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I like how the knife feels on my wooden boards. I have a plastic chopping sheet that I can put over the wood for cross-contamination issues. I have a small poly "bar board" that I use for cutting small veg items or cheese for one.

I'm pretty promiscuous with my boards, but wood will always be closest to my heart.

I use two wooden boards. They are both laminated hardwood that I clean thoroughly, oil and set outside in the sun for some uv rays about once every two months. One is about 8x12" and the second is about 14x21". I'm not too anal with them but I do clean everything after processing poultry and rinse them off between ingredients. I've used plastic in friend's kitchens and just never liked their "feel".

I probably have 6 or 7 cutting boards (all different sizes I must note, I'm not that crazy:-)), all bamboo. I absolutely love them - for no good reason, really, it's just the "feel" of the board that appeals to me. I've tried poly boards at my MIL's house, but I wasn't crazy about them, partly because my bamboo boards are smooth and I feel that I can, indeed, clean them well after each use. My MIL's boards, on the other hand, have a somewhat grainy surface (I wonder if all poly boards are like this?), which (in my head, I admit) makes them look like they couldn't be cleaned properly.

Thanks for asking this as I'm in the market for a bamboo cutting board.

I have come to like the silicone ones simply for ease of cleaning and sanitation. I have the Silicone Zone ones that have separate boards for chicken, meat, veggies, and fish. I haven't noticed any problems with my knives and like that they can go in the dishwasher.

Only problem I've had is the backing is supposedly a grip surface and the paint has begun coming off on our counters on the vegetable board that I use most often.

That peeling has caused me to want a bamboo one for vegetable prep since I think it will last much longer and I've been impressed with what I've read about the bamboo.

Any certain brand people prefer? I checked Sur La Table last weekend but the only ones they had were too small for my liking.

I've always had poly boards, simply because. I'd like to have a wooden board, but the balance of cleanliness and very limited space makes me think it's unreasonable for now. Also, when the time comes for buy a wooden one, I want to make sure it's a good one, so price is a factor.

I tended to use my smaller board most often, likely because it's easier to fit in the sink, but I finally got the point that it's easier to work with a bit more room, so the big one gets much more action now (even more now that I have the 10-inch knife).

I also have a set of flexible cutting mats, which I use for meats (yellow for poultry, blue for fish, red for other meats). After working in a restaurant, I got in the habit of guarding against cross contamination. I've slackened a bit, but with poultry I always use the mat, and with most other meats. Main exception would be bacon, because I tend to use it like an aromatic and I am too lazy to wash another item for it.

Worst ever was when I cooked for a party at my aunt's. She never cooks, and she had those tempered glass cutting boards with designs on them. What kind of idiot came up with that bright idea? Why make cooking harder?

Anyhoo, I will be on the lookout for a bamboo board. They seems economical enough, and I would like the experience of cutting on a wood board. I love knives.

The sun treatment is something I've never heard before - what does it do to the boards?

I tried a bamboo board because BF got a corporate gift from someone and it included several scary, nasty cheeses and a beautiful bamboo board. Of course, the cheese went buh-bye but the board has become a favorite.

Did anyone read the article I linked?

@chiff0....i've always used poly boards.....coz thats what i'm used to from work....but after readin that article from the nyt i think i'll be on the lookout for a wooden board !!!

Anyone remember a show with Graham Kerr where he used a glass cutting board? I couldn't hear that knife blade screeeeee, scratch, screeeee so I didn't watch it many times. That's got to be the absolute worst - glass.

PS - my dog knows the sound of my knife on my cutting board and generally joins me in the kitchen. That sound is Pavlovian for, "Come to the kitchen! Something might fall!"

@chiff--I read the article and sent it to my friends who favor the plastic over the wood.

I read it after I posted....and after years in food service...can I just saw ew?
I feel better about my wood now and the plastic one I do have may hit the trash or get used for some other non-food purpose.

Not telling the hubby though, he will use it as an excuse to not wash the dishes til next day..;-)