Category Friends and family ($30-$100)
Best for Home cooks

Not so long ago this Nosher was a forlorn chopper whose travails in the kitchen were only made worse by a warped, tomato-stained, slippy-slidey cutting board. After a few nicked fingertips, I finally wised up and swapped my cheapy plastic one for a bamboo board. Now, ready to upgrade again, I’m eyeing what Epicurean has to offer.

Epicurean produces some of the better boards out there, they’re often found in commercial kitchens. The boards are non-pourous, so no staining, and easy to keep clean (dishwasher safe, yo). The wood fiber laminate is good for knife blades, and unlike some wooden boards, is resistant to knicks and cracks wherein icky things can fester. They’re also incredibly light, which is at once nice and annoying, since they tend to lose their hold easily (but put a damp washcloth underneath it and you’re set).

The ones pictured here are bordered with a groove meant to catch stray juices before they go splat. On surlatable.com, the smallest plank starts at $48 and the largest, a 20-by-15 incher, goes for $74.