We independently evaluate all of our recommendations. If you click on links we provide, we may receive compensation. What to Buy Kitchen Tools The 7 Best Carving Boards, Tested and Reviewed The functional design of top performers helped keep messes under control and kitchen knives sharper longer. By Summer Rylander Summer Rylander Summer is a food and travel writer who began by writing about Swedish cheesemaking traditions in 2018. Food & Wine's Editorial Guidelines and Stacey Ballis Stacey Ballis Stacey Ballis is a novelist, cookbook author, and food writer with 20 years of experience. She has authored a cookbook called "Big Delicious Life," in addition to ghostwriting, recipe development, and recipe testing for chefs. Food & Wine's Editorial Guidelines Updated on March 21, 2024 In This Article View All In This Article Our Top Picks Reviews Our Favorite Carving Board Our Carving Board Tests What to Consider When Choosing a Carving Board Pro Panel Q+A Other Carving Boards We Tested Our Expertise Photo: Food & Wine / Will Dickey What’s the difference between a carving board and a cutting board, you ask? They’re pretty similar — but with one key difference: Carving boards have a handy drain channel running around the board's perimeter. This groove collects all the drippings and juices that emerge while carving poultry, slicing steak, or, say, chopping a bunch of tomatoes. You can think of a carving board as a cutting board that helps keep messes at bay. Thanks to its natural antimicrobial properties, wood is a popular choice for carving boards. Wood tends to be gentler on knives, too, which helps keep blades sharper for longer. We tested dozens of carving boards by slicing baguettes and carving entire chickens. All seven boards on this list are worth a closer look. Our Top Picks Best Overall: Made In The Butcher Block at Amazon $129 Jump to Review Best Large: SALE Teakhaus Professional Carving Board with Juice Canal at Amazon $134 $105 Jump to Review Best for Poultry: SALE JK Adams Maple Reversible Carving Board at Amazon $87 $69 Jump to Review Best Value: Joseph Joseph Cut & Carve Multi-Function Cutting Board at Amazon $29 Jump to Review Best Grip: Lipper International Acacia Cutting Board with Grid Grip at Amazon $50 Jump to Review Best Plastic: OXO Good Grips Carving and Cutting Board at Amazon $33 Jump to Review Best for Serving: Zwilling J.A. Henckles Birchwood Cutting & Carving Board With Handles at Amazon Jump to Review Best Overall Made In The Butcher Block PHOTO: Made In $129 at Amazon View on Madeincookware.com Pros A spacious carving board that stands up to frequent use. Cons It’s heavy, so cleaning can be tricky. Made In’s Butcher Block is the real deal. Weighing in at eight pounds with a deep juice groove, this beechwood carving board is ultra-sturdy and ready to handle just about anything you’ll be tempted to slice atop its well-oiled surface. It's durable, resistant to scratches, and has enough space for a whole chicken. The size and weight of the carving board are great for slicing bread, and the grooves help catch crumbs. Of course, the weight-driven stability means the Made In carving boarding can be tricky to maneuver — especially when getting it over to the sink for cleaning purposes. This isn’t a board you’re likely to move from counter to table, but if you’re looking for an investment piece that’ll last for years to come, the Made In Butcher Block looks and feels like a high-quality carving board. The functional juice wells, handles on the outer edges for easier grip, and solid wood structure make it the best overall pick. Material: Beechwood | Size: 17.75 x 11.75 x 1.6 inches | Dishwasher safe: No PHOTO: Food & Wine / Will Dickey PHOTO: Food & Wine / Will Dickey PHOTO: Food & Wine / Will Dickey PHOTO: Food & Wine / Will Dickey PHOTO: Food & Wine / Will Dickey Best Large Teakhaus Professional Carving Board with Juice Canal PHOTO: Teakhaus $134 $105 at Amazon $120 at Sur La Table View on Teakhaus.com Pros Reversible, large size makes this one of the most versatile carving boards available. Cons It’s hefty at 15 pounds. This board is both gorgeous and functional thanks to its reversible surface. Just flip it over to make use of a flat cutting board, or flip it again to use the grooved side for carving. The heavy-duty construction and deep juice canal blew us away during testing. Juices settled right into the groove and never once hit the table. We found there was plenty of space on the board while carving a four-pound chicken, so we're confident this could handle a turkey of any size. The varied nature of teak woodgrain means knife marks are well-hidden, and, with proper care, we have no doubt this Teakhaus carving board will last a lifetime. It is heavy at 15 pounds, but that's to be expected given the size and solid wood construction. Material: Teak | Size: 24 x 18 x 1.5 inches | Dishwasher safe: No PHOTO: Food & Wine / Will Dickey PHOTO: Food & Wine / Will Dickey PHOTO: Food & Wine / Will Dickey PHOTO: Food & Wine / Will Dickey The 6 Best Butcher Knives of 2024, According to My Tests Best for Poultry JK Adams Maple Reversible Carving Board PHOTO: Amazon $87 $69 at Amazon $97 at Wayfair $110 at Sur La Table Pros Deep juice wells and plenty of space for chicken. Cons This is a meat-centric carving board. Though this reversible carving board has juice wells on both sides, one side has an indentation designed to cradle your roast chicken — or other poultry — during the carving process. The center cavity and juice well makes it easy to keep a roast chicken stable during carving. Since it's wood it is more prone to knife marks, but nothing beyond the ordinary. This carving board could be just the thing you didn’t know you were missing in the kitchen, according to our editors. The substantial juice well and beautiful wood deserves a place on your countertop. Material: Maple wood | Size: 20 x 14 x 1.25 inches | Dishwasher safe: No PHOTO: Food & Wine / Will Dickey PHOTO: Food & Wine / Will Dickey PHOTO: Food & Wine / Will Dickey PHOTO: Food & Wine / Will Dickey Best Value Joseph Joseph Cut & Carve Multi-Function Cutting Board PHOTO: Bed, Bath & Beyond $29 at Amazon $30 at Williams Sonoma $20 at Macy's Pros A lightweight, sturdy, easy-to-clean carving board. Cons It’s a bit small for carving large pieces of meat. The Joseph Joseph Cut and Carve Plus is dishwasher-safe and versatile for everything from vegetables to pork tenderloin. This board is great for general prep work as well as for carving thanks to its durable rubber surface. We did find it to be the small side during the baguette test and noted that a whole chicken took up most of the board. So while this may not be the ideal carving board for your Thanksgiving turkey, if you’re looking for an affordable board that will run double-duty as a daily-use cutting surface, it’s still a tough one to beat. Material: Rubber | Size: 14.5 x 11 x 1 inches | Dishwasher safe: Yes PHOTO: Food & Wine / John Somerall PHOTO: Food & Wine / John Somerall Best Grip Lipper International Acacia Cutting Board with Grid Grip PHOTO: Walmart $50 at Amazon $50 at Wayfair $50 at Wayfair Pros Ultra-grippy surface ensures food won’t slide around during carving. Cons Grid design may take some getting used to. At first glance, this Lipper International carving board — with its grid-like center patch — looks more than a little unconventional. But we loved how efficiently this board held everything in place, from baguettes to chickens to fresh produce. The gripper grid in the middle and the two juice wells made carving a roast chicken easy. The sturdy acacia board ensured no mess was left on the countertop, and despite reservations that the grippy center might be tricky to clean, we were pleasantly surprised to find the board rinsed clean with no issues. Like other carving boards, this one is large and can make for awkward maneuvering in the sink, but we feel it’s worth the purchase. The functionality, design, and decent price make it another winner for us. Material: Acacia wood | Size: 20 x 15 x 1 inches | Dishwasher safe: No Best Plastic OXO Good Grips Carving and Cutting Board PHOTO: Amazon $33 at Amazon $37 at Walmart $19 at Sur La Table Pros Lightweight and easy to clean. Cons Not as aesthetically pleasing as wooden carving boards. In a lineup of head-turning wooden carving boards, OXO’s plastic contender may not look like much — but don’t discredit this one just yet. Despite its lightweight, slim profile, the OXO carving board comes through with non-slip feet to keep everything in place while slicing. This board didn’t move an inch while we sliced a baguette, and though the juice well is shallow, the board’s generous overall size kept mess to a minimum, with plenty of space for drippings to distribute. We found that a three-pound chicken fits nicely on the board, with plenty of space to break it down and have room to spare. As with most products in the OXO Good Grips line, functionality comes first. Yes, you can pop it in the dishwasher; no, it doesn’t scratch easily. This is a great carving board for the budget-conscious or anyone working in a small space. Material: Plastic | Size: 21.1 x 14.5 inches | Dishwasher safe: Yes Best for Serving Zwilling J.A. Henckles Birchwood Cutting & Carving Board With Handles PHOTO: Williams Sonoma View on Amazon $140 at Wayfair Pros Easy to carry thanks to raised handles and relatively lightweight build. Cons Juice well could be deeper. Sometimes, you’ll carve a roast and arrange the pieces on a nice platter; other times, you’ll prefer to take the carving board directly to the table. For those occasions, we like this carving board from Zwilling, which has the right mix of functionality and elegance. The board's hefty weight keeps it in place while slicing bread or carving roasts. There's adequate room for carving a three-pound chicken, which was easily transferred to the table thanks to the carving board’s handles. The juice wells could be deeper if you're making larger roasts or turkey, but we recommend this board for steak, brisket, and large vegetables — or even as a serving board for a cheese and charcuterie spread. Material: Birchwood | Size: 15 x 23 x 1 inches | Dishwasher safe: No PHOTO: Food & Wine / Taysha Murtaugh PHOTO: Food & Wine / Taysha Murtaugh PHOTO: Food & Wine / Taysha Murtaugh Our Favorite Carving Board Overall, we