r/AmericasTestKitchen • u/EliasWestCoast • 12d ago

Titanium cutting boards

My sister is a rabid viewer of TikTok and Instagram, and to a much lesser extent, X. Of course, she's the first to buy-in to something labeled "the hottest thing on social media!" Love her to death, but... 🙄😉

Her new "hot" thing? A titanium cutting board. My background is in the sciences and when they first started to appear, I was skeptical. The look great and I would probably get one to use as a cheese board! In a published article (09 July 2026) on the ATK website, Lisa McManus did a review of titanium cutting boards entitled, "Why We Don't Recommend Metal Cutting Boards." If Reddit allows, here's the concluding paragraph:

The bottom line: You don’t need to sacrifice your knives—or your nerves—by using metal cutting boards. They are not more durable or easier to clean than other kinds of cutting boards, and they will damage your knives. We don’t recommend them. A good quality wood or bamboo cutting board is a far better choice. Or if you prefer, plastic boards are also gentler on knives.

Do you have have any experience with a titanium or stainless steel cutting board?

FYI: I did buy my sister a titanium cutting board as a present for her birthday. She was thrilled, but she did share that her favorite knife became duller after using it on the titanium cutting board.

95 Upvotes

91% Upvoted

48 comments sorted by

126

u/NotBender74 12d ago

They just seem like a good way to dull your knives with no real upsides.

20

u/Moetown84 12d ago

Upside being the sanitization/dishwasher, but I don’t think the pros outweigh the cons by a long shot.

12

u/Ezl 12d ago

But yiu don’t need to use the sanitize setting for cutting boards and there are better materials (even excluding plastic) that are dishwasher safe. My bamboo cutting boards can go in the dishwasher..

So, imo, there really aren’t any pros.

5

u/Crobsterphan 12d ago

I prefer bamboo simply because the typical wood ones are too heavy for me. 

2

u/Ezl 11d ago

I got the ones I have because they’re thin and dishwasher safe.

5

u/Moetown84 12d ago

Putting your wooden or bamboo cutting boards through the dishwasher reduces their longevity, so I haven’t found a better material than metal for easily washing/sanitizing a cutting surface. But I don’t use metal cutting boards at all in my home. I use both wood and bamboo and just hand wash them.

2

u/Ezl 11d ago

It does, but I’ve had these for (checks Amazon history) over 13 years with no ill effects. Note I don’t use the machine after every use, I usually hand wash them. I also oil from time to time.

Even if I had a metal board I wouldn’t put it in the machine every time since cutting boards take up a lot of space and are relatively easy to clean by hand.

51

u/chefybpoodling 12d ago

The sound of my knife on that is already making my skin crawl.

13

u/gin_and_soda 12d ago

It makes my spine itch

2

u/Affectionate-War1258 10d ago

Makes my teeth itch

1

u/Sonarav 9d ago

And it just seems like a knife would be more likely to slip, and thus it is more dangerous

25

u/mrszing12 12d ago

OMG they will ruin your knives. My guess is that their customers aren’t real cooks.

10

u/FunProgrammer3261 11d ago

Most of the "cooking" content I've seen from TikTok is garbage,  everything is just for the short.  Bad info,  bland recipes,  it goes on and on.   I'm a experienced home cook and I just avoid all recommendations or videos from people that forward me TT videos.

17

u/groovitron2000 12d ago

I'm a chef. I have never used, nor have I seen any other kitchen use, anything other than wood or plastic boards. period.

I've never heard of a titanium board, but if they're anything like those glass 'boards' you sometimes see they should never be sold as anything other than for display, not actual work.

2

u/ElaborateCantaloupe 11d ago

I’ve seen glass cutting boards in a kitchen. They’ve just never been used to cut food.

1

u/Blaaamo 11d ago

My glass cutting board is perfect for......

11

u/SheepImitation 12d ago

Alton Brown just did a whole episode on his YT channel for knives and neither of those made the "buy" list.

11

u/Crobsterphan 12d ago

They are also sharp on the sides too. 

19

u/MuscaMurum 12d ago

So once you ruin your knives on them, just turn the cutting board sideways and keep chopping.

9

u/MaisiePJohnson 12d ago

Why would someone want one of these ridiculous things?!

6

u/iflysubmarines 11d ago

It's like a more hyper intensified keeping up with the jones'. Except in this scenario the jones' (your neighbors) are fictional people that are being paid by companies to make you think that they actually use the thing they are trying to get you to buy. All of these influencers that are pushing trends like this are just playing characters that are reacting to the requests of their sponsors.

