If you are in the kitchen preparing almost any meal, you will need a cutting glass chopping board. Whether you are slicing an apple for breakfast or chopping vegetables for your stir-fry dinner, there aren’t many ways to get around using a one. Some people prefer the ease of using an electric food processor. But that still requires some initial chopping and it’s harder to control the size of chop with a food processor.

A cutting board is a strong board placed on top of something to cut materials. The home cook generally thinks of cutting fruits, vegetables, meats and breads. But they are used for cutting many things such as leather, fabric and paper. It serves one main purpose: to protect the area beneath from cut marks. Boards are usually made of wood or plastic. Other materials used are Corian, marble, glass and metal. But these aren’t good for the longevity of your knife. Newer cutting boards on the market are made of bamboo. The care of bamboo is similar to wood. But it’s believed that bamboo is tougher and will last longer. There are also new materials that allow the board to be flexible. They are often designated for certain foods to avoid cross contamination and come in a variety of colors.

There is no right or wrong type of cutting board. It’s all a matter of preference. While it’s true that plastic boards are easier to clean, any cutting board can be contaminated if not cleaned properly. So it depends on you. Some people prefer the sound of chopping on wood that chopping on plastic. If this describes you, you should purchase wood. If you know that you won’t stop and clean a wooden cutting board properly, get a few plastic ones and put them in the dishwasher.

Taking care of a cutting board is a must because we eat everything that touches it. In this way, plastic has an advantage. They can be rinsed off and put in the dishwasher to be sanitized. This is not the case with wood. They require special care. After each use, wooden boards should be washed with dish detergent and rinsed. Then they should be leaned against something to dry. When they are dry, applying some mineral oil will keep the board from getting dried out. Never use furniture oil! Your cutting board has two enemies: water and heat. So don’t let it sit in water and don’t place it in direct heat either.