[TommyWires]

I mostly do vegetable prep and not much raw meat, so I’m wondering if the Vanotium is overkill for that. Does it still make sense if I’m just chopping onions and carrots most days? I don’t really need the whole antibacterial angle, just something easy to rinse and that doesn’t hold smells. Or is a regular board fine for veg only?

[Oliver Brooks]

For veg only I’d probably stick with a decent wood or plastic board. The Vanotium is nice for the no-smell and easy rinse thing, but if onions are your main concern, a cheap board plus a quick wash does the same job.

[Noah Kent]

A regular board is fine for veg only. I’ve used a cheap plastic one for years just for onions and carrots and never had issues with smell sticking around. The Vanotium seems like a lot of board for someone who isn’t dealing with raw meat.

[EthanFree]

Mine sat unused after a month, veg only.

[Eddie___K]

I get why you would ask since most of the talk around these boards is about meat. But the smell thing is not really just a meat problem. Onion and garlic residue on a wood board is a real thing, and I have had a board that smelled like old alliums even after washing it. So the easy rinse and no lingering smell part does apply to veg prep too, that is not only a raw chicken concern.

That said, I am not sure the antibacterial angle matters much for what you are doing. Vegetables get cooked or eaten fresh, and you are not dealing with the same cross contamination worry as raw meat. So if that is the main selling point for you, it is kind of wasted.

The part that would actually matter for your use is whether you care about the board looking clean and not staining. Carrot and beet juice can leave marks on lighter boards. A non porous surface handles that better. But if you already have a board you like and it is only veg, the upgrade is more of a convenience thing than a need. I am on the fence about whether it is worth it just for chopping onions.

[Susan Kennet]

For veg only, I’d say it’s overkill. Mine gets used for fish and chicken, that’s where it actually earns its keep. For onions and carrots I’d just grab whatever cheap board is closest.

[Sarah]

Veg only, just grab whatever board you like.

[Susan Keller]

I actually use mine for mostly veg and don’t think it’s overkill at all. Onions and garlic are the whole reason I got it, since my old board held onto that smell no matter what I did. It rinses clean in seconds and I never have to think about it.

[Jenny__M]

I went back and forth on this one myself. When I first saw boards like this I figured they were mostly for people dealing with raw chicken and fish all the time, and that for veg it would just be a fancy extra thing sitting in the cabinet. Then I ended up using one at a friend’s place for a couple weeks while I was housesitting, and it kind of shifted my thinking.

What got me was how it handled things like garlic and scallions, which always seem to leave their mark on whatever board I use at home. I kept expecting some lingering smell to stick around after a quick rinse and it just didn’t. That part surprised me more than I thought it would, because I always assumed that issue was mostly a meat thing too.

So my opinion now is that if the smell and cleanup side of veg prep genuinely bugs you, it can make sense even without the meat angle. If none of that bothers you and you’re happy with what you’ve got, then it’s probably not going to change your life. For me it moved from “why would anyone” to “okay, I get it” once I actually spent time with one.

It’s one of those things where the marketing oversells the germ stuff but undersells how nice the daily rinse is. That’s the part that stuck with me, not the antibacterial pitch.

[Khan]

I actually think it’s fine for veg only. The smell thing isn’t just about meat, onions and garlic can linger on cheap boards too, so if that bugs you it’s still a valid reason to get one. You don’t need the antibacterial angle to justify it.

[Jade Writes]

I mostly cut veg too and went with a regular wood board for years. It was fine, but I got tired of the onion smell hanging around no matter how much I scrubbed it. So I grabbed one of these titanium ones a few months back thinking it would solve that.

It kind of did, but not in the way I expected. The smell thing is real, everything rinses off clean and dries fast, which is nice when you’re prepping a lot. But the noise is what got me. Carrots and onions on this thing sound like you’re tapping on a metal counter. My partner started commenting on it from the other room.

So for veg only, it’s not really about overkill for me, it’s more about whether the clatter bugs you. Some people don’t care. I ended up keeping mine for quick stuff but still reach for the wood one when I want a quieter kitchen.

[coffeeandscreens]

I mostly cut stuff like peppers and mushrooms on mine and it’s been fine, but the noise is the one thing I didn’t expect. Tapping a knife on it at 7am is way louder than my old board.

[Jordan M.]

I mostly cut vegetables too, and I used a cheap bamboo board for a couple years before switching. The thing that finally pushed me was the smell. I’d cut a bunch of scallions and garlic for a stir fry, wash the board, and the next morning it still smelled like a salad bar. I tried lemon and salt, vinegar, leaving it in the sun, all the usual stuff people suggest. It would fade for a day and then come back as soon as the board got wet again. That got old fast.

So I got a non-porous board, not this exact one but same general idea, and the smell thing basically stopped being part of my routine. Rinse it, wipe it, done. No oiling, no scrubbing, no waiting for it to dry out properly before I put it away. For veg only prep that’s honestly the main benefit for me. The antibacterial angle doesn’t really move me either since I’m not handling raw chicken on it.

One thing I’ll say though, if you’re doing a lot of fast chopping with a thin knife, the feel is different. Wood gives a little, this doesn’t. It took me a week or two to stop noticing. Not a dealbreaker, just different. My wife still reaches for the old wood board when she’s doing something quick, so it hasn’t fully replaced it in our kitchen.

[Mike in NYC]

If you’re only doing veg, a regular board is fine. I used a cheap plastic one for years and it did the job. The titanium thing is nice for cleanup, but it’s not like onions require special equipment.

[Tom W98]

Veg only doesn’t magically make a board fine. Onion and garlic smell sticks to cheap boards just as much, so the “I don’t need it for meat” logic doesn’t hold up. Get it if the cleanup bothers you, skip it otherwise.

[Julia Writes]

A cheap plastic one always worked fine for my veggies.

[Dave the Curious]

I went down a similar path last year. My thinking was that since I mostly do onions, peppers, garlic and herbs, a basic board should be enough. What actually bugged me over time was the garlic smell. I had a wood board that I liked, but after a while it started holding onto strong stuff even with washing. So for me the veg only argument didn’t really hold up because the smell issue comes from the veg itself, not the meat. That said, I’m not sure the Vanotium is the only answer. I ended up with a cheap composite board that rinses clean and dries fast, and it’s been fine for about eight months. The titanium thing might be nicer long term but if your main concern is just easy rinsing and no lingering smell, there are cheaper options that do that too. I’d probably only go for it if you want the dishwasher safe part or you’re tired of replacing boards.

[Zara W]

I’d just keep a cheap board for veg.

[Chris Miller]

I’d just get a decent regular board for veg and skip the titanium thing. I’ve used a wood one for years for onions and carrots and it’s been fine, just needs a rinse and occasional oil. If the smell bothers you, that’s the one reason I’d consider upgrading.

[Lisa Hydrow]

Onion and garlic smell absolutely sticks to cheap boards, so I would not count on veg only saving you there. I had a plastic one that smelled like old garlic no matter how much I scrubbed it.

[Gina Vale]

If you’re mostly doing veg, the main thing to think about is knife feel, not bacteria. I had a thin metal-ish board for a while and carrots and potatoes were fine, but anything with a bit of give like tomatoes or peppers felt different, like the blade was landing on a hard counter instead of biting in. Some people don’t care, some do. The smell thing is real though, I’ll give it that. My old board took on a garlic smell after a few months and no amount of washing got it out. That’s the one part of the pitch I actually believe. But if your current board doesn’t stink and you’re not cutting meat, the titanium angle is mostly just paying extra for a surface that dries fast. Rinsing and drying it is easy, I’ll say that much.

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