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See why.The Best Flexible Cutting Mats
Thin, lightweight plastic mats are easier to lift, wash, and store than conventional cutting boards. Does it matter which model you buy?
By Published Mar. 1, 2018. Appears in Cook's Country August/September 2005, America's Test Kitchen TV Season 21: Bistro Classics at Home
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What You Need To Know
A good-quality cutting board is essential. Our favorites are big, sturdy, and durable, but sometimes we like to supplement them with lighter-weight options. Enter flexible cutting mats. Lightweight and made from dishwasher-safe plastic, they can be easily tucked into the dishwasher after use—a convenience that we especially appreciate when working with messy raw proteins. They're also generally flexible enough to roll up like a newspaper and funnel ingredients directly into a skillet or bowl. We purchased eight, including products sold in packs of four or five and one that's sold individually, priced from about $2.00 to about $8.00 per mat. We put them through their paces with a slew of cutting and chopping tasks, evaluating how well they stood up to stains, odors, repeated knife strokes, and washing.
We Wanted Mats That Stay in Place
Flexible cutting mats are often double-sided, and they can be used directly on the counter or placed atop a larger cutting board. We tried them in each position. No matter how they're arranged, they're simply more prone to slipping than standard cutting boards. Some rocked back and forth or spun in circles, even when we used a damp paper towel to try to anchor them in place. Slick foods, such as halved onions and raw chicken, also sometimes slid on the mats. In this evaluation, the surfaces of the mats proved to be more important than their thickness or weight. Perfectly smooth mats tended to slip or skate around on the counter. The mats that felt most stable—both on the counter and atop a cutting board—had swirls, tiny raised dots, or grid patterns. If they were textured on only one side, we preferred to place that side on the counter for extra stability, but mats that were textured on both sides stayed put better and provided more traction for slick foods.
Are Bigger Mats Better?
We also preferred midsize mats. Some were so dinky that chicken pieces slid off as we pounded them and diced onion spilled onto the counter. But one mat was too big to be convenient; the extra space was useful for cutting, but at 18 by 24 inches, it was difficult to store and wouldn't fit in most dishwashers. The most versatile boards measured about 11 by 14 inches (the same as our winning small cutting board), making them big enough to contain all the food we were preparing but still compact enough to easily maneuver around the kitchen and put in the dishwasher.
The Best Mats Combine Strength and Flexibility
A handy benefit of flexible cutting mats is that you can bend them to funnel ingredients into bowls and cookware, so we used the mats to ferry chopped onions, carrots, celery, and broccoli around the kitchen after...
Everything We Tested
Recommended
- Size: 3 stars out of 3.
- Cleanup: 3 stars out of 3.
- Stability: 2.5 stars out of 3.
- Durability: 2.5 stars out of 3.
- Flexibility: 3 stars out of 3.
These mats were some of the thickest and sturdiest in our lineup but were still flexible enough to funnel food into skillets and bowls. Both sides are textured, which kept the mats in place on the counter and prevented foods from sliding across the cutting surface. The textured surface also prevented deep knife marks and concealed cosmetic nicks.
- Size: 3 stars out of 3.
- Cleanup: 3 stars out of 3.
- Stability: 2.5 stars out of 3.
- Durability: 2 stars out of 3.
- Flexibility: 3 stars out of 3.
These mats are slightly thinner than our winners and felt a bit less sturdy. However, we didn't feel cramped when cutting, and we were able to maneuver them in the kitchen with ease. One side of each mat is textured, which prevented the mats from slipping on the counter. They resisted stains and odors and were still fairly flat after repeated washing in the dishwasher, but knife marks were visible.
- Size: 3 stars out of 3.
- Cleanup: 3 stars out of 3.
- Stability: 2 stars out of 3.
- Durability: 2 stars out of 3.
- Flexibility: 3 stars out of 3.
We liked the size and thickness of these mats. They also felt fairly secure on the counter and were flexible enough to funnel ingredients into a skillet or bowl. The mats' surfaces are smoother than those of our favorite mats, so knife marks stood out more.
Recommended with reservations
- Size: 3 stars out of 3.
- Cleanup: 3 stars out of 3.
- Stability: 1 stars out of 3.
- Durability: 1 stars out of 3.
- Flexibility: 3 stars out of 3.
These mats provided enough space to comfortably chop produce and pound chicken breasts, but they're noticeably thinner than our top-ranked models. As a result, they felt a little flimsy and became slightly warped around the edges when we ran them through the dishwasher repeatedly. The slick surfaces meant that the mats slid a lot on the counter in some chopping tests and became badly nicked with knife marks.
- Size: 1.5 stars out of 3.
- Cleanup: 2.5 stars out of 3.
- Stability: 3 stars out of 3.
- Durability: 2 stars out of 3.
- Flexibility: 2 stars out of 3.
Not Recommended
- Size: 1 stars out of 3.
- Cleanup: 3 stars out of 3.
- Stability: 2.5 stars out of 3.
- Durability: 2 stars out of 3.
- Flexibility: 1.5 stars out of 3.
There was a lot to like about these mats. They're one of the thickest models in our lineup, so they felt strong and sturdy. And their textured surfaces both prevented slipping and concealed deep knife marks. Unfortunately, they're too small to hold half a diced onion, and pounded chicken breasts spilled off the sides. Their small size and rigid structure made them no more effective than traditional flat cutting boards when we transferred ingredients to skillets and mixing bowls.
- Size: 2.5 stars out of 3.
- Cleanup: 1 stars out of 3.
- Stability: 1 stars out of 3.
- Durability: 1 stars out of 3.
- Flexibility: 2.5 stars out of 3.
These mats taper at the corners, which made them feel dinky. They slipped around the counter when we chopped and sliced, and food slid across their cutting surfaces. The white surface developed an orange tint after we chopped carrots. After just five spins through the dishwasher, the colored trim around the perimeter flaked off, exposing a sticky surface.
- Size: 1 stars out of 3.
- Cleanup: 3 stars out of 3.
- Stability: 1 stars out of 3.
- Durability: 1 stars out of 3.
- Flexibility: 1 stars out of 3.
Although it's marketed as a flexible chopping board that makes it easy to transfer food, this mat was as rigid as a standard plastic cutting board. It became domed during testing, which caused it to bounce and slip and spin when we chopped on it. The raised handle at one end didn't make it any easier to transfer foods, and it made the small board feel even more cramped when chopping. The cutting surface became badly scratched with knife marks.
Reviews you can trust
Reviews you can trust
The mission of America’s Test Kitchen Reviews is to find the best equipment and ingredients for the home cook through rigorous, hands-on testing. We stand behind our winners so much that we even put our seal of approval on them.
Kate Shannon
Kate is a deputy editor for ATK Reviews. She's a culinary school graduate and former line cook and cheesemonger.
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