Knives may be the most important tools in the kitchen, but they’re of limited use without a great cutting board. Settle in for a sharpening up on this ultimate culinary workhorse.

First things first: Ditch the glass boards. That hard surface isn’t doing your knives any favors. No, for the ultimate in form and function, you gotta go with wood cutting boards. And for the ultimate in form and function — as well as being made from sustainable, renewable sources — bamboo boards are the way to go. Alex Jamieson likes their ease of use as well as the aesthetics. “All you have to do is get a bottle of food grade linseed oil and rub some of that in to keep it from drying out.” Melissa Clark offers some advice on odor transfer: “If you want to distinguish the sweet from savory side (so you don´t mix the flavor of strawberries with onions!), just take a Sharpie and make a little mark on each side to remind you which is which.” Now that’s thinking with both sides of the brain.

Bamboo boards come in a wide variety of shapes and styles, such as the long, sleek The Plank from Bambu, spotted on A Green Idea. Better Living Through Design found one with an additional layer of function: The Miller Natural Bamboo cutting board with three interchangeable prep bowls that rest in a convenient hole in the upper right corner.

Serious knife-wielders may require a board with a bit more substance, though. Monika Reti opts for the John Boos & Co. cutting board, made from hard rock maple. “As for chopping, nothing feels like wood.” Chef Jesse Sharrard of Corduroy Orange goes whole hog with a freestanding Boos Block Maple Butcher’s Block, a sweet wedding gift from his brother. “I have no complaints about this cutting board. It’s well made, attractive, and useful.”

Cleanliness is key — bacteria can fester in grooves forged by knife blades — which is why Julie Tucker endorses Epicurean cutting surfaces. “It uses a non-porous surface that prohibits bacteria call Richlie. This environmentally-friendly, natural wood fiber composite has been approved by the NSF (National Sanitary Foundation), and is knife friendly and dishwasher safe.”

But cutting boards don’t just have to look like slabs of wood, even if they are. A couple of ThisNexters fell in love with these Wonderful Wooden Cutting Boards from Charles & Marie. Laser-engraved figures are carefully positioned on the wood grain sets the scene for a little tableau. Abh75 thinks the astronaut is “especially excellent,” whereas kayzee’s fave is the skier, shooshing down its wooden “slope.” Frequent ThisNext guest blogger Di Overton and June Sung take a more academic approach, with a wooden board carved to resemble a book. Perhaps a cookbook?

If boring old wood is too old-school for you, then modern surfaces — and styles — might be more up your alley. ThisNext’s very own Aunt Beep really digs this groovy Kensal & Gretel chopping board with its perfectly Pucci pattern. “Coolest. Chopping Board. Ever.” And if that’s not modern enough for you, you’ll have to start looking into the future, like ThisNexter brunurb and tech-focused TechEBlog, both of whom admire the concept of this giffin’termeer Cutting Scale — a cutting board with a built-in scale. Now that’s form and function.