Many professional kitchens use color-coded cutting boards to keep raw meat and produce separate, but is that level of separation really necessary at home? Designed for safety and efficiency, these systems assign different colors to different food types—for example, red for raw meat and green for produce—to help prevent cross-contamination in busy kitchens.
But unless you're preparing food in a commercial setting, are multiple cutting boards worth the extra storage and counter space? For most home cooks, no. With proper food handling and thorough cleaning, one or two cutting boards are usually enough. To help settle the debate, we spoke with food safety experts and a professional chef about when one board is enough and when it's worth keeping separate ones on hand.
When one clean cutting board is enough
If you can realistically clean a cutting board while prepping any meal that uses uncooked meat, poultry, or seafood, one may be enough.
“Cutting boards should be washed after every use, especially after raw meat, poultry, or seafood,” says Jessica Brantley-Lopez, R.D.N. “If you only have one, I’d use it for produce and ready-to-eat foods first, wash it well with hot, soapy water, and then use it for raw meat.”
If handwashing isn’t realistic, a hot dishwasher cycle also works to sanitize cutting boards.
“For a plastic or glass cutting board, you can just pop it in the dishwasher. There are even some paper composite cutting boards that are dishwasher safe,” says Good Housekeeping Senior Food Editor Susan Choung. “Just be sure to check the manufacturer’s instructions first, since not every cutting board is dishwasher-safe.”
How to clean wooden cutting boards
Some cooks may prefer wooden boards, and as long as they’re cleaned thoroughly, they can safely be used for all foods.
“Wood can be used safely, but it can be harder to thoroughly clean once it develops deep knife marks, grooves, or cracks,” adds Brantley-Lopez.
Cleaning wooden cutting boards after every use is essential. “Definitely do not put a wooden cutting board in the dishwasher—unless the manufacturer’s instructions deem it safe,” advises Choung. “And submerging it in water is another big no-no. It can cause warping.” The best practice, she says, is to hand-wash the board with hot, soapy water, then rinse it with clean water, and pat it dry with a clean towel.
Wooden cutting boards should also be sanitized regularly (but not after every use). Use a solution of 1 tablespoon of liquid chlorine bleach per gallon of water to spray and wipe down your cutting board, especially if you use it to cut raw meat. Let the board air-dry after sanitizing.
Signs it’s time to replace your board
A properly sanitized cutting board can be used for everything, but it has to be in good condition to be food safe.
“Once a board gets deeply grooved, cracked, or difficult to clean, I recommend replacing it,” adds Brantley-Lopez. If you’re using wooden cutting boards, which aren’t typical in pro kitchens because they’re difficult to clean, she suggests designating one wooden board specifically for raw meat.
When separate cutting boards make sense
“For a home kitchen, you don’t absolutely have to own a different cutting board for every type of food, but I do think having one board dedicated to raw meat, poultry, and seafood is a smart practice,” says chef Dennis Littley. “It removes one more opportunity for cross-contamination, especially when you’re preparing foods like salads, fruit, or garnishes that won’t be cooked afterward.”
This practice is especially helpful if multiple cooks are in the kitchen, because once a ready-to-eat ingredient touches raw poultry or a surface freshly contaminated with raw poultry, it probably needs to be tossed.
“The most important rule is that a cutting board used for raw meat should never go straight into preparing ready-to-eat food without being thoroughly cleaned first,” adds Littley. “If you only have one board, I would prepare your fruits and vegetables first, move them out of the way, then use the board for the raw meat and wash it thoroughly afterward.”
If you prefer a wooden cutting board, consider using a smaller, separate board as your raw-meat board. Let everyone in the household know what it’s for; this can help prevent cross-contamination in the kitchen and streamline dishwashing.
