News — chopping board

If you want a chopping board for everyday use that will last 5 to 10 years with regular care, beech is usually the better choice than oak because it is less porous, more uniform and kinder to knives. However, for most busy family kitchens we actually recommend a quality bamboo or acacia board over both oak and beech, as they combine durability, easier care and sensible weight for daily cooking. Oak vs beech chopping board for everyday use: quick answer If you are choosing strictly between oak and beech for a cutting board you will use every day: Beech is...

If you want to prevent knife damage, the safest chopping boards sit in the “medium” hardness range: quality wood or bamboo boards that give slightly under the blade. In practical terms, a 45x35cm wooden or bamboo cutting board that is at least 1.5cm thick will usually keep a home cook’s knives sharper for 5 to 10 years with normal use and basic care. What actually damages your knives? Every cut is a tiny collision between steel and surface. If the cutting board is too hard, the fine edge of your knife folds or chips. If it is too soft, the...

If your priority is knife sharpness, beech is kinder to your edges than paulownia in a busy British kitchen, but many cooks find a medium hardness wood like bamboo or acacia keeps knives sharper for longer over 5 to 10 years of use. In practice, switching from a hard plastic board to a well made wooden board can cut your sharpening frequency by about 30 to 40 percent. Paulownia vs beech: which board is actually better for knife sharpness? When you ask which chopping board is best for knife sharpness, you are really asking how quickly a board will dull...

If your only goal is to protect your knife edges, end grain chopping boards are usually the best choice, keeping a regularly used chef’s knife sharper for roughly 30 to 50 percent longer than a typical plastic or hard glass board. That said, a well made edge grain wooden board, like a 45x35cm acacia or bamboo board, will still treat your knives far better than glass, marble or very hard plastics and is easier to live with in most home kitchens. What makes end grain boards kinder to knife edges? End grain boards are made so the wood fibres stand...