favored The Butcher Block by Made In thanks to its just-right size, deep juice well, and timeless good looks. For larger carving needs, the Teakhaus Professional Carving Board is a great choice. Our Carving Board Tests Using a serrated knife, we sliced a baguette crosswise into half-inch-thick slices. We carved a freshly roasted chicken into eight pieces using a large chef's knife or slicer. After each test, we thoroughly cleaned each carving board according to the manufacturer's instructions. We then rated each carving board on design, size, durability, and value. What to Consider When Choosing a Carving Board Material: Carving boards are generally made of either wood, a wood composite, or plastic. While all will work fine, wood boards tend to be the most naturally skid-proof, which can be essential when carving a large, unwieldy bird or roast. Size: Carving boards tend to be larger than cutting boards. You should buy the one that will accommodate the largest item you believe you will need it for. Generally, this is a whole turkey, ham, or prime rib roast. If you are only going to own one and can accommodate it, err on the side of a larger board versus a smaller one. If you cook often and have storage space, having a smaller board for chickens and steaks can be helpful — and a large one for bigger items. Design: Since the main difference between a cutting board and a carving board is the channel for capturing juices, you will want to be sure that the channel is substantial enough for the dishes you cook. Some are shallow or narrow, and the channel can overflow with a juicy cut of meat or a lot of volume to carve. Some boards have a container that slides underneath to capture juices for use in pan sauces, which can be a terrific feature. If you are using a carving board for very large cuts often, like whole turkeys and prime rib roasts, you may want to look for a board that has extra assistance with grip, such as metal spikes or carved wooden details in the surface to stabilize food. These will usually only be on wooden boards and are not features generally seen on composite or plastic carving boards. Maintenance: Wooden boards are not dishwasher safe, and meat juices can seep into surface cuts, making them harder to keep clean and sanitized. Many wood composite and plastic boards can be put through the dishwasher, which is helpful for ease of cleanup. Wood boards will often benefit from regular upkeep with either mineral oil or a beeswax board paste to keep the wood hydrated and prevent cracking or splitting. Frequently Asked Questions What is the difference between a cutting board and a carving board? According to Anthony Contrino, Emmy-awarded culinary producer and food stylist and the host of Saucy on NBCUniversal’s streaming platform Peacock, cutting boards and carving boards share many of the same key features (mainly chopping and slicing) and can often be used interchangeably. However, carving boards have a ditch or a moat near its edge to catch any juices when slicing meat. Also, carving boards are often bigger to accommodate cutting large roasts and whole poultry, and sometimes more decorative or ornate, so you can use them as a serving board. How big should a carving board be? Contrino suggests that an everyday carving board be at least 12 x18 inches. If you host larger gatherings (think: Thanksgiving!), you may want to consider purchasing a 15 x 20 inch-sized board, or even one that is 24 x 36 inches. How do you clean a wooden carving board? The cleaning approach is similar to how you'd clean a wooden cutting board. For lighter messes, a gentle scrub with hot water and mild dish soap will work just fine, says Contrino. For heavier use, sprinkle some coarse sea salt over the board and use a lemon half, flesh-side-down, to scrub the board. (This will not only remove debris but neutralize any odors.) Then, rinse and gently scrub with hot water and mild dish soap. Always clean both sides of your board and let it dry, leaning on its edge to prevent warping. Be sure to allow the board to dry completely before storing, ensuring any lingering bacteria has been killed off. Other Carving Boards We Tested Shun Hinoki Cutting & Carving Board with Well ($100 at Williams Sonoma) Virginia Boys Kitchens Extra Large Walnut Wood Cutting Board ($165 at Amazon) Sonder Los Angeles Large End Grain Walnut Wood Cutting Board ($140 at Amazon) John Boos Maple Classic Reversible Wood Chopping Block ($288 at Amazon) Farberware Bamboo Cutting Board with Red Non-Slip Corners ($20 at Walmart) Epicurean BBQ Cutting & Carving Board ($170 at Williams Sonoma) Our Expertise This article was written by Summer Rylander. Rylander is a food and travel journalist who has written about food, beverage, and cooking products for Food & Wine, Allrecipes, Serious Eats, and The Kitchn. This article was written according to the results of Food & Wine expert reviewers who put each carving board through a series of real-world tests. Stacey Ballis, a writer, recipe developer, and product reviewer, also contributed to this piece. Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Tell us why! 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