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I tried a silicone cutting board, and I noticed two problems so far.

First, it had a strong smell, it only disappeared after two weeks of use. Second, I noticed scratches after chopping on it.

What are the advantages and disadvantages of silicone boards when compared to other cutting board materials?

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    Hello Ankway, and welcome! Your question wasn't especially clear. I turned it into the most general interpretation I could come up with, if you wanted to ask something more specific, you can edit it again. Also, please don't ask for personal experience, we are a site specializing in more objective answers.
    – rumtscho ♦
    Sep 7, 2015 at 11:04

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I would expect a silicone board to be quite keen on scratches as it's soft. The same applies for plastic ones.

I've found the best chopping boards are those made of wood. They are also safer. Some kind of woods, like bamboo, are natural antibacterial:

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    The food safety of wooden vs plastic vs <insert material of choice> boards is speculative at best. Research claiming the same for any other material is widely available, and from reputable sources too. I do prefer a wooden one, but food safety is not one of the (or my) reasons. I just like wood, and I like the weight and massiveness of my board, something that no other board has been able to give me.
    – Willem van Rumpt
    Sep 7, 2015 at 14:39
  • @WillemvanRumpt I agree, wood feels much better. Do you have any reference for the safety of plastic boards?
    – algiogia
    Sep 7, 2015 at 14:42
  • I'll try to dig something up. I remember doing the research last time (and relatively recently) I needed (well, wanted, really) to buy a new cutting board and decided to do my due diligence regarding safety. Mixed advice was the result. IIRC, all of them had certain benefits depending on what you cleaned it with, how you cleaned it, and then those two in combination with what you actually cut on it (read: meat).
    – Willem van Rumpt
    Sep 7, 2015 at 14:47
  • Well, not much to show for, I'm sorry to say. Here's one in Dutch, stating there's no verdict out there, supported by University of Wageningen (specializing in food and agriculture (not web design, as you'll see from the page)), and a bunch of other universities, but the website doesn't scream "reputable" to me. In Iowa they apparently prefer plastic. Most other (government) sites don't even bother to mention material, but just focus on the method of cleaning.
    – Willem van Rumpt
    Sep 7, 2015 at 15:22
  • I used to live near a very traditional butchers, that used and displayed large, deep wooden chopping boards, that had acquired deep, smooth eroded curves, probably from years of very frequent use. Despite the lack of distinct form, they clearly suggested the iconic shapes of very large cuts of meat.
    – alan2here
    Sep 10, 2015 at 14:37
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I didn't know that bamboo has anti-bacterial properties. Learn something new every day.

It has always been my generally accepted belief that silicone is better than wood because wood has more little microscopic crevices where bacteria can hide.

You want the cutting board to take your knife's cutting instead of dulling the blade. So it's not necessarily a bad thing to have cuts on your cutting board.

Silicone is not as porous as wood so less places for bacteria to hide. Plus you can heat the living daylights out of it in the dishwasher...Auf Wiedersehen bacteria !

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  • If the board has deep scratches (which is the norm with silicone and plastic) than it's not that easy to clean the food away. Also, pieces of the board end in what you eat. But I guess in the end it's up to what is more practical for the individual.
    – algiogia
    Sep 11, 2015 at 7:45
  • Pieces of the cutting board ending up in what you eat? Anything to substantiate that? I could counter that wood particles are more likely to break off than silicone...and your body won't digest silicone. It will simply pass through. Bottom line is wood is microscopically porous while silicone is not. Metal knives are going to dull and a "soft" cutting board reduces that. It may be possible that a ceramic knife is not dulled so easily, if at all, but I don't own any.
    – user36802
    Sep 11, 2015 at 13:39
  • Silicone and plastic boars get scarred when you cut on them. Cut today, cut tomorrow the material from the scars detach from the board and end up in your food. I'm sure the same happens with wood boards, but at least these are (should be) natural.
    – algiogia
    Sep 11, 2015 at 14:14
  • Theoretically possible. In practice, unlikely. IMHO. You probably are harmed more by drinking a cup of coffee laced with acrylamide or eating rice or apple juice that's loaded with arsenic. Only problem with eating cutting boards, silicone or wood, cutting board bits have little nutritional benefit. Like I said elsewhere, you're already eating wood in the form of micro-crystalline cellulose (cellulose). Like titanium dioxide and a million other things, it's in your food, you just don't notice it. Eating a piece of burnt toast is at least theoretically worse than eating a cutting board chip.
    – user36802
    Sep 12, 2015 at 20:06
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I like the silicone board more than wood or bamboo. From my point of view, silicone boards are easy to clean and dishwasher-safe, protect the environment, are non-slip and non-germ.

I was used to use the wood & bamboo board. After only several months the board was dirty and full of the scratches. Now I'm trying the silicone cutting board and I'm much happier with it. This is just my own opinion.

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  • I have to disagree on the "environment-friendly" bit. Silicone is non-recyclable and no-biodegradable. Bamboo grows really quickly and the harvest has a low impact on the environment: in fact, the plant is not destroyed and grows again.
    – algiogia
    Sep 11, 2015 at 7:53
  • Reality check: Who is surprised because a cutting board gets scratched? If you're cutting board is too hard, then it stands to reason your knife will be instantly dulled. As far as eco-friendly, silicone anything and everything for the kitchen is all the rage. So there's a whole lot of non-biodegradable stuff being sold and apparently it's very popular.
    – user36802
    Sep 11, 2015 at 13:49
  • To mien's defense, we eat wood everyday with no known harmful effects. It's called micro crystalline cellulose. It's widely used in things like vitamins and even things like nasal spray. It's basically wood from trees and other plants that's been treated with acid to extract the cellulose. It has no nutritional value other than as a fiber (laxative) and a food filler/extender. Think: micro crystalline cellulose being added to meatloaf instead of bread. So eat a tree or eat a cutting board.
    – user36802
    Sep 11, 2015 at 13:58
  • My apologies. I now realize Mien just did some editing but the answer was from C.CN. P.S. I use silicone boards. I also have some wood boards but they are too beautiful to cut on.
    – user36802
    Sep 12, 2015 at 0:57

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