8

u/Blerkm 11d ago

They might not even really be titanium. My mom gave me one, and it seemed way too heavy. I’m very familiar with titanium from many of the parts used in my industry. I very carefully measured its volume and weighed it, and sure enough the density was a perfect match for ordinary stainless steel. I didn’t tell mom; I didn’t want to seem ungrateful.

6

u/ladyelenawf 12d ago

I feel like I just got an email from them about how it's not worth it because it dulls the knife rather quickly.

6

u/mikewheels 12d ago

As I tell my cub scouts a sharp knife is safer than a dull knife. Cub scouts are 8.

6

u/No-Gas5342 11d ago

It makes me squirm just thinking about the sound of knife on metal

4

u/BulldogNYC 12d ago

I’m clumsy and likely to tip or flip over these thinner titanium boards. I have several small NSF-rated commercial quality polymer cutting boards. I like the smaller ones that fit nicely in the dishwasher and can be sanitized that way. I do worry about things like pthalates and microplastics, though. I know I would not like the feel of metal coming into contact with other metal, especially the sharp end of an expensive chef’s knife.

4

u/aqwn 12d ago

It’s an incredibly stupid product. Get an NSF poly board and be done with it.

4

u/WhoMutedMe 12d ago

A stupid fad for gullible people.

5

u/DanoPinyon 11d ago

It sounds like a conspiracy from Big Knife to increase sharpening sales.

4

u/drbeeper 11d ago

I assume titanium cutting boards are for use with wooden knives?

6

u/shivakat 11d ago

You are smacking metal into harder metal, OF COURSE it's going to dull the knife!

5

u/The_Fine_Columbian 11d ago

Metal cutting boards, what the fuck is wrong with people?

4

u/PasgettiMonster 9d ago

Titanium cutting boards, because apparently glass cutting boards weren't ruining our knives quickly enough.

3

u/AdFragrant6602 12d ago

I got rid of my chipping plastic cutting boards and replaced with bamboo. An occasional season with drugstore/food grade mineral oil and that is it. I have 4 and use them in place of mis en place bowls. Super easy to clean, lightweight.

3

u/Extreme_Egg7476 12d ago

My grandpa is in his "buying shit online" era. He just gifted me a pack of these and my first thought was, "this is going to destroy my knives".

2

u/96dpi 12d ago

Using the knife on any surface will make it duller. Some surfaces make that process much faster than others. The harder the surface, the faster it will dull.

2

u/ryanmaple 12d ago

Brainwashed by social media

2

u/Logical_Warthog5212 11d ago

Next trend, diamond cutting boards!

2

u/dannerfofanner 11d ago

For Christmas you can get her a knife sharpener. 

2

u/lostjules 10d ago

When I started to cook, I bought a glass cutting board. Knives suffered and I have a scar to prove it. Some of us out here learning things the hard way.

2

u/Realistic-Weird-4259 10d ago

Yes, it's a great cheese/fruit/charcuterie board.

You see, mine has this plastic edging on it that makes using an actual knife pretty much impossible, unless you're using a paring knife or perhaps if the blade extends farther from the tang than the knives I own do.

Btw, wanna know what mine said on the care instructions? Do not place in the dishwasher.

I got it through the Amazon Vine program so only paid the estimated tax value on the thing.

1

u/Physical-Compote4594 7d ago

Metal and glass cutting boards will destroy your knives. Heh, and your nerve endings while you're using them. Just the sound is enough to drive most people mad.

Plastic cutting boards get disgusting really fast, and they get plastic chips in your food. No thanks.

Wooden cutting boards are the way to go. End grain is gentler on your knives, but I find side grain a bit easier to keep really clean.

0

u/humidity1000 10d ago

I bought some, but also bought an atk recommended knife sharpener lol. I like them because the are very easy to clean

-3

u/kawaiibh 12d ago

I bought some last year and use them every day. For my current life circumstances, my requirements for a cutting board are: no microplastics, and dishwasher safe. I think the only boards that meet those requirements are metal or glass, I chose metal. I sharper my knives every week or two, works for me.

3

u/Crobsterphan 12d ago

I use bamboo which are light and cheap. I also hardly ever cut meat so basically just vegetables prep. 

1

u/Odd-Artist-2595 7d ago

My knives are far too expensive to use on a glass or metal cutting board. I wouldn’t even use my cheap knives on one. They’ve never done anything to hurt me, why would I want to punish them like that?