How many and what size?

You don’t want a board that’s too small. It has to be big enough to hold whatever you’re cutting, as well as your knife, plus a bit more space to give you some room to move things around as needed. It’s also a good idea to have at least two or three boards. If you have only one board, a good size to have is 12 by 18 inches. This is big enough for small tasks, like cutting onions, or larger tasks, like carving a chicken.

If you have two boards, then it’s also a good idea to keep one just for raw meats and seafood, and the other for vegetables and cooked foods. Another advantage of poly boards is that they come in all sizes and colors. The most popular ones are white. Some people like their boards to be in different colors to help keep them separate for raw meats and vegetables.

If you have three boards, then you’ll always have one ready to use if the others are dirty in your sink or dishwasher.