer on knives than some other wood types, but like maple, it requires more maintenance.
As well as wooden carving boards, it's also common to find them made out of plastic. The main advantage that plastic has over wood is that its low maintenance and easy to clean. You don't need to worry about too much moisture getting inside a plastic carving board and can simply put them in the dishwasher when you're done. They don't need any oiling and won't become stained from cutting meat.
Plastic boards won't last as long as wooden boards, however, and are harder on knife edges. Many professional or experienced chefs don't like the feel of chopping on plastic boards, although they will do a decent job for a more casual home cook. If you do pick a plastic board, you should change it every couple of years as bacteria can grow inside any cuts or scratches the board picks up during use.
Oil can be quite a hassle to wipe up since grease tends to stick to surfaces more than water and other liquids do. Make sure you look for a carving board that has juice grooves, which are etched into a carving board and serve the purpose of catching the juice and oils of cooked meat.
While some carving boards have juice grooves that are like tiny rivers, others lead to a bigger main groove where liquid pools. This particular juice-catching feature will help you to keep your kitchen counter clean. Some carving boards might have a slight slant to them as this encourages the juices to pool in one particular area.
You should avoid pouring meat juices and oils down the sink, even if they've been diluted, as they can clog your drains. The best practice is to wait for them to cool down and throw them in the trash. You can pour them into an empty can and wait for them to solidify or soak them up with paper towels.
It’s important to have a stable base when you're carving meat. Carving boards that have features that help keep the meat in place are safer and more efficient. Some boards are equipped with pyramid points or even spikes that help to keep foods stable while you carve your way through them. Other boards have non-slip surfaces.
Some even have non-skid material on the bottom of the board, which helps to keep the board from wobbling or sliding across your kitchen counter.
Reversible carving boards are very versatile. The top side might be designed for meats and have grips or juice grooves, but when turned over, the other side is usually a smooth board. This can be used as a regular chopping board for fruits and vegetables. This maximizes the board’s function, allowing you to use it for many things.
Other chopping boards are made of such beautiful wood that they can also be used to serve meat and other kinds of food. You might have seen examples of wooden carving boards being used as display platters for cheese or hors d'oeuvres. Ones that come with handles could even be used as trays. Some thicker carving boards might have inset handles cut into the sides which makes them easier to pick up and carry.
If you like spending time in your kitchen and are always looking for ways to enhance your cooking experience, then check these products out! They'll help make things more efficient.
If you're still looking for some ideas, then why not check out the best-selling carving boards on Amazon?
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