This plant-based dishwasher-friendly cutting board is saving my meal prep
I remember pausing mid-scroll one night as my eyes latched onto a headline about the specific toxicity of black plastic cookware. I immediately pictured our black plastic Ikea cutting boards that were riddled with knife grooves and covered in faded gray patches from countless dishwasher cycles. Perfect, I thought.
Already anxious about microplastics, I had unsuccessfully attempted to transition to wooden cutting boards a few months prior before reluctantly going back to plastic. My repulsion to sliced fruit that tasted like garlic and onions and the sheer high maintenance (handwashing after each use, occasional sanding and massaging it with food-grade mineral oil) was just too much.
When I came across the MK Free Board by Material ($48), I was instantly intrigued by the fact that it combined nontoxic, plant-based material with dishwasher-friendly convenience.
It’s made from 100 percent USDA-certified biobased material that blends biopolymers and natural clay minerals, so you don’t have to worry about dusting your food with a cloud of permanent microplastics as you slice and chop. It’s also free of fossil fuels, PFAS, and food allergens (including wheat and soy).
What sets Material’s MK Free Board apart
While the dimensions of the cutting board are readily available on Material’s website, I was pleasantly surprised by its generous size. It’s 17.5 inches by 12 inches, so it’s large enough to prep multiple things—for instance, I can use one side to assemble sandwiches for school lunch and the other for slicing strawberries for breakfast without the strawberries getting covered in crumbs or the sandwich bread becoming soggy with juice.
For dinner, I don’t have to chop vegetables in batches—I can just chop however much I need and then slide them into my pan or pot.
Unlike wood, the material is non-porous, which makes me feel better about using it to chop raw meat. Plus, it’s easy to clean since I can just stick it in the dishwasher—despite its massive size, it still fits on my lower rack.
The surface is slightly textured, so it doesn’t dull my knives, and there’s a juice groove that’s perfect for slicing meat or cutting fruit. The hole in the top left corner also makes it easy to loop my finger through when I need to pull it out of the cabinet or handle it with slippery, wet hands.
I have the Shell color, which is the pink shade, and was worried it would stain easily, but that hasn’t been an issue at all. After using it nonstop for a few months, It does show signs of fading from the high heat of the dishwasher, but that doesn’t really bother me.
What to know before you buy Material’s MK Free Board
At $48, this cutting board is a splurge, especially if you’re like me and are upgrading from Ikea and want to have a couple on hand. Material also sells a smaller version, the Midi MK Free Board, for $40 and the MK Free Set for $80.
I have granite countertops and haven’t had a problem with the board sliding around, but Material suggests placing a damp cloth under the board if you have quartz or marble countertops.
While I’ve been impressed with the durability of the board overall, one time after running it in the dishwasher, I noticed that the board bowed a bit. I was really disappointed because it made the board feel wobbly and unstable when I was cutting on it. That said, the next time I placed it in the dishwasher, it came out looking like its original shape without a trace of warping. I’m mindful to place it in the dishwasher carefully now, making sure that it’s not interfering with anything that could affect its shape.
The cutting board also has the usual light traces of knife cuts that accumulate in most cutting boards, but we did manage to make a few deep knife grooves after sharpening our knives and slicing up a rack of ribs. Whoops.
Is Material’s MK Free Board worth the money?
Overall, I feel like the cutting board is worth the money considering that it’s a healthy, low-maintenance option. If you want to avoid cooking and prepping with plastic, prioritize ease, and want to preserve your knives, Material’s MK Free Board is a splurge-worthy solution. The company also backs it up with a lifetime guarantee, so even though the upfront cost is steep, at least it should last.
Where to buy Material’s MK Free Board
You can buy the cutting board directly from Material’s website or from Nordstrom.
source https://www.mother.ly/health-wellness/material-the-mk-free-board-review/
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